Map of the 15 wards of the City of Cleveland, in effect from 2026

Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Its chambers are located at Cleveland City Hall at 601 Lakeside Avenue, across the street from Public Auditorium in Downtown Cleveland.[4] Cleveland City Council members are elected from 15 wards to four-year terms.[5] In Cleveland's mayor–council (strong mayor) form of government, council acts as a check against the power of the city executive, the mayor. Its responsibilities include "monitoring city departments, approving budgets, and enacting legislation to improve the quality of life [for the citizens of the city]."[6]

The current President of Council is Blaine Griffin.[1] Following Councilman Kerry McCormack's resgination on October 3, Councilwoman Jasmin Santana became Majority Leader.[7] Patricia Britt serves as the Clerk of Council.[8]

History

The structure and membership of city council have fluctuated throughout Cleveland's history. Established in 1802, it initially included three trustees, and when Cleveland was incorporated as a city in 1836, it had three aldermen. After the annexation of Ohio City in 1854, "the revised city council expanded to 11 wards, with 2 trustees elected from each," or 22 representatives in total.[4] By 1885, the city's legislature had grown to 50 representatives.[4] Cleveland's 1892 Federal Plan, which strengthened the powers of the mayor, reduced the size of council to 20 members, but after the plan was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Ohio in 1902, council membership grew again to 32.[4]

After gaining municipal home rule from the state in 1912, Cleveland's city government, led by Mayor Newton D. Baker, drafted a new municipal charter. In developing the charter, the size of council proved to be the most contentious issue. According to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, "those advocating a small council elected at large maintained that it would be more efficient, less expensive and would eliminate local machine corruption. Those who favored a large council elected by ward considered it more democratic, since it made councilmen answerable to their constituents."[4]

The final charter adopted in 1913 introduced a system with 26 wards each represented by a single council member. Due to the city's continued expansion, council grew to 33 members by 1923, making it "second in size only to Chicago's 50-member council."[4] In the 1920s, during the brief council–manager experiment, the number of council members was reduced to 25. When the mayor–council system was restored in 1931, the city had 33 council members again.[4]

In November 1981, as part of Mayor George Voinovich's effort to streamline city government, Cleveland voters approved reducing council to 21 members.[4] In November 2008, during the tenure of Mayor Frank G. Jackson, Cleveland voters passed a charter amendment linking the size of City Council to the city's population.[9] City Council approved a redistricting plan in March 2009,[10] reducing the number of wards to 19 at the start of the 2010–2013 term.[11] Thereafter, the number of wards was tied to the population identified in the decennial United States Census.

Population decreases identified in the 2010 Census resulted in the elimination of two wards, reducing the number of members to 17. In March 2013, City Council approved new ward boundaries that went into effect in January 2014.[12] Council voted to amend the boundaries on April 17, 2013.[13] As a result of the 2020 Census, two additional wards were eliminated in November 2025, bringing the total number of wards to 15.[5]

Current council

The current members of Cleveland City Council—all from the Democratic Party—are listed below in the order of the ward they serve.[14][15]

WardNeighborhoods[16]Council Member[14]In office sinceWard Map
1Lee–Miles (Lee–Harvard and Lee–Seville), parts of Mount Pleasant and Union–MilesJoe Jones2017
Map
2Union–Miles, parts of Broadway–Slavic VillageKevin Bishop2017
Map
3Mount Pleasant, Buckeye–Shaker, Broadway–Slavic VillageDeborah Gray2022
Map
4Old BrooklynKris Harsh2022
Map
5Central, Kinsman, parts of Downtown and Cuyahoga ValleyRichard Starr2022
Map
6Fairfax, University Circle, Buckeye–Woodhill, Little ItalyBlaine Griffin
President		2017
Map
7Downtown, Ohio City, north Tremont, north Cuyahoga Valley (The Flats and Whiskey Island), parts of Detroit–ShorewayAustin Davis2026
Map
8Goodrich–Kirtland Park, Asiatown, Hough, St. Clair–Superior, parts of Downtown, Glenville, and MidtownStephanie Howse-Jones2022
Map
9Glenville, Forest Hills, part of University CircleKevin Conwell2001
Map
10Collinwood, Euclid–GreenMichael Polensek1977
Map
11Detroit–Shoreway, parts of Edgewater, Cudell, West Boulevard, Brookside–Old BrooklynNikki Hudson2026
Map
12Edgewater, Cudell, West Boulevard, parts of JeffersonTanmay Shah2026
Map
13West Park (Jefferson and Bellaire–Puritas)Brian Kazy2015
Map
14Clark–Fulton, Brooklyn Centre, Stockyards, south TremontJasmin Santana
Majority Whip		2017
Map
15West Park (Kamm's Corners and Hopkins)Charles Slife2019
Map

Committees

As of 2026, City Council has 11 standing committees.[17]

Committee Chair Vice Chair
Development, Planning & Sustainability Jasmin Santana Kris Harsh
Finance, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Blaine Griffin Jasmin Santana
Health, Human Services & the Arts Kevin Conwell Austin Davis
Mayor’s Appointments Stephanie Howse-Jones
Municipal Services & Properties Kevin Bishop Kris Harsh
Operations Kris Harsh
Rules Blaine Griffin
Safety Michael Polensek Richard Starr
Transportation & Mobility Charles Slife Joe Jones
Utilities Brian Kazy Deborah Gray
Workforce, Education, Training & Youth Development Jasmin Santana Stephanie Howse-Jones

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Vandenberge, Jordan (November 5, 2021). "Pledging change and transparency, Councilman Griffin named new president of Cleveland City Council". WEWS-TV. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  2. ↑ Castele, Nick (January 3, 2022). "New Cleveland City Council takes oaths as political leadership turns over". WVIZ. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  3. ↑ Mirand, Heather (May 19, 2021). "Cleveland City Council sworn in with 15 members, chamber's smallest size since 1800s". WKYC. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Cleveland City Council". The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University. 11 November 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Find My Ward". Cleveland City Council. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  6. ↑ "About City Council". Cleveland City Council. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Press Releases". Cleveland City Council. Archived from the original on 2025-07-12. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  8. ↑ "Clerk of Council". Cleveland City Council. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  9. ↑ Gomez, Henry J. (2008-11-04). "Cleveland City Council reduction close to approval". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  10. ↑ Gomez, Henry J. (2009-03-23). "Cleveland Council adopts new ward boundaries". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  11. ↑ "Find My Ward". Cleveland City Council. Archived from the original on 2007-05-14. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  12. ↑ Atassi, Leila (March 26, 2013). "Proposed Cleveland City Council ward map approved; Cimperman, Polensek vote 'No'". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  13. ↑ Atassi, Leila (April 17, 2013). "Cleveland City Council approves another set of ward boundaries, map passes in 14 to 4 vote". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  14. 1 2 "Council Members". Cleveland City Council. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  15. ↑ 5 new members elected to Cleveland City Council - WKYC.com
  16. ↑ "Council Members | Cleveland City Council". www.clevelandcitycouncil.gov. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
  17. ↑ "Committees". Cleveland City Council. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_City_Council