Why Cleveland Heights residents say civic participation matters more than ever
Residents gather at Cleveland Heights City Hall for the city's 13th annual Democracy Day hearing, sharing perspectives on voting rights, campaign finance, environmental protections and the future of democratic institutions.
Updated: Jun. 15, 2026, Published: Jun. 09, 2026
By Chris Pugh, cleveland.com | Advance Local Express Desk
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17f4J1S2NdJ3pLHzO6Dwhu-lHfEGZXNQj9XVVwtg_zAM/edit?tab=t.0
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio - Residents voiced concerns about corporate influence in politics, environmental protections, voting rights, and the future of democratic institutions during Cleveland Heights’ 13th annual Democracy Day hearing.
The hearing, held Monday as part of the city’s longstanding observance of Democracy Day, invited residents to share their views on the state of American democracy and discuss reforms they believe are needed to strengthen democratic participation.
Read more2026 Cleveland Heights Democracy Day
Council Chambers, Cleveland Heights (Ohio) City Hall
June 4, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vkowR5ZiyQ&t=63s
A Summary of Subjects and Themes Addressed
- US House Joint Resolution 54, the We The People Amendment to the US Constitution, has 75 cosponsors. It becomes more relevant and essential every day as the US now faces the prospect of personhood for Artificially Intelligent bots.
- Hyperscale data center threats include exponential increases in local communities' electric bills and wastewater contamination with PFAS and other "forever chemicals."
- Recent New York Times coverage of Buckley v. Valeo and Bloomberg Law coverage of an ACLU lawsuit in which the judge upheld the actual votes of corporations and other "artificial entities" in a 2024 Fenwick, Delaware election.
- As poverty continues to increase, Americans have a responsibility to speak out against inequality and to vote.
- Corporations claiming first amendment rights and the Supreme Court classifying money as a form of "speech" has led to the destruction of water-purifying wetlands and poisonous algal blooms in Lake Erie, among many other environmental harms.
- The advantages of paying taxes confers myriad benefits on individuals and communities, including public schools, public libraries, trash collection, functioning roads, bridges and sewer systems, and many others.
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Song performed with ukulele accompaniment: "Corporations Are Human," © Tom Neilson.
- Selected portions of President George Washington's Farewell Address were quoted, including: "The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government. But the Constitution which at any time exists, till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole people, is sacredly obligatory upon all."
- A member of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) explained that SURJ organizes white people to join the battle against white supremacy, and stressed that white people also have much to gain in fighting to end racism.
- A recent trip to England, including a viewing of the Magna Carta, inspired one Cleveland Heights resident to an even greater appreciation of the Statue of Liberty and its timeless words "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."
- Song performed with guitar accompaniment: "How We Can Sleep at Night," © 2011 Lou & Peter Berryman
- A member of Healthcare for all Ohioans detailed several of the ways that rather than Healthcare for all Americans, we have healthcare as social murder.
- The speaker posits that debt-based money endangers democratic governance. He supports the American Monetary Reform Act of 2026, which would improve and stabilize the Nation’s economy by restoring Congress’s power to create and regulate money.
- "Happy 250th Birthday, America. What's Next?" To create a functioning democracy, Congress must use its constitutionally granted power to change the Supreme Court.
- Recent local issues illustrate the need for democratic action at the local level: the sudden, secret closure of the Cleveland State University radio station; the Heights Libraries' dismantling of the arts center in the former Coventry School; and NEORSD's actions to turn Horseshoe Lake and Lower Lake into wetland areas.
[OHIO] Cleveland Hts Resistance Fair 2026
Shaker Heights Democracy Day Public Hearing - Sept 8
Shaker Heights Democracy Day - September 8
In 2016, Shaker Heights voters passed, with an 82% “yes” vote, Issue 95 in support of a 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, stating that:
- Only human beings, not corporate entities have constitutional rights, and
- Money is not speech, so money spent on elections can be regulated.
RSVP BELOW
Read moreCleveland Hts Democracy Day: Letter to Public Officials & Public Testimony
City of Cleveland Heights
Council Office
40 Severance Circle
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
June 10, 2025
The Honorable Bernie Moreno
SR-284 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Jon Husted
SR-304 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Shontel Brown
2455 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Rob McColley
1 Capitol Square, Second Floor 201
Columbus, OH 43215
The Honorable Matt Huffman
77 South high Street 14th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
CC:
Mayor Kahlil Seren, City of Cleveland Heights
Director of Law William R. Hanna, City of Cleveland Heights
Dear Senators Moreno and Husted, Representative Brown, President McColley, and Speaker Huffman:
On behalf of the Cleveland Heights City Council, I am writing to share a summary of the 12th Annual “Democracy Day” Public Hearing, held on June 5, 2025, in Council Chambers.
This public hearing is required by a 2013 citizen-initiated ordinance titled “Calling on Congress to Amend the U.S. Constitution to Establish That Corporations Are Not People and Money Is Not Speech.” Passed by 77% of Cleveland Heights voters, the ordinance mandates an annual public hearing to examine “the political influence by corporations and big money in connection with the most recent election.” It also requires the City Council to notify elected officials of the hearing and to reaffirm the will of the voters, who in November 2013 called for a constitutional amendment declaring:
- Only human beings, not corporations, are legal persons with constitutional rights; and
- Money is not equivalent to speech, and therefore, regulating political contributions and spending does not equate to limiting political speech
At the June 5 hearing, eight individuals provided oral testimony, and one submitted written remarks. Topics included:
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https://www.dispatch.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/05/24/nato-protest-rally-downtown-dayton-ohio/83840769007
Mary Snapp and her husband Ian of Dayton hold signs against NATO during a rally near the barricade for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly at Cooper Park on Saturday, May 24, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio.
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch
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Deb Hogshead of Troy speaks about Move to Amend Miami County during a rally near the barricade for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly at Cooper Park on Saturday, May 24, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio.
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Sandy Bolzenius of Columbus speaks about Move to Amend Miami County during a rally near the barricade for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly at Cooper Park on Saturday, May 24, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio.
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch
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Deb Hogshead of Troy shows off her hat and pin during a rally near the barricade for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly at Cooper Park on Saturday, May 24, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio.
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Marches through Dayton end on bridges protesting NATO assembly on Saturday
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A group marched from Deeds Point to the Riverside Drive bridge to protest the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in downtown Dayton on Saturday, May 24, 2025. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF
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"Democracy Day" returns to Cleveland City Hall
Sam Allard | May 12, 2025
https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2025/05/12/democracy-day-city-hall-money-politics
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
A community-led "Democracy Day" hearing arrives at Cleveland City Hall Monday as part of the national movement to get corporate money out of politics.
The big picture: Cleveland is among more than 20 Ohio municipalities that have passed resolutions since 2012 pushing Congress to amend the U.S. Constitution to declare that money is not speech.
- Cities adopted these resolutions at the urging of advocacy groups like Move to Amend in response to the Citizens United Supreme Court decision in 2010.
- Cleveland's 2016 ordinance established a biennial public hearing at City Hall to allow the community to explore these topics.
Toledo City Council celebrates annual Democracy Day
THE BLADE/ALICE MOMANY
The Blade
MAR 27, 2025
About 50 people filed into Toledo City Council chambers in One Government Center to voice concerns about the current political climate, ask questions about the city, and watch a public meeting unfold during the city’s annual Democracy Day.
“Planning this event is like a tradition,” Dennis Slotnick said. “But it also allows us to be giving to the greatest values we have in this country.”
The event Thursday was organized by Mr. Slotnick and Tony Szilagye, members of Toledo Move to Amend.
Toledo Move to Amend is the local affiliate of the national, nonpartisan organization committed to advocating for a robust democracy without corporate interests or dark money.
