2021 Cleveland Mayoral Race 

Learn about the Candidates: Cleveland Mayoral Candidate Race | Meet the Cleveland Mayoral Candidates | Meet LaTorya Witcher | Meet Zack Reed | Meet Arthur O'Kostendt | Meet Justin Bibb | Meet Ross DiBello

Cleveland Mayoral Race News: Cleveland Mayoral Candidate Forum, Wednesday, July 21, 2021, 5:30–7:00 PM | Cleveland Mayoral Candidate Field Narrows from Eight to Seven (added July 9, 2021) | YOUR Choices for Cleveland Mayor (added July 9, 2021)

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2021 is an important local election year in Cleveland. Cleveland residents will choose their mayor for the next four years this November. Cleveland is the 53rd largest city in the country, and the second largest city in Ohio (after Columbus), making it an important municipality. The OCE is committed to providing our campus community with information on the 2021 Cleveland Mayoral Race, check back often for up-to-date information. Add this webpage to your go-to resource list for answers to all your questions on this year's race.

Consider, local leaders have tremendous influence over our day to day lives which we have most noticeably seen during COVID-19. Mask mandates, stay at home orders, and curfews are all policies implemented by state and local officials. Cuyahoga County, with its population of 1.2 million people, has a larger population than eight U.S. states. Of that 1.2 million people, about 381,000 of them reside in the City of Cleveland. The Cleveland Mayor, and other local leaders in the City of Cleveland, have a direct impact on the lives of all 381,000 of the City’s residents. Simply put, local elections matter, and it is our civic responsibility to engage in local elections. 

Key Cleveland Mayoral Race Dates: 

• 2021 Cleveland Mayoral Primary Election 
  The Primary Election is open to all voters who are registered in the City of Cleveland. All official candidates will appear on the Primary Ballot. The Cleveland Mayoral Primary will occur on Tuesday, September 14th, 2021.  

• 2021 Cleveland Mayoral General Election 
  The General Election will coincide with the 2021 November General Election. The top two candidates from the Primary Election, will appear on the General Election Ballot. Any voter who is registered in the City of Cleveland, will see the Mayoral Race on their November Ballot. The General Election will occur on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021. 

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Anita Ruf-Young Interviewed by Cleveland News 19 about Cleveland Mayoral Election

Anita Ruf-Young, Director for CSU’s Office of Civic Engagement housed in the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs, was interviewed by Cleveland 19 News in their story about the 2021 Cleveland mayoral election. She discussed candidates who filed to run in the September primary election, and CSU’s efforts in promoting civic engagement on campus.

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Meet the Cleveland Mayoral Candidates

The OCE is pleased to announce that we have reached out to all declared candidates running to be Cleveland’s next Mayor. The OCE requested their participation in an exciting new project, “Meet the Cleveland Mayoral Candidates Series” to help our Office introduce and connect each candidate to our CSU campus community. Our Office provided each candidate the same list of questions to answer in their videos. Below you will find links to videos from the candidates who agreed to participate in this series. Candidate’s videos will be added on a rolling basis and will be removed if a candidate drops out of the race. These videos are a great resource for you to start learning about the candidates for mayor. 

The OCE encourages YOU to get involved in this process by registering to vote, updating your voter registration, or going a step further in your civic participation by volunteering or organizing on one of these mayoral candidate's campaigns. One of these candidates may be the next Mayor of Cleveland. Getting involved with one of these local campaigns is a great way to network, gain experience, or enhance your professional development. Our office hopes that these videos will inspire you to engage with one of these campaigns. If interested, take a look at the contact information we have provided for each candidate’s campaign below.
 

Cleveland Mayoral Candidate: LaTorya Witcher

Email: latoryajean@yahoo.com
Twitter: @Witcher4Mayor 
Instagram: 1voice216
Facebook: Facebook.com/1voice216
Phone: 216-235-8167

​​​​Cleveland Mayoral Candidate: Zack Reed

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Contact: info@bibbforcle.com
Website: https://www.bibbforcle.com/
Campaign Twitter: @BibbForCLE
Twitter for Students: @StudentsForBibb
Instagram: BibbforCLE
​​​​​​​Facebook: BibbforCLE 
Students can sign up to get involved on Justin Bibb's website or by completing this form.​​​​​​​
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Cleveland Mayoral Candidate: Ross DiBello

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Contact: rossdibelloformayor@gmail.com 
Website: https://rossdibello.com/
Twitter: @Rossitron5
Instagram: ross_dibello_cle
Facebook: @RossDiBelloMayorOfCleveland

Questions or Comments 
​​​​​​​If you have questions or would like more information about this Cleveland Mayoral Race video series project, please reach out to Anita Ruf-Young, OCE Director, at a.rufyoung@csuohio.edu, or Anthony Kukura, OCE Graduate Assistant, at vikesvote@csuohio.edu.