The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

The City of Cleveland has been experiencing a sea change in leadership, including its very own City Council. In November 2021, Blaine A. Griffin was reelected to serve as the Ward 6 Councilman, a position that he has held since 2017. Shortly after his reelection, Cleveland City Council members elected him to serve as Council President.\r\n\r\nIn an era filled with once-in-a-generation opportunities and challenges, what are the accomplishments of the 119th Cleveland City Council? And what can we expect as priorities moving into 2023? Join the City Club as we hear from The Honorable Blaine A. Griffin, as he shares his vision for the future of Cleveland.

The war in Ukraine is the kind of crisis that clarifies the importance of things that might otherwise be taken for granted: The ability of a sovereign nation to determine its own future, or that a rules-based international order is something that benefits all nations. The war has also made exceptionally clear the interdependence of economies and societies around the world. While Ukrainians suffered missile strikes and indiscriminate attacks, within days of the onset of Russian aggression, nations reliant on Ukrainian food production felt those supply chains contract. Similarly, nations reliant on Russian oil began to question the viability and wisdom of those trade relationships.\r\n\r\nThroughout this last year, the United States Department of State has been the Biden administration\'s primary resource to lead Western democracies in providing military and humanitarian support to the people of Ukraine. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has been key to those efforts, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month in Kyiv.\r\n\r\nAs we approach one year since the beginning of Russia\'s war on Ukraine, we invite you to join us for a conversation with Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman about the work of the State Department and the stakes for the American people and for the project of democracy.

Going into the 2022 season of Cleveland Baseball, you could say things felt different. League-wide, the pandemic was still weighing on the MLB, and a lockout delayed the start of the season. Things looked different, too. Here in Cleveland, the team took the field for the first time with fresh gear and a new name as the Cleveland Guardians. And with an average age of about 26 years old, the Guardians were the youngest team in both the Major Leagues and AAA.\r\n\r\nIn the beginning, many sports analysts wrote the Guardians off. It was to be another rebuilding year, they said. But in the end, the Guards would finish with a 92-win season, a division title, barely knocked out of the playoffs by the Yankees. Sports Illustrated credited the team with creating a new brand of baseball, and Terry Francona would take home his third MLB Manager of the Year Award.\r\n\r\nAnd Clevelanders happily took all of this in to the tune of the Spongebob Squarepants theme song.\r\n\r\nWhile this unforgettable 2022 season has ended, what is next in this era of the Guardians? And what does it mean for the City of Cleveland? Join the City Club as we hear straight from team leadership Paul Dolan, Chris Antonetti, and Terry Francona in a conversation led by Andre Knott with Bally Sports and Fox 8 News.

In his latest book, "How We Win the Civil War," author Steve Phillips tackles a formidable foe: America's centuries-long struggle with racism. In this follow-up to 2018's "Brown is the New White," Phillips argues that in order for this country to move forward and overcome white supremacy, we must resolve the issues that have lingered since the end of the Civil War. "If we first recognize that we are in a war, and then learn the lessons and follow the lead of those who have shown they know how to prevail, we can definitely win the Civil War, secure a multiracial democracy, and end white supremacy for good," he writes in the introduction. Publishers Weekly called the book "spirited and persuasive" and "a rousing call for change."\r\n\r\nPhillips is a New York Times bestselling author and the founder of Democracy in Color, an organization focused on political strategy and analysis at the intersection of race and politics. He is also a regular contributor to The Nation and the Guardian.\r\n\r\nJoin us as we hear from author Steve Phillips on how we overcome our country's racist legacy to create a democracy that serves all Americans.

Although often on opposite ends of the political spectrum, Frederick Hess and Pedro Noguera came together to discuss the difficult issues affecting education in their 2021 book "A Search for Common Ground." No topic is off limits, from school testing and diversity measures to teacher pay and the achievement gap. By engaging in open and respectful dialogue, Hess and Noguera better understand the other's ideology and even find areas where they agree. The book offers a clear path forward for improving the modern education system.\r\n\r\nHess is a senior fellow and the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Hess is also the author of several books about education and an executive editor of Education Next. A columnist for Education Week, Hess has also contributed to Harvard Education Review, The Atlantic, and The New York Times, among others.\r\n\r\nNoguera is the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education. His research focuses on the effects of social and economic conditions and demographic trends on schools. Noguera is the author, co-author, and editor of more than a dozen books.\r\n\r\nJoin the City Club at 11:30 am on Tuesday, January 19, for a virtual conversation between Hess and Noguera.

For Black and Brown Americans, access to capital, getting a home appraised, or even access to standard banking services can be challenging. After centuries of targeted policies that set Black and Brown Americans behind, the racial wealth gap has only grown--fueling inequities in communities of color. Systemic racism inside the American financial services industry serves as yet another barrier for not only banking customers and budding entrepreneurs, but also internal employment practices at the banks themselves.\r\n\r\nEmily Flitter covers banking and Wall Street for The New York Times. Before this, she spent eight years at Reuters, writing about politics, financial crimes, and the environment. In her new book, The White Wall: How Big Finance Bankrupts Black America, Flitter connects the dots between data, history, legal scholarship, and offers powerful personal stories as America continues to confront systemic racism and pave a path forward.\r\n\r\nJoin us at the City Club for a conversation with Flitter, moderated by Danielle L. Sydnor, President of the Cleveland Branch NAACP and Founder and CEO of We Win Strategies Group, on the racial wealth gap, civil rights, and what it means to bank while Black.

The Greater Cleveland Food Bank works to ensure that everyone in their six county service area has the nutritious food they need every day. Last year, they served more than 341,000 people, 87,000 of whom were individuals in need of food assistance for the first time.\r\n\r\nThere is no doubt that the Food Bank was one of the organizations in our community most directly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. With ever changing shutdowns, economic downturns, and job uncertainty, more Ohioans faced food insecurity. They had to make impossible decisions: Do I buy my medications this month or food? Do I pay rent on time or feed my family? It\'s these questions, and the root causes of food insecurity, such as housing, healthcare, and employment, that keep Kristin Warzocha and the team at the Food Bank fighting every day.\r\n\r\nKristin Warzocha joined the team at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank in 2000. After serving as the Vice President of External Affairs, she became CEO in 2014. Join us as we hear from Kristin as part of the City Club\'s Local Heroes series.

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) was established in 1972 and has been in the business of cleaning wastewater and managing stormwater for 50 years. Today, NEORSD is one of the largest clean-water agencies in Ohio. Thanks to the work of more than 750 employees, NEORSD treats 90 billion gallons of water every year for Cleveland and 61 suburban communities in Northeast Ohio.\r\n\r\nAt its core, NEORSD provides critical public health infrastructure. With each rainy day, toilet flush, and sink full of dishes--it\'s easy to take for granted. Yet, the Sewer District is behind it all, 24/7, 365 days a year.\r\n\r\nAs CEO, Ms. Dreyfuss-Wells oversees the operation of the agency. This includes hundreds of miles of sewer and stream networks, a multi-billion-dollar 25-year Project Clean Lake program, and a regional wet-weather strategy for the health of Lake Erie and more than one million residents.\r\n\r\nWith major investments already underway, and more opportunities forthcoming with the Infrastructure Act, what are the future plans for our region's clean water infrastructure? As part of the City Club\'s Local Heroes series, join us as we hear from Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, and the Sewer District\'s efforts to provide cleaner water, safe recreation, and a better future.

Philanthropic giving is at the core of every community and lives in the heart of humanity. The rise of philanthropic grantmaking organizations has grown in tandem with the need to urgently, and equitably address our community\'s social determinants of health. How can grantmakers revisit assumptions and shift their thinking to be of greater service to nonprofits serving their neighborhoods?\r\n\r\nMarcus F. Walton is the President & CEO of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO), a community of more than 6,000 grantmakers across the globe. Since 1997, they have been committed to transforming philanthropic culture and practice by connecting members to the resources and relationships needed to support thriving nonprofits and communities. Prior to joining GEO, Marcus worked as Director of Racial Equity Initiatives at Borealis Philanthropy; as Vice President and COO for the Association of Black Foundation Executives. Marcus has also served locally as a Program Officer with The Cleveland Foundation and as a Senior Program Officer with Neighborhood Progress, Inc.

Growing up, sports were not just something that Alana Nichols did. They were her identity. After suffering a traumatic spinal cord injury while snowboarding at the age of 17, she was paralyzed from the waist down. Thinking her athletic career was over, she experienced a wheelchair basketball game her freshman year at the University of New Mexico, where the physical and competitive gameplay reignited her athletic endeavors and her passion for sports and adventure.\r\n\r\nAlana went on to compete in several Paralympic games and is the first woman Paralympian to win gold medals at both Summer and Winter games. She has competed in wheelchair basketball, Paralympic alpine monoskiing, and at her final Paralympic games in Rio, paracanoeing.\r\n\r\nJoin us for an intimate conversation as Alana shares her journey of resilience, identity, and passion for challenging herself and others.