Cleveland City Hall honors former Mayor George Voinovich
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George H.W. Bush campaigns for George Voinovich's Senate campaign in Cleveland. Photo: Diana Walker/Getty Images
An exhibition celebrating former Cleveland Mayor George Voinovich has opened at City Hall, inviting residents to revisit the legacy of a politician who helped steer the city out of financial crisis and into a new era of corporate-led development.
Why it matters: Voinovich, who served as mayor from 1980 to 1989 before becoming Ohio's governor and later a U.S. senator, remains one of the most consequential figures in modern Cleveland political history.
- The exhibit goes further, calling Voinovich "arguably the most significant political figure in Ohio history."
Driving the news: "Together We Can Do It!" features photographs, archival records, artifacts and personal stories exploring Voinovich's career and Slovenian and Serbian heritage.
- The exhibit commemorates the 90th anniversary of his birth, 10th anniversary of his death and 30th anniversary of Voinovich Bicentennial Park's dedication.
Flashback: Voinovich took office after Cleveland's tumultuous Dennis Kucinich years, promising to restore financial credibility and rebuild relationships with the business community.
- His administration helped stabilize city finances and ushered in a period of downtown investment and redevelopment that became a model for urban comebacks nationally.
Between the lines: That comeback was hardly spontaneous. Cleveland's corporate executives actively recruited and financed Voinovich as a repudiation of Kucinich's confrontational, populist politics.
- A 1989 Fortune magazine retrospective described how a "benign conspiracy" of business leaders organized to exert influence over City Hall, championing public-private partnerships and a business-friendly development strategy.
- The approach mirrored the Reagan-era economic philosophy that prioritized private investment and wealth creation, with the expectation that prosperity would eventually benefit the broader population.
💠Sam's thought bubble: What's very clear from the exhibition on the second floor of City Hall is that local leaders deeply respected and cherished Voinovich as a convener, a cheerleader and a workhorse.
- I was personally touched by his commitment to peace in the Balkans and by multiple photos of him campaigning by bicycle.
What's next: The free exhibition, first presented at the Slovenian Museum & Archives, remains on display during regular City Hall hours through May 31, 2027.