Participatory Budgeting Issue Narrowly Fails in Cleveland

Supporters of Issue 38 cheered when PB CLE campaign manager Molly Martin appeared on tv at a watch party Tuesday night. Credit: Maria Elena Scott

Cleveland voted to reject the People’s Budget Cleveland charter amendment Tuesday night, but only by a slim margin. In a tight race, Issue 38 lost by less than 1,400 votes, according to unofficial results from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. More than 65,000 Clevelanders made their voices heard on Issue 38 with a 29% voter turnout rate on the issue.

“Our campaign tapped into so much left unsaid about the sense of powerlessness many Clevelanders feel. Unfortunately, the majority of Cleveland voters decided that now is not the time for a People’s Budget,” PB CLE said in a statement. “While we are disappointed by the election results, we are so, so, proud to have stood with residents to challenge Cleveland’s entrenched political structure by putting more power into the hands of the people.”

While Clevelanders voted in favor of other measures on the ballot, including the protection of reproductive rights, legalization of adult-use cannabis and a tax levy to support Cuyahoga Community College, voters ultimately rejected the participatory budgeting process.

If passed, Issue 38 would have given Clevelanders as young as 13 the ability to vote on how to spend an amount equal to 2% of the city’s general fund, regardless of residency status or felony convictions. Based on 2023’s budget, that 2% would have amounted to about $14 million.

Supporters argued that engaging people directly in the budget allocation process would increase voter participation, especially among young people, and create a new “on-ramp to democracy.”

“The lessons of this campaign will help deepen the roots of democracy and train a new generation of organizations to not take no for an answer,” said Kayla Griffin, president of NAACP Cleveland, one of PB CLE’s ballot initiative partners.

The campaign faced steep opposition from the city and local unions that argued it would be too costly and potentially take money away from essential services. A contingent of safety unions like the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association and International Association of Cleveland Fire Fighters Local 93, as well as prominent labor unions like the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council and the North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor, came out against the charter amendment.

“Issue 38 revealed we need to do more work on civic engagement, participation, and awareness. We will build coalitions to make this happen. We are indebted to you — the voters — for your commitment and willingness,” an official statement from Cleveland City Council. “We will continue working with labor, partners, and most importantly our residents for a better Cleveland for all.”

Both Mayor Justin Bibb and the entirety of Cleveland City Council publicly opposed the charter amendment, some more loudly than others.

Councilmember Kris Harsh, the most vocal of that contingent, criticized PB CLE as the “privileged people’s budget,” saying that people “without the luxury of time,” are excluded from making decisions. Harsh also argued that the proposed process was “undemocratic” and would send the message that government doesn’t work.

“The people have spoken and I’m happy to confirm that we won the debate. Ironically, Ren Borba forgot to vote” said Harsh, referencing the author of an op-ed Scene ran titled supporting participatory budgeting.

PB CLE began the fight for participatory budgeting in the city in 2021, pushing for a pilot program with the support of Bibb and several council members. In this original plan, Clevelanders would have voted on how to spend $5 million of the $511 million the city received from the American Rescue Plan Act.

But the charter amendment, unlike a pilot program, would have been permanent. In a statement opposing PB CLE, Bibb said the amendment was “very different from the initiative [he] proposed,” and would force critical cuts to the city’s budget.

Although a slim majority of voters decided against Issue 38, organizers are proud of the movement and its supporters.

“This isn’t the end of the story for building resident power in our city,” said PB CLE campaign manager Molly Martin. “Instead, this is an early chapter in a much longer story to put the needs of our communities at the center of policy making rather than corporate interests.”

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