Incumbents handily secured their spots in the November general election after a Tuesday's primary with few surprises. Voters whittled down the candidate pool to two per ward.
Voter turnout was about 7%, but council president Blaine Griffin said he's pleased to see his colleagues supported by voters.
"The people that came out and voted for the council members today, I think really, really just was a testament to say that council is being responsive, that council is passing legislation, that council has been responsible in its actions," Griffin said.
All results are considered unofficial. Here's a breakdown of primary results and what to know ahead of the November election:
Some incumbents will challenge each other under new maps
New ward maps have the potential to shake up council. Cleveland is losing two of its 17 seats due to population loss. In two races, incumbents will face off after the once-in-a-decade redistricting process pushed them into the same ward.
Ward 5
Those races include Ward 5, where Richard Starr (currently Ward 5 incumbent) and Rebecca Maurer (currently Ward 12 incumbent), will vie to represent the East Side neighborhoods of Central, Kinsman and parts of Slavic Village.
Council President Griffin is throwing his endorsement, and funds from the political action committee he controls, behind Starr. Griffin said he's encouraged by preliminary results Tuesday night, in which Starr had a wide lead over Maurer. Unofficial results put the count at 627 votes for Starr and 229 for Maurer.
Maurer has publicly clashed with Griffin throughout the redistricting process. She called foul on Griffin's proposed maps, which spliced her current ward into multiple pieces and drew her personal address into Starr's domain. She said the decision to do so was politically motivated, an allegation Griffin denied.
Both Maurer and Starr are first-term council members.
Ward 10
Meanwhile, longtime councilmember Mike Polensek will face incumbent Anthony Hairston in new Ward 10.
Redistricting pushed Polensek, the longest-serving member of council in the city's history, and his Collinwood neighborhood into Hairston's current territory, which includes St. Clair Superior and Glenville.
Polensek filed to run ahead of the June filing deadline but had not confirmed if he intended to run until early August, when he said he would seek re-election.
Griffin has said he will back Hairston over Polensek.
Incumbents not seeking re-election clear the path for two West Side wards
Incumbents Kerry McCormack (Ward 3) and Jenny Spencer (Ward 15) previously announced they would not seek re-election. The pair said they would finish out their terms and not appoint successors, clearing the path for newcomers to council.
Ward 7
McCormack's ward most closely resembles new Ward 7, which includes the near West Side neighborhoods of Ohio City, Tremont, parts of Detroit-Shoreway and the Flats.
Austin Davis, a Tremont attorney who most recently worked at City Hall as Mayor Justin Bibb's senior policy advisor, and Mohammad Faraj, also an attorney living in Detroit-Shoreway, will move on to the November election after Tuesday's primary, defeating Mike Rogalski.
Ward 11
Ward 11, which most closely matches Spencer's Ward 15, did not have a primary election because only two candidates filed to run.
Attorney Andrew Fontanarosa, who currently serves as the head of legal operations at Lisinski Law Firm, will face off against Edgewater resident and community activist Nikki Hudson.
Other primary results, races to follow:
Ward 1
Incumbent Joe Jones, who has been in office since 2018, will face State Rep. Juanita O. Brent.
Brent, a Democrat who previously sat on board of the Lee-Harvard Community Development Corporation on Cleveland's East Side, is currently serving a fourth term in the Ohio House of Representatives.
While incumbents typically have the advantage, Jones's recent controversy at City Hall may be an obstacle in his re-election. His colleagues will vote on censuring Jones later this month after an employee filed a complaint that Jones threatened to "kill him." Jones has also been removed from committee assignments, but voters supported him strongly Tuesday.
Jones and Brent beat out three other hopefuls in the primary by a wide margin.
Ward 3
Incumbent Deborah Gray, who garnered roughly three-quarters of the vote, will go up against Erich V. Stubbs, who narrowly edged out Sharon Spruill.
Ward 4
This ward did not have a primary, but incumbent Kris Harsh is slated to go against medical doctor Rehan Waheed.
Ward 8
Incumbent Stephanie Howse-Jones secured her place on the ballot in the new Ward 8 with more than half of the vote. Charlotte Perkins, a business owner and retired law enforcement officer, came in second and will challenge Howse-Jones in November.
Perkins beat out two other candidates, including Teri Ying-Liang Wang, who formerly served on the city's Community Police Commission.
Ward 9
Incumbent Kevin Conwell, who secured nearly 80% of Ward 9 voters, will face activist and Glenville resident Alana Belle. Tony Evans Jr. will not advance.
Ward 12
Incumbent Danny Kelly, the current Ward 11 councilmember who was appointed to Brian Mooney's vacant seat in 2023, will seek to defend his spot on council by running in new Ward 12 in what will be his first election.
Tanmay Shah, a union organizer, lawyer and truck driver, will challenge Kelly, beating out Edgewater resident Andrew DeFrantis.
Some incumbents will run unopposed
Five incumbents will run unopposed:
- Ward 2's Kevin Bishop
- Ward 6 representative and Council President Blaine Griffin
- Ward 13's Brian Kazy
- Ward 14 councilmember and majority whip Jasmin Santana
- Ward 15's Charles Slife
Every city race, including Mayor Justin Bibb’s bid for a second term, will be on the November ballot.
What do you want to know from you prospective council member? Email amarshall@ideastream.org.
