📰 Chris Ronayne on Cleveland’s Bright Future

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There’s the Browns, of course. Everyone asks Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne about the team’s planned move to Brook Park. But that’s just part of the whirlwind that has been the last three months.

Sometimes nothing happens and then it all hits at once… Endless tariff headlines. The Browns. NASA. Tax-payer revolts. Big plans for the lakefront. One of the nation’s most resilient housing markets.

Ronayne came into office with a ‘Healthy Cuyahoga’ vision. Halfway into his first term as the third County Executive, the Cleveland Edgewater resident finds himself navigating through fast-flying issues that have confronted the county.

We discussed them in a wide-ranging interview.

How does Browns situation impact lakefront development?

Lakefront development will happen faster with the Browns on the lakefront. Developers want an activity generator, and the City of Cleveland shouldn’t have to wait for the lease to wind down and for demolition of the structure. That sets development back another 5 years on the lakefront. 

Additionally, the market for what’s being proposed in Brook Park is ambitious with Haslam Sports Group proposing top of market rents at downtown rates for an untested market. 

The win-win is a job-generating development in Brook Park on one of the best manufacturing and tech sites in the state within The Aerozone, next to the airport. This coupled with the transformation of the downtown lakefront with a renovated stadium would be the real win-win and not the zero-sum game that would occur with the Browns flight from downtown. 

Speaking of The Aerozone… NASA budget cuts could result in 38% job losses at Glenn. Also, have there been any more pitches to D.C. re: moving HQ here? 

I pitched the Cleveland site for NASA HQ just [last] week in the Senate. The push in D.C. to eliminate jobs at NASA Glenn is a step backward for our research center which is a leader on the Earth to moon to Mars Artemis team. NASA Glenn is a producer and should be kept whole. 

Is there another impact of a Browns move people aren’t talking about?

The Browns are a downtown team and a move to Brook Park would be a generational loss. But a move to Brook Park also takes up a lot of space that could be used for high-yield job generation in space exploration and aviation around The Aerozone. Hopkins needs expansion and we have a great NASA center that attracts technology and suppliers to the Artemis Program. We’re seeing a lot of growth in these areas around the country, and we need coordinated economic development to expand the footprint of something that could be really special.

What is the impact of tariffs… and the confusion surrounding them?

We’ve got this yo-yo effect where Trump will make threats to negotiate terms in a trade agreement. So, it’s hard to make projections; things change quickly.  I expressed concern regarding Canada when I met with [U.S. Commerce Secretary] Howard Lutnick, because timber is so important to our housing market. Canada is the biggest trading partner for Ohio, Illinois and New York. Onshoring manufacturing is not a bad goal, but the question is how you get there. If lumber tariffs don’t get reeled in, it will impact housing here.

Cleveland Cliffs has praised steel tariffs. What’s your general feeling?

The UAW has also supported tariffs to protect manufacturing jobs and we’re reaching out to people across the aisle to find a balance between onshoring jobs and the end cost of tariffs on consumers and sectors.

Immigration…

We opened a Welcome Center in 2024 for newcomers and immigrants to help people find their path in Cuyahoga County. You want people to be properly documented, but we’re a county of immigrants and we have more jobs than people to fill them -- whether its restaurants, hotels or home building or daycare. The reality is we’re shrinking, and the only growth is coming from newcomers. So, you need to go through the documentation process, but we need immigrants to grow.

Cleveland music scene…

We just created a live-music taskforce called ‘Cuyahoga LIVE!’ to help artists and venues. I’m working with [Beachland Ballroom] Cindy Barber and Sean Watterson [Happy Dog, National Independent Venue Association] on this. Live music isn’t just entertainment; it’s an industry that deserves real support and the task force is the first step.

The state of housing…

It seems resistant to the bubble, and we’ve seen some of these bubbles burst. We have a slow-growth market that’s reasonably affordable and has avoided the speculation we’ve seen in other markets. One problem we have is some of the wood-frame housing has a short shelf life, so you lose supply. We need more supply.

Property tax delinquencies are soaring and there’s a petition drive to abolish property taxes in Ohio…

Our concerns for Cuyahoga County taxpayers are ongoing. Recent property reevaluation showed Cuyahoga County property owners are enduring the same increases as the rest of the state at an average 31% increase over the last period (6 years). We know people need relief, especially our seniors and those on fixed income. That is why we are constantly petitioning the state for property tax relief. So far that relief has been minimal. There’s more that can be done when it comes to homestead exemptions and supporting legislation like the “Circuit Breaker” bill which curtails further property tax increases when it exceeds a certain percentage of income. We urge the state to listen to the people. We also urge our state legislators not to preempt local governments when it comes to property taxes. It’s a citizen’s right to vote on property taxes and weigh in on millage when it comes to their local schools and libraries. Less interference on local matters from the legislature is better.

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Tickets were going so fast that traitorous flippers dashed online to snag $500 for them when Hamilton made its Playhouse Square debut in 2018. Sounds almost unconstitutional. On Tuesday, the curtain will rise on the third go-around for the acclaimed musical, which plays the State Theater through July 6. Based on Ron Chernow’s biography, Hamilton chronicles the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, from his humble beginnings as an orphaned immigrant to his role as George Washington’s aide during the Revolutionary War and the nation’s first Treasury Secretary. More info here.

It’s been crowned the greatest modern novel. Many find it too hard to read. Well, both could get a kick out of Bloomsday – today at EDWINS in Cleveland Heights. The annual event honors James Joyce's epic novel ‘Ulysses’ with a 12-hour marathon reading that runs noon-midnight. So, you can read along or just listen or have a few pints.

Bloomsday, which was first celebrated in 1954, is commemorated the day on which the novel takes place. Nighttown hosted Bloomsday for more than two decades. (After all, the bar was named after the red-light district in ‘Ulysses.’) EDWINS, which moved into the vacant Nighttown spot earlier this year, is continuing the tradition.

Even with a mask, you can’t hide from Mother Nature. Festival season’s most colorful event was set to transform University Circle into an artful mass of puppets, masks, floats, slits, dancers and music. Nope. Parade the Circle was postponed due to the weather. No date yet. Will let you know ASAP.

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What’s in store?

Grab your tickets now and experience the perfect mix of art, innovation, and networking! 🎶🎨

RSVP Now for Golden Hour! 🎟️

Cleveland’s major sports teams have struggled of late. But we have three winners in the foodie scene:

Vegan Doughnut:  Yelp rates it America’s 38^th best donut shop: “This women-owned shop near Cleveland proves plant-based can still be decadent, with doughnuts that are soft, flavorful, and beautifully topped. Seasonal flavors like lavender lemon and cookie butter keep things exciting.”

Marble Room: It’s Ohio’s entry in LoveFood’s “Most Expensive Restaurants in the U.S.: “The grandeur of the setting makes dinner worth the hefty check. The food is suitably fine too, with a range of seafood dishes, steaks, and raw bar treats – including caviar, an ounce of which will set you back $199… Miyazaki Wagyu Strip Loin is the most expensive, at $144 for the minimum 4oz serving.”

Pier W: One of the Top 100 Brunch Restaurants in U.S. by Open Table -- based on more than “10 million verified diner reviews and dining metrics” (diner ratings, reservation demand, five-star reviews). Two other Ohio spots made the cut: Columbus’ Forno Kitchen and Bar and Lindy’s.

Cuyahoga County was created on June 7, 1807, and organized on May 1, 1810. Here is how it looked in 1874.

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75 🌡️ 70 | ☁️ | 70% | 💨 S 12 mph (10 knots)

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_{Please note that weather conditions can change rapidly. For the most up-to-date information, consider checking a reliable local weather service.}

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Away vs. Giants, 9:45pm Tuesday

Away vs. Giants, 9:45pm Wednesday

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