WHO WE ARE

People’s Budget Cleveland is a grassroots coalition committed to community power building and deeper civic engagement beyond elections by giving residents real power to make real decisions on how tax dollars get spent. On November 7, 33,156 Clevelanders voted in favor of Issue 38, which would have created a charter amendment giving residents the ability to decide how 2% of the city budget is spent using participatory budgeting.

While the vote didn't go our way on November 7, we had many, many wins along the way. From the deep canvassing led by Building Freedom Ohio that clinched our majority in Glenville, to the majority of Cleveland neighborhoods historically impacted by disinvestment voting in favor of Issue 38, it is clear that Cleveland residents not benefitting from the status quo are ready for bold change. The Issue 38 opposition campaign outspent us 2 to 1, but our close margin shows that was once considered untouchable is now seen as vulnerable.

The PB CLE campaign proved that in spite of institutions jumping into action to defend unchecked corporate influence in city politics, Clevelanders are yearning to contribute their creativity and talents to building a better city through new political structures that do not exist today. It revealed the weaknesses of those status quo institutions - who were united in opposition to Issue 38, and yet unable to wrangle consent from 49% of Cleveland voters who openly defied them and voted in favor of a policy that gives residents real power on how our city prioritizes our money.

In January 2024, PB CLE will reconvene to discuss our hopes for deepening democracy in this city, and to strategize on next steps on what it might look like to address the many vital political transformations this campaign revealed.