Mayor's Corner: Advocating For Lakewood

The past several weeks have been a challenging time for Lakewood residents. Safety is always a focus of my time and energy, but there has been much discussion about how to approach safety in Lakewood. In response to this, I would like to discuss some of my efforts concerning recent advocacy work.

The City of Lakewood has been calling on our elected officials at the county, state, and federal levels for support on a variety of Lakewood-specific issues. In response to our own recent gun-related activity, we have reached out to our representatives and have urged them to support legislation that provides increased gun-safety measures. Unfortunately, rising gun violence is a problem everywhere across Ohio and the United States. The good news is that there are already groups of mayors and community activists coalescing into movements for gun reform and our state and federal governments are responding.

I have also been meeting with our representatives to discuss these crucial issues and to advocate on Lakewood’s behalf. Just this past week, I had a very productive meeting with the White House’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs where we discussed some of Lakewood’s challenges and successes over the past year. Topics we discussed include Lakewood’s infrastructure and sewer projects, our COVID response efforts, racial equity, our need for a Community Health Needs Assessment and Climate Change Action Plan, and our police response to recent gun violence. The White House’s representatives were eager to discuss our efforts and offer their guidance for steps we should take moving forward.

I have advocated to our state legislators for our community center project, which received a grant of $250,000 and I supported the American Rescue Plan that will deliver $50 million to Lakewood. Lakewood has seen its fair share of challenges this year, but I am confident these advocacy efforts will help to move Lakewood forward. I look forward to a prosperous and productive May and want to thank every Lakewoodite for their support.