Basheer Jones to Announce Candidacy for City Council Ward 7 Seat

Local activist and speaker Basheer Jones, he of the Cleveland Renaissance Movement, will officially announce his candidacy for Cleveland City Council next Monday.

Jones released a statement Sunday saying he would make the announcement at the former home of councilwoman Fannie Lewis. Jones will challenge the Ward 7 incumbent TJ Dow, whom he challenged in 2013.

Back then, Jones secured second place in the primaries and took 40 percent of the votes in the general election. He's hoping to build on his local base of support and generate interest and momentum with events like his camp out for change in October. Jones slept outside for three nights to draw attention to the city's violence.

Jones told Cleveland.com's Mark Naymik that he hopes Dow's "recent controversies [Dow doesn't pay his property taxes, for example] and a reputation for being inaccessible and detached make him vulnerable."

[Scene profiled Jones in our 2013 People Issue. He was in the midst of his campaign at the time, and spoke about the value of education and violence prevention.]

The city's primary elections are on September 12. Mayor Frank Jackson and all 17 City Council members will face re-election this year.

Ward 7 is an east side ward which encompasses most of the area directly between downtown and University Circle. Hough is its primary neighborhood, but it extends west into Downtown and north into St. Clair-Superior as well.