The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

Since its 2014 founding, The Marshall Project has changed how the media covers criminal justice, shifting from traditional crimes and court coverage to covering the system itself, along with abuses and malfeasances inside the publicly funded structures. The Marshall Project garnered major recognition, including two Pulitzers and a Peabody, and in 2022, opened its first local newsroom here in Cleveland, Ohio.\r\n\r\nThe Marshall Project--Cleveland has been responsible for a number of notable successes, including drawing attention to a sitting judge who was improperly steering divorce cases to a friend and spotlighting deaths inside the Cuyahoga County jail. Now, The Marshall Project is using the Cleveland newsroom as a model for other communities, expanding its local coverage to Jackson, Mississippi, and St. Louis, Missouri.\r\n\r\nAs our community hosts the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists, we bring some of the journalists leading The Marshall Project nationally and locally to our stage to talk about their work, their impact, and their plans for the future.

The Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center For Economic Development (NEOHCED) has led the way for Cleveland\'s Latino community, and includes multiple anchors that build success and equitable asset building: The Northeast Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has, for close to 40 years, represented the Latino and non-Latino business community in Northeast Ohio; They are home to Northeast Ohio's only Latino Small Business Development Center; and have been committed to community development and equitable asset building in Cleveland's Latino, and other underserved communities.\r\n\r\nAs President & CEO, Jenice Contreras is a beacon of leadership and a champion for economic empowerment at NEOHCED. Most notable is the new CentroVilla25, Cleveland\'s Premier Latino Market & Food Hall, which celebrated its grand opening in June this year. CentroVilla25 is a groundbreaking $12 million adaptive reuse initiative that truly changed the game on what is possible in La Villa Hispana in Cleveland\'s Clark-Fulton neighborhood.

Cleveland is repositioning its future as a dual waterfront city. Take a deep dive (pun intended!) as we reflect on the past, present, and future visions to transform our downtown into "Coastland".\r\n\r\nFor over a year, the local chapters of the American Institute of Architects, American Planning Association, American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Urban Land Institute (AIA, APA, ASLA and ULI) have collaborated on a topic of mutual interest and significance: our waterfronts and their connections to downtown. In summer 2025, multi-disciplinary professionals from these organizations hosted "From Cleveland to Coastland" featuring a 'design your own adventure' exploration of Cleveland's downtown, lakefront, and riverfront developments.\r\n\r\nPanelists from the Urban Land Institute, Greater Cleveland Partnership, and RDL Architects will discuss the results of the adventurers' collective experiences and expertise, offer insights on placemaking, architecture, and real estate development, and share impactful ways to transform connectivity between the shores and core.\r\nPanelists: Melanie Kortyka, Executive Director, Urban Land Institute Cleveland; Allison Lukacsy-Love, Managing Director, Major Projects, Greater Cleveland Partnership; Gregory Soltis, AICP, Senior Designer, RDL Architects; and moderated by Zaria Johnson, Reporter/Producer, Ideastream Public Media

A Panel with Mayor Justin M. Bibb, Cleveland; Mayor Todd Gloria, San Diego; Mayor Donna Deegan, Jacksonville; and Mayor Quinton Lucas, Kansas City\r\n\r\nMayors will tell you they don\'t have the luxury of inaction. Despite chaos in Washington, Mayors have remained focused on providing a path forward and continuing to deliver for their communities -- on serving their constituents, solving problems, and executing promised reforms and improvements.\r\n\r\nThis summer, Mayors from across the country will gather in Cleveland for the annual convening of the Democratic Mayors Association (DMA), where Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb currently serves as president.\r\n\r\nImmediately following the Mayors panel, there will be a session featuring former Senator Sherrod Brown, \"Dignity of Work: Winning Working Class Voters,\" and attendees are welcome to stay for that as well.\r\n\r\nThe DMA is comprised of mayors of cities of 30,000 and more, creating a network of municipal executives connected to leaders from business and labor. The summit is organized around the theme "Community over Chaos: A Path Forward."

Most known for \"Random Acts of Kindness Everywhere,\" or R.A.K.E. this summer Ricky Smith launched his latest feel-good venture: Something Good Social Kitchen--a casual walkup food stand in Playhouse Square Plaza, which includes collaborators like Chef Michael Symon and exclusively features Cleveland-based providers.\r\n\r\nR.A.K.E.'s mission is simple: to support the community in a positive way. They aim to enrich lives, encourage kindness, and promote the act of "paying it forward." And just like R.A.K.E., Ricky Smith is bringing the same altruistic vibe to Something Good Social Kitchen: For every meal sold, R.A.K.E. donates one meal to people in need.

Right now, we are at a critical moment in our nation\'s political climate, where distrust and misunderstanding have driven the narrative of the public sector\'s role in solutions to our communities\' critical and complex challenges. This includes issues like housing, climate readiness, land use and water management, transportation, municipal finance, social equity, and more. Today\'s public service requires resilience, leveraging new talent, and building skills for true urban vitality.\r\n\r\nThe Vibrant Communities Fellows program at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is a foundational example of how to build vibrant, engaged communities marked by trust and agency for positive change. This collaborative program offers 24-weeks of expert coaching and peer networking to support public and private sector leaders in advancing sustainable community development.\r\n\r\nGeorge \"Mac\" McCarthy, President & CEO of the Lincoln Institute, leads the conversation with Gillian Prater-Lee, Program Assistant at LISC Cleveland, and Christine McIntosh, Planning Manager at the City of Euclid.

The 2025 Borderlight Festival returns to downtown Cleveland, July 16-19! This year, we are proud to share the stage with the artists behind Buckeyes; Buses and Baseball, and the Baseball Heritage Museum and dig into a history and epic achievement often overshadowed in Cleveland sports lore.\r\n\r\nInside the iconic League Park, the original home of Cleveland baseball on Lexington Avenue in Cleveland\'s Hough neighborhood, the Cleveland Buckeyes rose up to defeat the legendry Homestead Grays in the 1945 Negro National League World Series. This year is the 80th anniversary of that championship game.\r\n\r\nCreated in partnership with the Baseball Heritage Museum and the Dunham Tavern Museum & Gardens, BUCKEYES: Buses & Baseball is a new theater experience that combines spoken word, music, movement, and drama, and three performers explore this remarkable team. Each performance is a celebration of baseball, theatre, history, and the human spirit.

This July, the National Urban League Conference heads to Cleveland! This year's conference promises to be the largest and most influential gathering in the nation focused on civil rights and urban advocacy. Each year, the event attracts leaders from business, government, and social advocacy, all committed to addressing critical issues and advancing initiatives that impact communities served by the Urban League's network of 92 affiliates across the country.\r\n\r\nAt the helm of the National Urban League as President & CEO is Marc H. Morial. He served as Mayor of New Orleans as well as the President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Marc previously was a Louisiana State Senator and was a lawyer in New Orleans.\r\n\r\nMorial will be joined by Marsha A. Mockabee, President & CEO of the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, in a conversation led by Kevin Clayton, Executive Vice President, Chief Impact & Equity Officer at the Cleveland Cavaliers.\r\n\r\nTogether, they will have an in-depth discussion on efforts - both nationally and locally - that eliminate racial, economic, and societal barriers that prevent Black Americans and other communities of color from achieving their full potential.

As lead investigator into both January 6 and Charlottesville, Tim Heaphy discovered that American democracy was headed toward a reckoning. In his book Harbingers, which he completed before the November 2024 election, Tim concluded that apathy poses greater threats to the rule of law than would-be autocrats, and that widespread civic engagement would be essential to safeguarding our values and restoring faith in our institutions. He proposes a number of everyday measures that Americans can and must start taking right now in order to restore our faith and hope in the future.\r\n\r\nHeaphy served as Chief Investigative Counsel of the House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. He also oversaw the independent investigation into the August 12, 2017 riot in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is currently a partner at Willkie, Farr & Gallagher LLP and previously served as the Obama-appointed US Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with his family.

Artificial Intelligence, or AI in healthcare, is experiencing a rise in new technologies and applications. Generative AI, more specifically, is a form of artificial intelligence that's trained to find patterns in data and then generate new content. AI can enhance patient care, optimize clinical workflows, and drive innovation-while maintaining transparency and ethical integrity. But no matter how innovative and revolutionary the application, the future of AI in healthcare - and its successful adoption - is driven by patient trust.\r\n\r\nNow, leadership from MetroHealth, the Cleveland Clinic, AI Center of Excellence, WellLink, and Ohio Health Literacy Partners are coming together on the City Club stage to discuss real-world applications, challenges, and strategies for fostering trust in AI-driven healthcare transformation.