By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief
CLEVELAND, Ohio-The Black Women's Political Action Committee of greater Cleveland, which is led by Elaine Gohlstin, will host a nonpartisan political candidates meet-and-greet featuring this year's greater Cleveland and Cuyahoga County political candidates from 2 pm-4 pm on Sat, July 17, 2021 at the Harvard Community Services Center in Cleveland Ward 1 on the city's largely Black east side at 18240 Harvard Avenue.
The political event will be held outside on the lawn of the Harvard Community Services Center, and all are welcome, organizers said.
Gohlstin said that Democratic Ohio 11th congressional district candidates Nina Turner, a former Ohio senator and Bernie Sanders surrogate, Cuyahoga County Councilwoman and County Democratic Chairwoman Shontel Brown, former Ohio Senator Shirley Smith, the Rev Pamela Pinkney -Butts, the only activist in the race for Congress, and Cleveland mayoral candidate Ohio Sen Sandra Williams (D-21), a Democrat and the only woman in Cleveland's seven-way mayoral race will each speak briefly at 3 pm.
Former Ohio senator Jeff Johnson and former state Rep. John Barnes Jr, also in the crowed congressional race, have said they will be there too, Gohlstin said.
They are also Black, and Barnes grew-up in Ward 1, which is part of the 12th house district that he represented as a state lawmaker.
Ward 1 is Cleveland' largest Black voting bloc and the second largest voting bloc of the city's 17 wards.
Brown and Turner, also a former Cleveland Ward 1 councilwoman and a Ward 1 resident, are front-runners in the multi-million dollar congressional race that has drawn big money campaign donations from across the country.
"This is a meet and greet open to the public and all candidates who attend will be recognized, including Blacks, whites, and others, and men, but with emphasis on Black women candidates," said Gohlstin, who added that others who have said they will attend include state Rep Stephanie Howse (D-11), who is running for a city council seat in Cleveland Ward 7, Cleveland mayoral candidates Zack Reed and Justin Bib, Woodmere Mayor Ben Holbert, Cleveland Councilmen Kevin Bishop (Ward 2), Michael Polensek (Ward 8), and Joe Jones, who leads Ward 1, and Cleveland Hts. Councilwoman Davita Russell.
Ohio's largely Black congressional district includes most of Cleveland and several of its eastern suburbs of Cuyahoga County, and a majority Black pocket of Akron and staggering suburbs of Akron's Summit County.
Thirteen largely Black Democratic candidates, four of them women, are vying to replace former congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge, now the U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The winners of the special congressional Democratic and Republican primaries, which are Aug 3, will square-off for the Nov 2. general election.
The non-partisan primary election for Cleveland mayor is Sept.14 and the two candidates who get the most votes will square off on Nov. 2 for the general election.
Early voting began July 7 for the special congressional primary and will begin Aug 17 for the mayoral primary race in Cleveland, a majority Black city of some 385, 000 people that is currently led by four-term Black Mayor Frank Jackson, who is not seeking reelection this year to an unprecedented fifth term.
Both Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are Democratic strongholds run in large part by Democrats.
