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Speakers at Cleveland Democracy Day urge constitutional amendment, criticize local campaign finance practices
Summary
At a May 12, 2025 Democracy Day public hearing, Cleveland residents and activists urged a constitutional amendment to limit corporate political spending, criticized the influence of large donors on elections, and raised concerns about recent local council fundraising and contribution-limit changes.
Cleveland City Council convened a Democracy Day public hearing on May 12, 2025, where residents and activists called for a constitutional amendment to prevent corporations from exercising political speech rights and criticized the influence of large campaign donors at both the state and local level.
The hearing, required by Section 106 of the Cleveland City Charter, began with a letter from Mayor Justin M. Bibb read into the record by Councilman Chris Harsh. "Your voice matters," the mayor wrote, urging civic participation and calling attention to the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission as a catalyst for increased corporate political spending.
The event gave each speaker up to five minutes to address the "corrosive influence of money in politics." Steve Norris, organizer of the Cleveland Democracy Day hearing, reviewed…
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