Beverly Owens-Jackson Running for Cleveland City Council in New Ward 5

Beverly Owens-Jackson Credit: Courtesy Photo

“I’m all about community,” Beverly Owens-Jackson told Scene.

It’s why she’s running for City Council in the newly drawn Ward 5, because she knows what a lot of her neighbors have been through and wants to give them a bigger voice in Cleveland.

“This is me: I’m a recovering addict, a victim of domestic violence, I was homeless, after rehab I landed at Tri-C, had a baby, got my first degree, watched her graduate Tri-C. I’m a homeowner and I’ve had to fight for 10 years to stay in my home. My income has increased but life has become harder because of the increases in everything we need to survive. We have no stores in the area, we have nothing that would contribute to the things a community needs to thrive,” she said, rattling off a string of experiences and opinions shared by those in her community.

She’s been at Tri-C for 28 years now and has been involved with SEIU since 2002 and executive leader there since 2016. “I’m all about labor,” she said.

After running for a winning a precinct seat in 2022, she realized that too many doors were still being shut for residents like herself.

“I want to help people stay in their homes. I want to see us build more affordable housing. We need local stores. I grew up in Garden Valley, and when my parents were born in this area, there was a store on every block,” she said. “Outside investors have made the community faulter and made it unsafe.”

Owens-Jackson believes she can take her experiences and make City Council work better for the neighborhoods in the new Ward 5, which includes Central, parts of downtown and a small portion of Slavic Village.

“I’m a leader at Tri-C,” she said. “And learning more and more about the make up of City Council, there’s a lack of communication with residents, and Richard Starr is not reaching us. He’s not resonating with the people.”

Starr is expected to run in the ward. Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer has not yet said whether she intends to run for reelection to Council or in what ward.

“We need a little bit of everything, because we’re losing a bit of everything,” Owens-Jackson said about priorities for the ward. “I’m sticking to what the community needs, and once I get out there more I’ll have a better idea. You have to talk to individuals and listen.”

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