Griffin backs Hairston over Polensek in Ward 10 council race
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Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin is backing Anthony Hairston in the Ward 10 showdown against fellow incumbent Mike Polensek.
Why it matters: Griffin's support doesn't just mean his photo on mailers. It means a big financial boost for Hairston from the Council Leadership Fund, the political action committee Griffin controls.
Flashback: The council doubled its campaign contribution limits last year, meaning PACs like the Council Leadership Fund can now contribute up to $6,000 per council race.
Zoom in: Both Hairston and Polensek have been key Griffin supporters over the past four years.
- Griffin told Cleveland.com that he's choosing to support Hairston — and in fact drew the new Ward 10 in its current shape — because he believed Polensek intended to retire.
The other side: Polensek said he told council leadership and Hairston that he would "strongly consider" not running again, but made no guarantees.
- He said he threw his hat in the ring after pressure from residents.
What they're saying: Signal Cleveland reported that the anti-capitalist rhetoric of Ward 12 challenger Tanmay Shah at a recent council forum also convinced him to run.
Between the lines: The recent reporting demonstrates how the council map-drawing process of 2024 was a backroom, political exercise designed to accommodate favored incumbents — not the public-spirited process that Griffin portrayed it as.
- Griffin said he fashioned Ward 10 to "avoid this bloodshed" after meeting with representatives on the east side.
- "Lines and districts were drawn during meetings like these," Cleveland.com reports, "out of the public eye."