The City Club of Cleveland, a civic organization founded in 1912, strives to create conversations that inform and engage both individuals and communities through the open exchange of ideas. The City Club Forums are the backbone of their programming as they curate independent free speech discussions and debates about diverse topics with the aim advancing democracy. A group of students from the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs were given the opportunity to attend the recent forum, Looking Back, Looking Forward: Reflections on County Government Reform, where they heard from Marcia Goldberg, the past president of the League of Women Voters, Councilman Dale Miller, the presiding District 2 Cuyahoga County council member, and the former mayor of Parma Heights, Marty Zanotti. These leaders all played a part in creating the 11-member Cuyahoga County Council as a solution to corruption and scandals that previously plagued the county. The panel discussed the county government reform they helped to implement and reflected on its efficacy.  

A key feature of The City Club Forums is a question and answer segment where the audience is invited to ask unfiltered, unrehearsed questions. Two of our students were able to offer their questions and glean from the astute responses of the experienced panel. Their insightful discussion provided the students with invaluable lessons that will serve them well beyond the classroom. Preparing students for the workplace and life after college by linking classroom experience to community forums and real-world experiences like this one is a pillar of student success at Cleveland State.