Event gives voters opportunity to meet candidates vying for first-ever county executive seat

Last November, Cuyahoga County residents voted to restructure county government and establish a new county executive seat. In anticipation of the upcoming Sept. 7 primary election, the Levin College Forum at Cleveland State University has invited all of the candidates who will be on the primary ballot.

Candidates confirmed to attend (as of Aug. 17) include: Terri Hamilton Brown, Victor Voinovich Jr., David Ellison, Matt Dolan, Ed Fitzgerald and Paul Casey. James Brown and Dianna Hill have also been invited.

"The Forum offers a unique question-and-answer format in which the moderator will intersperse written questions from the audience with questions from a panel of experts. It will be a timely opportunity for the candidates and the community to discuss county challenges and new ideas," says Kathryn W. Hexter, director, Center for Community Planning and Development and the Levin College Forum. "We're pleased to be able to give voters a chance to learn about the candidates firsthand and become better informed in the days before the election."

The forum is free and open to the public. It will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31 at the Roberta Steinbacher Atrium in the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, 1717 Euclid Ave. Parking is available in the surrounding PlayhouseSquare lots.

The panel will include: Jennifer Alexander, associate professor and director of the master of Public Administration and Nonprofit Degree programs, Levin College of Urban Affairs; and John Begala, executive director, The Center for Community Solutions, as well as a representative of the American Institute of Architects.

The Cuyahoga County Executive Forum is presented in partnership with The Leadership Academy Society Board of the Center for Leadership Development at the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, The League of Women Voters, the Center for Community Solutions and the American Institute of Architects, Cleveland Chapter.

For more information contact Kathryn Wertheim Hexter at 216.687.6941 or k.hexter@csuohio.edu.

About Cleveland State University

Founded in 1964, Cleveland State University is a public research institution that provides a dynamic setting for engaged learning. With an enrollment of more than 16,000 students, 8 colleges and more than 250 academic programs, CSU provides a hands-on learning environment that connects students, ideas and real-world experience.

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