Cleveland Heights City Council Member
By Mary Dunbar
The “No on Issue 26” candidates are me, Carol Roe and Craig Cobb. There are three four-year terms up for the vote, and Carol and I are running in that race. There is one two-year term up for vote, and Craig Cobb is running in that race. Just vote for the three of us – don’t vote for any others. That’s what I’m telling people who ask me. I believe that will provide the best outcome.
Thanks for considering.
By Mary Dunbar
My Council Colleague Melissa Yasinow just sent out an explanation of why it is imperative that Cleveland Heights voters vote No on Issue 26. Rather than reinventing the wheel I am sharing it with you here:
“To my friends and neighbors in Cleveland Heights:
I am writing to urge you all to vote NO on Issue 26. Issue 26 is the most important ballot issue in Cleveland Heights in generations.
Issue 26 threatens to throw out our Council-Manager form of government in Cleveland Heights, which has served our City well for nearly a century, and to concentrate power in the hands of a single politician.
Voting NO on Issue 26 keeps our City accountable, stops the injection of politics into City jobs and services, and stops a destabilizing multi-year transition period. The last city in our region to change from a Council-Manager to a Strong Mayor government was East Cleveland in 1986; as shown by the recent history of our neighbor, throwing out our government will not fix the challenges we face.
Also, our Cleveland Heights Firefighters Union unanimously endorsed NO on Issue 26, stating “Issue 26 will negatively impact safety and services in Cleveland Heights, increase politics and partisanship, and impede our progress. We deserve qualified, nonpolitical, and professional management. Local 402 urges all Cleveland Heights residents to vote NO on Issue 26 this November 5.” I hope we will stand with our firefighters and vote NO on 26.
Our Council-Manager government is accountable, stable, and professional, and that is why it is the most common form of municipal government in the United States. Our Council appoints a non-partisan City Manager to oversee our 600 employee operation, and $80 million budget. Employment is based on merit, and services are expended based on need; not because of partisan connections or personal agendas. Council-manager systems are 10% more efficient with our tax dollars, and are 57% less likely to have corruption than Strong Mayor systems. If our City Manager does not effectively and efficiently achieve the goals set forth by Council, the City Manager is removed.
Finally, I am urging everyone to vote NO on 26 so that our City can continue its progress and deliver results. Just this past week News 5 ran a story on the “Small Business Boom” hitting Cleveland Heights, and WKYC just announced the opening of a new bakery on Lee road, owned by a new and young entrepreneur. Cleveland Heights is a welcoming place for small, family-owned businesses. I am also proud of our City’s new development and the rise in housing values. Cleveland Heights was one of Cuyahoga County’s top cities for median home value increases in the first half of 2019. Cleveland Heights’ staff also secured $4 million in grants for 2019, and we are set to break ground on Top of the Hill this January.
Other major accomplishments include the Council and City Manager implementing a Citywide Community Reinvestment Area to give tax abatement to those who add value to their homes, with increased tax abatement in our most deserving communities. Likewise, the City, at the recommendation of the City Manager, became a Certified Local Government, which helps developers receive historic tax credits for new development. We became a Certified Local Government with our eye on assisting/attracting developers to the Medusa Building (which is across the street from the Community Center) and Taylor-Tudor Building, which the City is in the process of acquiring through the tax foreclosure process, to revitalize the Cedar-Taylor Corridor. We also received a $12,000 grant to place the Taylor-Tudor Building on the National Register of Historic Places, again, to help with the property’s redevelopment. Through our City Manager’s connections, we also completed a feasability study for Severance (which was 80% paid for by the federal government) and are currently working on the redevelopment of Severance.
We are making significant progress in Cleveland Heights, working with a qualified and professional staff who is achieving the goals set forth by Council and our Master Plan. I do not want us to hit the pause or reverse button on the good work that we are doing; we will lose our senior staff over the next three years, who have been integral to our progress, for the promise of a magical political figure in 2022. We cannot take that risk. Our government is responsive, non-partisan, and accountable, and we should not risk all that we have achieved by putting the city’s power into the hands of a single politician whose sole minimum qualifications are living in Cleveland Heights and not being a felon.
I thank you all very much for your consideration. In addition to the links in this email, I’ve attached a No On 26 FAQ and the No on 26 Statement from the Cleveland Heights’ Firefighters Union. I also urge you to check out the No on 26 website for more information.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Also, please spread the word to your friends and neighbors.
Vote NO on 26 this November 5. Thank you.
Your Friend and Neighbor,
Melissa Yasinow
2 Attachments” (I, Mary Dunbar, don’t know how to attach attachments to this. I’ll try to find a way or will post them elsewhere on this website.)
By Mary Dunbar
A video of the LWV Candidates candidates forum held on Thursday, October 3, at 7 pm at the Cleveland Heights Community Center is now online at the LWV site. The format was for City Council candidates to introduce ourselves for two minutes, answer questions from the audience, then have a minute for closing remarks. You’ll have to watch the video for my answers to the questions, but here is what I said for opening and closing remarks.
Opening Statement: I’m Mary Dunbar. I’ve had two terms on City Council, and I’d like one more, because I believe we are at a turning point for our community – one that can have a very positive outcome. Because I’ve been on City Council for eight years, I can be effective now in steering our course in a positive direction.
Thanks to the Master Plan that our City Manager spearheaded and Council adopted, we have many pieces in place to reinvigorate Cleveland Heights. And we’ve made a start. The numerous economic development project under way in our City can ultimately boost our tax base and ease the tax burden on residents. We have Top of the Hill, the College Club and Medusa Building projects, the Meadowbrook-Lee project that now has spread to Cedar, new ideas for Severance…
We have partnered with Future Heights to have a Community Development Corporation (also known as a CDC) which this year is renovating five or six vacant and abandoned homes, with the aim of selling them to home owners at market rate. Next year, the CDC will renovate a dozen vacant and abandoned homes.
Almost nothing major happens at the municipal level without first completing a study, because the studies enable funding. We now have plans for Mayfield Road, Noble Road, Taylor Road, Compton Road… As these plans are implemented, they will cut swaths of renovation through our City, and I fully expect renovation to spill over to surrounding streets.
Also under development are plans for in-fill housing. We have 170 vacant lots, especially in the northern part of Cleveland Heights, that are owned by the County or City Land Banks. Rather than these lots being a liability, we have a great opportunity to add new housing to our stock and attract those who prefer new!
These are just a few highlights. Vote for Mary Dunbar to keep Cleveland Heights moving in positive directions.
Closing Statement: Residents come up with some of the best ideas for changes in our City. But these ideas need a Council champion to be adopted. I have worked with residents and been that champion for numerous pieces of legislation and developments. Since I became Chair of a Council Housing and Transportation Committee a year ago, Council adopted a Local Historic District ordinance that enables the Medusa Building Project. This legislation was promoted by residents on the City’s Landmark Commission. We also passed foreclosure bond legislation, promoted by the Greater Cleveland Congregations Noble Road group. I also claim a share of the progress made thanks to resident requests and the City’s Transportation Advisory Committee for improvements as a walkable, bikeable, transit friendly community. I want to continue working effectively with and for you! Please vote for Mary Dunbar for City Council.