Cleveland’s “progressive city” experience, apart from the period of Tom Johnson’s mayoralty from 1900 to 1908, is best known for the tumultuous term of populist Dennis Kucinich from 1977 to 1979. There was also the liberal mayoralty of Carl Stokes from 1967 to 1971, the grassroots organizing supported by the Catholic diocese in the 1970s, the community development organizations that flourished from the 1970s at least through 2005, the investigative journalism of Roldo Bartimole reflected in his bi-weekly or monthly Point of View, and the work of city planner Norman Krumholz with the city and later at Cleveland State University’s College of Urban Affairs.

Bibliography

The standard treatment of the Cleveland politics up to and through the Kucinich years is Todd Swanstrom, “The Crisis of Growth Politics” (1985). On Krumholz’ planning, see Norman Krumholz and John Forester, “Making Equity Planning Work” (1990). 

Documents, Links, and Images

RMC Resources

Series V: Cleveland
The Cornell collection derives initially from research by Pierre Clavel in the 1980s and includes interview tapes and transcripts, 24 key city documents, a number of news clippings covering mainly the period 1968-1979, and many issues of Point of View