(www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com) the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Behind announcing the appointment of Deputy chief of police Wayne Drummond as interim chief of police last week to replace retiring chief Calvin Williams, Cleveland Mayor-elect Justin Bibb on Wednesday announced his first four cabinet appointments as follows.

• Mark Griffin as the chief legal counsel
• Sarah Johnson as chief communications officer
• Paul Patton as chief human resources officer
• Ryan Puente as chief government affairs Officer

Puente is a former executive director of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party who served under now Congresswoman Shontel Brown, also chair of the county Democratic party, and was Bibb's campaign manager.  All four of them will take the oath of office on Jan. 3.

"This an exciting time for our city and I am very pleased with the team we are building to lead Cleveland,” Mayor-elect Bibb said in a statement. “These top-level professionals all have exceptional qualifications, but even more importantly, they share our values of an inclusive, open, modern city hall that puts people first.”

Bibb said that he is “elevating human resources to a cabinet-level position, and separating the role of chief of communications and chief of government affairs to prioritize cultural change, communications and advocacy at the local, state and federal level, respectively.”

Bibb overwhelmingly won an election runoff last month against outgoing Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley, whom retiring four-term Black mayor Frank Jackson and roughly a third of city council supported, a shake up by most standards. The 34-year-old Black mayor-to-be, Cleveland's fourth Black mayor and a progressive newcomer and former banker who holds a law degree from Case Western Reserve University and has never held public office, will be sworn in on Jan. 3.

(www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com) the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.