EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — East Cleveland Interim Mayor Sandra Morgan hosted her first town hall at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center in East Cleveland on Thursday and said she’s on a mission to revitalize the community.
“With a good administration, we can grow again,” said Eve Westbrooks, an East Cleveland resident.
A community that has been troubled with crime, abandonment, and even corruption is hopefully on its way to getting new life through the work of East Cleveland Interim Mayor Sandra Morgan, which is giving hope to people like Westbrooks.
“I’ve been a homeowner in this city for 46 years, and I know this city has gone down over the years, and I’m hoping that she will be the one to help raise it back up,” said Westbrooks.
Westbrooks said she understands this progress will take time.
But she said it will be a relief when her concerns of illegal dumping, road repairs and the reduction of critical services are addressed.
“We didn’t get like this overnight, so it’s going to take time for us to grow to back to where we were. We may never in my lifetime, may never see it the way it was in the 60s, but at least I may see it the way it was [in] the early 80s,” said Westbrooks.
Since stepping into office seven weeks ago, Morgan told News 5 during the town hall that she and city council members managed to pass the budget in 25 days.
“That’s the first time that our budget has been passed unanimously by city council and on time and at or under budget in a number of years,” said Morgan.
Morgan said the city council also passed legislation to cut down the number of smoke and hookah shops opening in East Cleveland, while also working on new laws where retail shops like gas stations and convenience stores could soon have a curfew to prevent people from hanging around late at night.
She said she’s even looking into fixing the roads and replacing pipes, thanks to $20 million in support from different stakeholders.
But most of all, she said she wants to hear from the community to restore pride through initiatives to bring in more money and businesses to make East Cleveland vibrant once again.
“I’m looking forward to turning the page on East Cleveland to a more prosperous city,” said Morgan.
The next Town Hall event is on May 10 at the East Cleveland Public Library from 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
