Public Policy Advocates

Cuyahoga County residents voted on rival issues regarding county reform in the wake of the corruption that has been dominating headlines for the last several months.  Issue 5 proposed the creation of a study council to analyze county government and issue a recommendation for how to re-align county officials.  Issue 6 proposed to bypass any study council, instead reorganizing county government by removing the county commissioners and replacing them with a county council and a county executive. 

Issue 5 failed by a vote of 72% to 28%, while Issue 6 passed by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.  Because Issue 6 passed and Issue 5 failed, Cuyahoga’s county government will be reorganized going forward.  Instead of a 3-member board of commissioners, each elected by a countywide vote, there will be an 11-member county council, each representing a specific Ward, led by a County Executive, which will be elected at-large.  The County Auditor and Treasurer will be combined into one position, known as a fiscal officer.  Finally, the County Engineer and Sheriff will be appointed by the county council.