The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

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.

Last summer, our city played host to DC Studios\' filming of the upcoming film \"Superman\". Early trailer footage gives Cleveland much love, putting many of our city\'s landmarks front and center. It was a sort of homecoming for Superman, who was created by two Glenville High School students in 1933, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Adding to the anticipation, the Siegel and Shuster Society, an all-volunteer nonprofit, announced they will construct a Superman statue in downtown Cleveland.\r\n\r\nBefore the July 11th theatrical release of \"Superman,\" we will be joined by Bill Garvey from the Greater Cleveland Film Commission and Valentino Zullo with the Siegel and Shuster Society. Ideastream\'s Mike McIntyre will lead a conversation on what it takes to bring Hollywood to The CLE and how we can all honor the creators of The Man of Steel.

The American Bar Association (ABA) was founded in 1878 on a commitment to set the legal and ethical foundation for the American nation. Today, it exists as a membership organization and stands committed to its mission of defending liberty and pursuing justice. In August 2024, William \"Bill\" Bay became president of the ABA for the 2024-2025 term after more than 20 years in various leadership roles. His leadership thus far has been widely applauded due to his firm stance in support of the rule of law and defense of judicial independence.\r\n\r\nIn a June 1, 2025, President\'s Letter in the ABA Journal, Bill Bay did not mince his words: \"Attacks on the rule of law, judges, lawyers, and the profession. The apparent disregard of due process. And now attacks on the ABA. All of this from our own government. The frequency and intensity show no sign of lessening.\" How are American lawyers standing up for the foundational principles that have served our country for 250 years?

Ohio's regional public universities - including Cleveland State, and the Universities of Akron and Toledo - collectively serve more students than any single university in the state, including the state's flagship. Yet they're often overlooked in both local and national big-picture conversations about higher education, even though most Americans who do go to college attend an institution within 50 miles of their home.\r\n\r\nThese colleges are being forced to reinvent themselves--dealing with local workforce demands, adapting to shifting student needs, and, sometimes, fighting for survival. It all comes amid enrollment drops, changing demographics, and pressure at both the state/federal levels. So, what is working? What's not? And what would it mean for Ohio\'s communities if these universities close their doors?

The former Director of Ohio\'s Department of Health, Amy Acton, M.D., MPH was the first Democratic candidate to announce a campaign for Ohio Governor. Dr. Acton was nominated Director of Ohio\'s Department of Health by Governor Mike DeWine in February 2019. She quickly became a household name, joining Governor DeWine during his daily afternoon press conferences in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.\r\n\r\nDr. Acton began her career as the Director of Project L.O.V.E, managing public-private partnerships between Columbus area hospitals and key community stakeholders. Amy then joined the faculty at Ohio State University, and eventually joined the Columbus Foundation, where she worked to improve the community\'s health and well-being, particularly in the area of women's health and youth homelessness.\r\n\r\nDr. Acton received her medical degree from Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine and completed her internship and residency training in pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, and at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus. Dr. Acton lives in Bexley, Ohio with her husband Eric, and together they have six kids.

Dave Yost was re-elected as Ohio's 51st Attorney General on November 8, 2022. A member of the Republican Party, Yost began his public-service career as Delaware County auditor, later winning election as that county's prosecutor. From 2011 through 2018, he served as Ohio's auditor of state. In January 2019, Yost began his first term as attorney general, and joined the City Club shortly after to discuss his goals and priorities.\r\n\r\nDuring his tenure as Ohio's Attorney General, Yost\'s leadership has been characterized by a commitment to defending Constitutional rights and innocent life; protecting individual liberties and Ohio families; creating a stable environment for economic growth; and fighting federal overreach--including COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates.\r\n\r\nYost earned his bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University and law degree from Capital University. He and his wife, Darlene, live in Franklin County; they have three grown children and five grandchildren.

In February 2025, Ken Martin, was elected chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). A longtime party leader and organizer, he brings more than 20 years of experience working on behalf of progressive candidates and causes. Martin has a career focused on unifying the Democratic Party and evolving its national infrastructure to meet the demands of the current political moment, a moment characterized by a rightward shift that ushered Donald Trump back to the White House.\r\n\r\nIn his first few months as DNC Chair, Martin launched his "Organizing Everywhere" tour, spreading the message that Democrats must organize everywhere, compete everywhere, and build locally.\r\n\r\nThis is seen as a strategic response to polling, coverage, and punditry suggesting deep challenges for the Democratic party.\r\n\r\nA Midwesterner and Minnesotan, Martin sets himself apart from the \"inside the beltway\" DC elite, and brings a state-based perspective to national leadership.