Cleveland Heights City Council will hold its
13th Annual “Democracy Day” Public Hearing
Thursday, June 4, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.
Council Chambers, Cleveland Heights City Hall
40 Severance Circle, Cleveland Heights 44118
5 Reasons to Attend
1. To hear area residents and citizens testify on the local, state and national impact of corporate power and big money invested in our elections. Many have already committed to speaking on the issues health care, the environment, voting, data centers, AI, taxes, the economy and more.
2. To listen to Cleveland Heights councilpersons (and maybe even the Mayor) respond to the testimony and share their ideas on expanding true democracy locally and beyond.
3. To not only hear testimony, but to share your own views. What do you think are major threats of corporate rule and massive money invested in elections? Each speaker has 5 minutes.
4. If speaking, to know that your testimony will be sent to federal and state public officials that represent Cleveland Heights: U.S. Senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted, U.S. Representative Shontel Brown, Ohio State Senator Kent Smith and Ohio State Representative Juanita Brent. So please prepare written testimony and bring a copy to turn in. Note: The City of Cleveland Heights is mandated to summarize all presented testimony. We make sure the full testimony of everyone who speaks is included
5. Think for a moment: when do we ever have an opportunity in our "democracy" to directly advocate to public officials for fundamental democratic change? Not simply to oppose this or that public policy (which is playing political "defense"), but to actually promote fundamental, systemic, foundational change? The We the People Amendment, (HJR54) would abolish the constitutional doctrines of corporate rights (aka, "corporate personhood") and money defined as First Amendment-protected "free speech"?
Let's assert our people power -- and go the "offense" -- on behalf of creating the ability to achieve true justice, peace, and a livable world.
Join us to speak or just to listen.
When money “equals” speech and corporations have constitutional “rights,” what happens to democracy?
Democracy is a verb, not a noun.
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Background
In 2013, Cleveland Heights voters passed, with a 77% “yes” vote, Issue 32 in support of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution clearly stating that:
- Only human beings, not corporate entities, have Constitutional rights.
- Money is not speech, so money spent on elections can be regulated
The passage of Issue 32 also established, by ordinance, annual public hearings where members of the general public can speak on the impact of corporate power/rights and/or the impact of big money in elections on their lives, community, state, nation and the natural world.
Eleven other Ohio cities have passed similar ordinances and hold regular public hearings as well.
More than 700 communities nationwide have passed ballot measures or resolutions calling for such an amendment.
Contacts: Anne Caruso, [email protected] or Greg Coleridge, [email protected]
