CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Women are competing in all but one of Cleveland City Council’s competitive races this fall, creating the potential for what could be the largest share of women legislators on a council that historically, and disproportionately, has been controlled by men.
Among 13 competitive races and 17 seats total, twelve women candidates emerged from the September primary or otherwise secured spots in the Nov. 2 run-off. That’s a higher share of women candidates on the ballot than at any time in at least the past two decades, according to a review of records from the Board of Elections.
Council representation historically has failed to reflect the city’s population, which U.S. Census estimates say is roughly 52% women and girls. A proportionate share of women-held council seats would be around nine; City Council currently has four.
Such skewed representation means some perspectives – and in this case, those potentially representing a majority of the city’s population – are inevitably underrepresented when it comes to important policy discussions.
“We as women are attached to a lot of things in our communities—childcare, healthcare, safety in our homes,” said Councilwoman Delores Gray. “We can see more of what our community may need than what a man may see. And when we’re dealing with community issues…and talking with our neighbors, we can hear what they’re saying and know what they’re feeling, and we can recognize more ways to help.”
The women candidates on this year’s ballot include a mix of incumbents and newcomers, East- and Westsiders, Black, brown, Hispanic and white, representing a range of generations. They are: Kimberly Brown in Ward 1, Monique Moore in Ward 2, Ayat Amin in Ward 3, Deborah Gray in Ward 4, incumbent Delores Gray in Ward 5, Stephanie Howse in Ward 7, Aisia Jones in Ward 8, Rebecca Maurer in Ward 12, Kate Warren in Ward 13, incumbent Jasmin Santana in Ward 14, incumbent Jenny Spencer in Ward 15, and Mary Kathleen O’Malley in Ward 17.
Of current women council members, only Santana won her seat via voters. The other three were appointed to fill vacancies within the last year. Two of the members -- Gray and Spencer -- are running to retain their seats, while Ward 4′s Marion Anita Gardner is not.
Some of the newcomers are likely long-shots, based on the relatively small share of votes they earned in the primary. But other candidates are strong contenders who could very well clinch a seat next month. Those include: Maurer, who trailed incumbent Anthony Brancatelli by about 80 votes during the primary; Howse, a state representative who came in first in the primary over TJ Dow; and Delores Gray, who edged out runner-up Richard Starr by 30 votes in the primary.
Aside from this year, only once since 2000 have there been 12 women contenders on the ballot. But that was in 2005 when there were 21 seats up for grabs, so women that year were running in just 57% of contests.
This year, they are running in 71% of races -- and in 92% of competitive races. (Three councilmen are running unopposed, and Ward 6′s Blaine Griffin faces only a write-in challenger.)
In all the other years – 2017, 2013, 2009 and 2001 – women candidates in the general election ranged between seven and nine – or an average of 43% of all contests, including those in which the incumbent ran unopposed.
The trend of more women participating in Cleveland council races mirrors a national one, which has generally seen more women running for office on all levels of politics. It’s a pattern that first seemed to emerge in the 2018 Congressional mid-terms, two years after the election of former President Donald Trump.
Jones said it was Trump’s presidency that first got her thinking about elected office. She said she had intended to wait a few more years, but was spurred to run this year after the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.
“If not now, then when?” Jones recalled of the decision. “I thought: ‘I can no longer just complain and comment on things, I need to get involved.’ Leadership must change with the times.”
Jones is one of six council contenders endorsed by the Matriots, an Ohio-only political action committee founded in 2017 in response to what it says is the “significant underrepresentation” of women in Ohio politics. Jones is also one of three council candidates endorsed by the We Belong Here PAC, created by Ohio House Democratic leader Emilia Sykes in 2020 to help get more Black women into office.
“All issues are women’s issues,” said Emily Quick Schriver, CEO of the Matriots. “When we think about the effect that a policy or a piece of legislation might have on the community -- it will have an effect on women and on our families. And having varied perspectives allows us to get to the best practices.”
She said women ought to be in power given their expanding role in the civic, community and professional worlds (not to mention traditional roles at home, or extra educational responsibilities brought on by the pandemic).
“Women are the main consumers in the state of Ohio. We are often the heads of households and the major breadwinners in our homes. Those perspectives should be brought to the political conversation,” Quick Schriver said.
And obviously, having more women on council is vital when it comes to addressing topics traditionally pegged as “women’s issues” – “You don’t see a lot of women-focused legislation,” said Santana, council’s first and only Latina member.
Santana introduced a measure last week that would provide free feminine hygiene products at recreation centers and City Hall.
“People don’t think about this: there are a lot of women and teenagers who are low-income and hygiene products can be pretty pricey,” Santana said. She framed her proposal as a matter of equity, and noted that the Clark-Fulton neighborhood, in her ward, is among the poorest in the city.
Not only do women bring a more well-rounded perspective on issues and policy decisions, Quick Schriver maintains. They also, in some ways, bring a different and perhaps more collaborative approach in how they conduct business – “I think women are really good about recognizing how to lift each other up, even if we have different viewpoints.”
One way that dynamic already may be playing out in Cleveland is collaboration on the campaign trail. Maurer, Warren and Jones said they’ve been supporting one another informally, by trading tips and helping each other canvass.
Quick Schriver has started to see that unusual dynamic play out elsewhere in the state – “where candidates are working together… or sharing volunteer bases to get out the vote and to spread the word about their campaigns together,” she said.
“We’re all running our separate campaigns and have different issues we’re focusing on in our wards,” Warren said. “But there is sort-of a unique camaraderie in being a woman…running for office for the first time. We learn a lot from each other.”
Said Gray: “This is not a man’s world anymore. Times are changing, and the doors have to be open for more women to walk in and see what we can do.”
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