CLEVELAND, Ohio – Former Alderman Zack Reed announced Monday that he would be running for Cleveland Mayor four years after a previously unsuccessful bid against Mayor Frank Jackson.
Reed, a Democrat, enters the non-partisan race as a household name after serving 16 years on the council, with the added benefit of previously running a citywide race. He is one of the better-known candidates who either participated or showed interest. Jackson has not officially ruled out a run for a fifth term despite not raising money or saying he would.
Reed, who has spent the past two years serving as minority public relations coordinator with Secretary of State Frank LaRose, said he wanted to build on his 2017 defeat, giving Jackson an unprecedented fourth term.
“The big difference between 2017 and today is mainly that the climate is different,” said Reed. “The problems are still the same. Our neighborhoods are still not strong. The citizens of Cleveland still have no chance and the quality of life is still not there. “
Reed said that even before the election, the priority of his campaigning is to help contain the coronavirus pandemic, including supporting vaccinations, but it is possible.
He added that he strongly opposed both of them Legal proceedings and a proposal in the Republican-controlled legislature that would do so prevent cities from taxing teleworkers from Cleveland-based companieseven if the employee works from home. That could drain the city coffers and burden the city with an even more catastrophic budget than it currently is, he said.
“It’s a dangerous law,” said Reed. “If we don’t get to Columbus as hard as we can and lobby our General Assembly, our elected officials, our governor, this law is going to be devastating to the people of Cleveland.”
Reed said he would have three main goals if elected: improving and expanding the environment for small businesses, addressing public health issues – like urban violence and exposure to lead contamination – and improving the school system.
Part of his vision, he said, was to bring businesses back downtown. But he also wanted to expand small businesses in parts of the city where developments don’t happen very often.
This requires a direct approach to increase the number of small business owned by women and minorities, he said.
“We have to have a deliberate program in place in these deprived neighborhoods,” Reed said. “The status quo has always been that we will talk about it. We talk about what we’re going to do. But when it is time for the rubber to hit the streets, suddenly we can’t find the resources, or suddenly we can’t find the manpower, or suddenly we can’t find the tools to make it happen. “
That could include a refurbishment. When asked about the future of Burke Lakefront Airport, which includes hundreds of prime lakefront properties, Reed said decisions about its future should be local.
“We should have a prime, prime seaside,” he said. “But we can’t have a world-class, world-class lakefront if someone in Washington, DC or someone in Chicago from the FAA is telling us how to do things on our lakefront.”
Part of the city’s business climate enrichment dealing with fighting violence across the city is an issue that Reed has dealt with for decades. It was also a main theme of his 2017 campaign.
“The fact that the city of Cleveland has committed over 100 murders in nine years doesn’t make strong neighborhoods that way. And you can’t make sure everyone’s life is better, ”Reed said.
The race to succeed Jackson, who took office in 2006, is expected to be overcrowded, although so far only one top candidate has officially declared: Nonprofit Executive Justin Bibb. Alderman Kevin Kelley, Alderman Basheer Jones and former Mayor Dennis Kucinich are expected to visit the office.
Reed was unable to raise near as much as his opponent because he was unable to actively promote LaRose while at work. He left his state job on March 12th.
But what he lacks in current fundraising skills he can possibly make up for with experience. While Reed lost 20 percentage points to Jackson in 2017, he received 40% of the vote and built a network of supporters that he can immediately use for his second game. Voters may also know his name better, having seen him on a citywide ballot before.
The preliminary round for the Cleveland Mayor’s race will be in September, with the top two voters moving to the November general election.
