Who's running for Cleveland City Council in 2025
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Cleveland City Council is being reduced from 17 seats to 15, and all of those 15 seats will appear on the November 2025 ballot.
State of play: At least half feature contested races. The filing deadline is June 11, promising a lively summer campaign season before the September primaries.
The intrigue: The progressive political action committee A Better Cleveland for All has more than $25,000 on hand, Signal Cleveland reports, and plans to divvy it among top progressive challengers.
- It's a counterweight to the Council Leadership Fund, which is controlled by the council president and has about $200,000 available to support incumbents in good standing.
Flashback: Council doubled the cap on campaign contributions last year, meaning the groups can give up to $6,000 per candidate.
- Individuals can now give up to $3,000.
What we're watching: West side incumbents Kerry McCormack and Jenny Spencer aren't running, creating open seats in the new Wards 7 and 11.
- Incumbents may be running against each other in two wards: Richard Starr and Rebecca Maurer in the new Ward 5; Anthony Hairston and Mike Polensek in the new Ward 10.
Zoom in: Here's a look at who is running as of April 1, based on announcements tracked by Axios, news reports and paperwork filed with the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
Ward 1
Neighborhood: Most of the current Ward 1, with a sliver of the current Ward 2 — Lee-Harvard, Lee-Seville, Union-Miles, Mt. Pleasant.
State of play: Incumbent Joe Jones is running for reelection but could be dogged by a recent workplace misconduct scandal.
Challengers:
- Aylwin Bridges
- Marc Crosby
- Larry Patterson
- Bernita Thomas
What we're watching: State Rep. Juanita Brent has long been rumored to be interested in the seat. Will she launch her campaign in the coming weeks?
Ward 2
Neighborhood: Much of the current Ward 2, with parts of the current Wards 4 and 12 — Mt. Pleasant, Union-Miles, Slavic Village.
State of play: Incumbent Kevin Bishop is running for reelection.
Ward 3
Neighborhood: Much of the current Ward 4, with pieces of the current Wards 2, 5, 6 and 12 — Woodland Hills, Mt. Pleasant, Slavic Village.
State of play: Incumbent Deborah Gray is running for re-election.
Challengers:
- LaShorn Caldwell
- Erich Stubbs
- Sharon Spruill
- Antoine Tolbert
Ward 4
Neighborhood: Much of the current Ward 13, with a chunk of the current Ward 12 — Old Brooklyn.
State of play: Incumbent Kris Harsh is running for re-election.
Challengers:
- Anna Maria Hamm
- Mitchell Jackiewiecz Jr.
Ward 5
Neighborhood: Most of the current Ward 5, with chunks of the current Wards 12 and 3 — Central, Slavic Village, Downtown.
State of play: Incumbent Richard Starr is running for reelection.
- Ward 12 incumbent Rebecca Maurer, whose home address is in the new Ward 5, is also running for reelection here.
Challengers:
- Johnnie Brown
- Beverly Owens-Jackson
- Myras Holmes
Ward 6
Neighborhood: Most of the current Ward 6, with slivers of the current Wards 4, 5 and 7 — Buckeye-Shaker, Woodland Hills, Little Italy, Fairfax.
State of play: Incumbent Blaine Griffin has filed to run, but he may decide to instead campaign for mayor.
- He is unable to run for both seats at once.
Ward 7
Neighborhood: Most of the current Ward 3, with a chunk of the current Ward 15 — Ohio City, Tremont, Detroit-Shoreway, The Flats.
State of play: Incumbent Kerry McCormack is not running for reelection.
Challengers:
- Austin Davis
- Mohammad Faraj
- Mike Rogalski
- Meagan Meehan
Ward 8
Neighborhood: Much of the current Ward 7, with chunks of the current Wards 10 and 3 — Downtown, Asiatown, Hough, St. Clair-Superior.
State of play: Incumbent Stephanie Howse-Jones is running for reelection.
Challengers:
- Edward Hudson Bey
- Donna Walker Brown
- Leon Meredith
Ward 9
Neighborhood: Much of the current Ward 9, with pieces of the current Wards 8 and 10 — Glenville, Forest Hills, Collinwood.
State of play: Incumbent Kevin Conwell is running for reelection.
Challengers:
- Alana Belle
Ward 10
Neighborhood: Much of the current Ward 8, with a chunk of the current Ward 10 — Collinwood, Euclid-Green.
State of play: Incumbent Mike Polensek has filed for reelection.
What we're hearing: Polensek and incumbent Anthony Hairston have pledged to run a "gentleman's match" in the new Ward 10.
Ward 11
Neighborhood: Chunks of the current Wards 15 and 13, with pieces of the current Wards 14, 11 and 3 — Edgewater, Cudell, Stockyards, Brookside.
State of play: Incumbent Jenny Spencer is not running for reelection.
Challengers:
- Nikki Hudson
Ward 12
Neighborhood: Most of the current Ward 11, with pieces of the current Ward 15 — Edgewater, Cudell, West Boulevard, Jefferson.
State of play: Incumbent Danny Kelly is running for reelection.
Challengers:
- Andrew Defratis
- Tanmay Shah
Ward 13
Neighborhood: Virtually all of the current Ward 16, with a piece of the current Ward 11 — Bellaire-Puritas, West Park
State of play: Incumbent Brian Kazy is running for reelection.
Ward 14
Neighborhood: Most of the current Ward 14, plus pieces of the current Wards 3 and 12 — Clark-Fulton, Brooklyn Centre.
State of play: Incumbent Jasmin Santana is running for reelection.
Ward 15
Neighborhood: Virtually all of the current Ward 17, with a sliver of the current Ward 16 — West Park, Kamm's Corners.
State of play: Incumbent Charles Slife is running for re-election.
Editor's note: This story will be updated with more candidates and context as the election progresses. Candidates can send announcements and tips to [email protected].