In the last issue we wrote about BOMA International’s Winter Business Meeting & National Issues Conference that took place in Washington, D.C. In this issue we featured Advocacy Day at the Statehouse in Columbus. Those are excellent examples of annual events that BOMA, as an organization, puts on and showcases our expertise in commercial real estate. At this point we do not have a Greater Cleveland or “local” Advocacy Day – but putting together some sort of organized event to reach out to area elected officials is indeed a short term goal. Our local advocacy efforts are generally more informal and involve targeted meetings with members of Cleveland’s City Council or the Cuyahoga County Council.

Rendering of what Public Square may look like in the future. Photo courtesy of Cleveland.com Rendering of what Public Square may look like in the future. Photo courtesy of Cleveland.com

As we have mentioned in the past, there is still a good amount of development taking place in and around downtown Cleveland. The most high profile project that has the potential to drastically alter traffic patterns is the proposal to give Public Square a makeover. At present, the plans are to close Ontario Street through the Square completely to vehicles and limit Superior Avenue through the Square to only buses. Theoretically, Roadway and Rockwell Avenue around the Square would then be converted to what would essentially be a roundabout. Our Board of Directors will continue to monitor any potential access issues that may arise for downtown office buildings and updates will be provided to our members as the information comes in. Be sure to follow us on our social media pages for the latest!

The Primary Election on May 6th officially set the stage for two major contests in November: Current Cuyahoga County Executive Ed Fitzgerald (D) vs. current Governor John Kasich (R) in the gubernatorial race and State Representative Armond Budish (D) vs. County Councilman Jack Schron (R) for Cuyahoga County Executive. Some other area down-ticket races worth noting are:

•Mikhail Alterman (R) and Kent Smith (D) will compete for Ohio House District 8 – which Armond Budish is vacating because of term limits and his run for County Executive. District 8 encompasses parts of Cleveland, Beachwood, East Cleveland, Euclid, Richmond Heights, South Euclid and Woodmere.

•Former Cleveland City Council President Martin Sweeney (D) won a close primary battle and will face Anna Melendez (R) for Ohio House District 14, which includes the southwest portion of Cleveland, Brook Park, Middleburg Heights, Parma Heights and Brooklyn. Incumbent Representative Mike Foley (D) is term-limited.

•Incumbent U.S. Representative Dave Joyce (R) survived his primary and will face Michael Wager (D) in November. The 14th District covers portions of Cuyahoga, Summit, Portage, and all of Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula Counties.

•Current State Representative Sandra Williams (D) will face Sikiru Kafaru (R) for State Senate District 21. The 21st district includes parts of Cleveland, Newburgh Heights, Garfield Heights, Shaker, University Heights, Cleveland Heights and Bratenahl. Incumbent State Senator Shirley Smith (D) was term-limited and lost to Armond Budish in the County Executive primary race.

•Former State Representative Kenny Yuko (D) will face Hasani A. Crider (R) for State Senate District 25, which stretches from Painesville to East Cleveland down to Bedford. Incumbent State Senator Nina Turner (D) is running for Secretary of State against incumbent Jon Husted (R).

Category: Advocacy

Tags: Government Affairs