Field grows in race for Cleveland City Council's new Ward 7 seat
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Two more candidates have announced Cleveland City Council campaigns for the new Ward 7.
Why it matters: The race for the open near west side seat to be vacated by Kerry McCormack is shaping up to be one of the year's most lively.
Zoom in: Attorney Mohammad Faraj, who graduated from Westlake High School and Cleveland State University, announced his candidacy earlier this month.
- Faraj is an enterprise manager for Bitcoin Depot and the child of Palestinian immigrants. He says he plans to spend the next few months canvassing the ward to learn about the problems facing everyday people.
What they're saying: "I've spent my whole life being told I don't really belong, because I'm Arab, because I'm Muslim, because I'm Palestinian," he told Cleveland Scene.
- "That sense of being left out, that's something that a lot of Clevelanders can relate to."
Mike Rogalski, a graduate of Cleveland Heights High School and Cleveland State, threw his hat in the ring this week as well.
- He has worked for the Cleveland Housing Court and the Cuyahoga County Department of Health and Human Services and now provides health care support services as an independent operator.
Between the lines: Rogalski's campaign rhetoric is more combative than that of either Faraj or Austin Davis, the advisor to Mayor Bibb who launched his campaign early this month. Among his campaign's four pillars is the support of progressive economic policies.
- "Gentrification has decimated the fabric of Ward 7 harder than any ward across the city," Rogalski said in a press release.
- "Residents want an end to tax abatements for luxury properties, to implement permanent, affordable housing, and to invest in youth and senior programs."