Group hopes Oct. 6 candidate forum will spotlight Noble neighborhood issues

On Tuesday, Oct. 6, the Noble Neighbors community organization is hosting a Meet The Candidates forum at 7 p.m., at Noble Road Presbyterian Church, 2780 Noble Road. Candidates for both Cleveland Heights City Council and CH-UH Board of Education have been invited to participate. While the forum will focus on issues that impact Cleveland Heights's Noble neighborhood, residents from all neighborhoods are welcome at the forum.

All questions posed to candidates will concern issues that pertain specifically to the Noble neighborhood. Audience members and residents were invited to submit questions in advance, by Sept. 17.

The questions presented to the candidates will be drawn from the common themes those advance questions raised, and will likely ask candidates to consider the neighborhood’s economic development, housing value support, and the plan to close Noble Elementary School.

"Although we are focusing on Noble area issues, it is our contention that all of Cleveland Heights is suffering from the lack of economic development and housing value support that the city has neglected to give us,” said Jeannette Carr, a 22-year resident of the Noble neighborhood. “The closing of Noble school will devastate our area. We need the rest of Cleveland Heights to understand this and join in creative problem solving."

Gail Larson, a new resident, said, “Noble School is the heartbeat of its neighborhood. People are moving here to be in this school, with its African American, Nepali, and white students. It is such a rich community.”

Approximately four of the issues raised by the advance questions will be posted on the Noble Neighbors website, www.nobleneighbors.com, and submitted to each candidate before the Meet the Candidates forum. Candidates will thereby be afforded the opportunity to research and prepare in advance to speak to each issue.

Due to time constraints, no questions will be taken from the audience during the forum. Instead, audience members will be able to speak to candidates informally following the meeting. Audience members and residents may also wish to view candidate information on social media, and e-mail or call the candidates directly.

Noble Neighbors regards the vitality of the northeast quadrant of Cleveland Heights as critical to the vibrancy of the city and school district as a whole. While members of the organization are equally concerned with matters that pertain to the entire city and school district, they are keenly aware that certain issues uniquely impact the neighborhoods and business districts that abut Noble Road.

Noble Neighbors is inviting each candidate to engage in conversation as it seeks partners to help the Noble area thrive as a more safe, friendly and attractive district.

While only a percentage of candidates will receive votes that place them in positions of leadership, Noble Neighbors hopes to gain new friends and advocates from every person who has offered his or her service to the city and school district.

Noble Neighbors has rallied for almost two years to address these issues with several creative efforts. Stories of these efforts can be viewed online at www.nobleneighbors.com.

Brenda H. May

Brenda H. May is one of the leaders of Noble Neighbors. Check out the group's story at www.nobleneighbors.com.

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Volume 8, Issue 10, Posted 2:22 PM, 09.30.2015