CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland City Council Monday approved outgoing Mayor Frank Jackson’s plan to establish a city division to coordinate special events, overseen by a new commissioner who would retain the job once the mayor leaves office in a few weeks.
Council voted 12-4 in favor of the new department. Members Kerry McCormack, Michael Polensek, Charles Slife, Jenny Spencer voted against it.
The Division of Special Events and Marketing -- expected to cost around $800,000 a year -- is intended to streamline the city’s bureaucratic hoops when event planners are looking to host everything from routine block parties and wedding receptions to national events, such as the NBA All-Star Game that is coming to Cleveland in February.
The city plays a part in most events and films because they require things like street closures, police or fire presence, and various types of permits.
Current Manager of Events Esha Hand described the new division as a “centralized” way to ensure all the necessary pieces are in place for an event to move forward.
The current process is cumbersome, the administration argues. At least one major event organizer stated they would not return to Cleveland because they “didn’t have a pleasant experience with the permitting process,” Hand told a Council committee earlier on Monday. The new division is intended to remedy those issues.
Events are currently handled under the Public Works department, through a two-person team managed by Hand. The new division would have a staff of seven or eight, including the commissioner and two managers – one focused on the West Side and one on the East Side. The commissioner’s salary would be up to $140,500, according to documents provided to council.
Public Works Director Michael Cox told the committee that he intends to recommend Jackson appoint Hand as the commissioner, a job that carries civil service protections that can’t be changed once Mayor-elect Justin Bibb is sworn-in next month.
Slife has long been opposed to the idea, arguing earlier this year that the division would be duplicative of the work already being done by tourism bureau Destination Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Film Division.
The legislation approved by council Monday differs from Jackson’s original proposal, which called for the creation of a Division of Special Events, Filming and Tourism rather than a Division of Special Events and Marketing.
Though “film” was stripped from the title, staff would still help coordinate permits and other needs of film-makers shooting in Cleveland, according to the amended legislation.
Several council members have raised concerns about the plan, including Brian Kazy, who on Monday questioned why the city would create such a division now, after it successfully pulled off national events like the 2016 Republican National Convention, the 2019 MLB All-Star game, and the 2021 NFL Draft.
Cox said the city is interested in attracting many more events in the coming years – “We believe there are other things we can bring to the city if we have a coordinated effort,” he said.
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