On December 13th from 11:00-12:00, a group of residents in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio rallied to launch an effort to make our region’s economic development process inclusive and equitable.  

The launch took place outside of 1801 Superior Avenue. Inside, 15 of our region’s business and non-profit leaders are convening a private meeting at noon to plan a 2019 economic summit.  

Participants at the rally demanded that any regional summit be governed and led by a board that is representative of our region’s diversity. A majority of the members of a governing board must be selected by the community and better represent the region in race, income, profession, gender identity, and geography than the current board of 15 elite business and non-profit leaders. The current organizers should secure funding from participating organizations to compensate community board members for their time.  

The rally on December 13th is the beginning of a longer effort. The organizers will solicit applications from the public and hold an open candidate’s night in January to vote on the community representatives who should be invited to steer the planning process for the 2019 summit.

“The response is necessary because the organizers of this meeting have failed to create a transparent and inclusive process,” says Rebecca Maurer, co-organizer of the rally. “The group claims to have invited a broad set of community members to this crucial conversation. In fact, a private invitation went out to only a few dozen well-connected people. Since the invite list is secret, we have no idea if Cleveland will be well-represented in its true diversity or breadth of experience. We suspect not.”

“Cleveland has seen this type of economic development planning process before,” adds co-organizer Yvonka Hall, Director of Outreach for the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus.  “For decades, it's left people doing well even better off, and the average Clevelander far behind.

This group claims to be different, but so far, it’s just replicating the mistakes of the past. Our society is deeply unequal. Black families in Ohio have only been able to save $2.60 for every $100 saved by white families.  

And in recent decades, the racial wealth gap has expanded under the type of economic planning efforts that this group is continuing. We cannot solve these problems through the same old process. The community needs a seat at the table.”