Citizen Empowerment

As your Council member, I will continue to respond to every call and email, attend community events and meetings, and advocate for more substantive and meaningful citizen participation in our City’s decision-making.

Our city is fortunate to have many skilled, talented, and engaged people. Cleveland Heights’ citizens have a lot to offer and want to do what they can to make our city better, stronger, and safer. And I am so grateful for our residents—for your input, your ideas, and your vigilance.  

As a community leader and having worked for decades with people of all kinds of personalities and communication styles, I understand that a true commitment to diversity and inclusion requires a certain skill set and temperament. But diversity is more than rhetoric and buzzwords. The sign of a truly inclusive organization, one that embraces its diversity, is not how it looks from the outside but rather how it facilitates a wide spectrum of experiences, ideas, and modes of expression in its day-to-day operations. 

Capable leaders must be able to manage all kinds of voices from all kinds of personalities—and always respond in a way that is respectful, meaningful, and ongoing. Community leaders—especially in a community as diverse as ours—need to be adept in welcoming different perspectives, listening to learn (not to defend), and finding pathways forward that reflect a true culture of collaboration, trust, and innovation.

And let’s be honest: This isn’t an easy thing to do. It requires patience, humility, and a spirit of generosity toward all. The ability to empower others effectively and productively is a key characteristic of a true leader.

I am proud that during my time in office, I have responded to every email and phone call from residents. I may not have the answers to everything, but I do my best to find the answers or connect you to people who can help you get the information or action you need. As your council person, I pledge to continue to reply to every email and phone call. Because that’s my job.

But it’s not enough to be responsive. I know that I need to be proactive in reaching into our community to give me the perspective I need to vote responsibly on legislation and to prioritize budget items that will help our city grow. That’s why I am dedicated to immersing myself as much as possible in the Cleveland Heights community so I can always be listening to and learning from you, the citizens of our city. I prioritize attending as many community events and meetings as possible, including (but not limited to)

  • FutureHeights, particularly their CrowdSourced Conversations

  • the Noble Elementary PTA, of which I am an active member

  • the Cleveland Heights Green Team

  • Heights Tree People

  • Noble Neighbors

  • the Racial Justice Task Force

  • the Millikin Neighborhood Group

  • the Cedar-Fairmount Special Improvement District (SID)

Further, I believe that our City government’s work is strengthened when we invite our citizens to participate in our City’s decision-making processes. I am committed to creating communication and citizen advisory tools to bring in meaningful and substantive citizen contributions—including task forces, permanent advisory committees, community engagement campaigns, and surveys.

I want to get to know you, your neighbors, your networks of local community. I want to understand your needs and hopes for our city. What are our strengths? What are we doing well? What can we be doing better? Where are our greatest opportunities? Where are our government’s blindspots? What is YOUR vision for our city for the next five, ten, twenty years? Please reach out and tell me what’s on your mind. I’m listening.

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