Feb 17, 2026 - News

Mayor Bibb to Seattle: Take notes

Sam Allard

Photo illustration of Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb with lines radiating from him. — Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios; Photo: Sarah Rice for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb has clapped back at a Pacific Northwest investor who warned Seattle in a widely shared column: "Don't become the next Cleveland."

What they're saying: "For decades, national narratives have framed Cleveland as a cautionary tale. But that framing misses the bigger story," Bibb wrote in a response on LinkedIn.

"Cleveland didn't quit. Cleveland rebuilt."

Zoom out: Bibb touted his development agenda, "the Cleveland ERA," and suggested we might actually be a model to Seattle.

The city is grappling with an AI wave that threatens to destabilize its economy anchored by software companies.
"Seattle should study Cleveland as a case study of what's possible when you confront age-old problems with bold, urgent leadership," Bibb wrote.

The other side: The author of the original piece on GeekWire, Charles Fitzgerald, responded to Bibb by clarifying he did not mean to disparage the Cleveland "of today."

He said he was speaking to broader themes of deindustrialization and agreed that Seattle leaders could learn a lot about managing a city in decline.

What's next: Bibb has invited Fitzgerald to town for a tour, and the two made plans to connect.

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Mayor Bibb to Seattle: Take notes

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