The city is our campus, Justin Bibb is our mayor – The Cauldron

Mayor-Elect Justin Bibb. Photo courtesy of Cleveland.com

Justin Bibb was the determined winner of Cleveland’s 2021 Mayoral Election as polls closed at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 2.

While many students on a primarily commuter campus such as CSU may not be residents of the city, some knowledge of who governs the grounds on which they walk every day may still be important.

Before campaigning to become the mayor of Cleveland, Bibb graduated from Trinity High School in Garfield Heights, Ohio. He attended American University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies, studied abroad at the London School of Economics, and attended Case Western Reserve University, where he earned his Juris Doctor and MBA.

In 2007, Bibb interned for then-Illinois Senator Barack Obama, and after spending years contributing to many information-oriented initiatives such as the Cuyahoga County Public Policy Fellowship Program and Knowledge Generation Bureau, Bibb Co-founded Hack Cleveland in 2014.

Bibb’s intentions of maintaining public safety have been at the forefront of his discussions. In the latest press release from the Bibb team, he introduced his Co-Chairs who will help him accomplish his goals in the next several months.

“I have spent my entire career bringing people together,” Bibb said. “I have assembled a cross-section of leaders across committees to advance my agenda to make Cleveland a leading American city.”

The Co-Chairs were listed as the following:

Erika Anthony, Executive Director, Ohio Transformation Fund

Paul Clark, Former Regional President, PNC Bank Cleveland

Richard Gibson, Pastor, Elizabeth Baptist Church

Phyllis “Seven” Harris, Executive Director, LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland

Darrell McNair, President & Chief Executive Officer, MVP Plastics Corporation

John Ryan, Former labor and nonprofit leader

The press release also listed 10 committees that will “tackle the top priorities on Day One of the Bibb Administration.” Economic Development, Education, Environment, Equity in Action, Health, Modern City Hall, Neighborhoods, Open Government, Safety, and Talent were the listed committees.

As education sits as the second committee to be mentioned, time will tell what sort of changes will be made regarding higher education in the city. With CSU 2.0 emphasizing CSU’s connection to Cleveland, Cleveland State may try to capitalize on the change in leadership in city hall.