Making Space for Voices: The Importance of Public Comment in Cleveland
- Cleveland VOTES
- Apr 17
- 3 min read
After nearly a century without it, public comment has been back at Cleveland City Council since 2021. Public comment allows Clevelanders to elevate the issues that are important to them and their communities—however, advocates say the fight for full civic access isn’t over.
Every Monday at 7 pm in Cleveland, a unique window opens where everyday people get the mic and City Hall has to listen. That’s the public comment period at Cleveland City Council meetings, a process that has been both hard-fought and hard-won by residents and advocacy groups, like Clevelanders for Public Comment.
What is public comment?
Public comment is a designated time during some government meetings when members of the public are allowed to address elected officials directly. It's an opportunity to voice concerns, share ideas, and highlight community issues.
Public comment returned to Cleveland City Council meetings in 2021 after nearly a century-long absence, following a grassroots push from residents (especially Clevelanders For Public Comment) who demanded more direct access to their local government.
Currently, residents can sign up online to speak during the public comment period of regular Monday night council meetings. The official Cleveland City Council website explains that speakers must submit their comments by 2 p.m. on the day of the meeting, and remarks are limited to three minutes. According to Signal Cleveland’s guide, speakers can comment on any topic—not just items on that day's agenda.
The fight for equitable access to public comment in Cleveland continues.
Still, some believe the current public comment process isn't equitable enough, especially when it comes to committee meetings, where critical legislation is shaped and debated.
“Council’s public comment rule fails to address public comment at committee meetings,” says Nora Kelley, a member of Clevelanders for Public Comment. “During the resident-led public comment campaign in 2021, we were regularly told that the ‘real work’ of council takes place in committee hearings.”
Kelley sees committee meetings as the next frontier. Right now, whether the public can speak at these meetings is entirely up to the discretion of the committee chair, a system she said is too opaque.
“Again, I think having a clear and transparent process to provide public comment at committee meetings is the most important improvement needed,” Kelley says. “I’d also say that Council’s efforts in late 2023 to dramatically scale back public comment--to only those items under consideration by council--really undermined public trust, particularly among the hundreds of residents involved in the public comment campaign in 2021.”
As previously mentioned, residents can talk about any topic during public comment. But proposed changes to narrow the scope of acceptable topics could limit residents’ ability to speak on broader concerns.
The power of public comment.
Despite these hurdles, public comment sessions have seen passionate and poignant remarks from Clevelanders across the city (click here to view an archive of public comments). For example, the March 24, 2025 meeting included a range of testimonies on neighborhood safety, housing, and international issues like the war in Gaza.
“I’ve seen so many powerful public comments,” Kelley says. “I love the range of comments from neighborhood-based issues to the challenges facing our global community. Honestly, there are few Monday evenings that council meets that I don’t stream the public comment session of the weekly meeting.”
Public comment isn’t just about airing grievances—it’s about being seen and heard by the people in power.
“City Council meetings really are a singular opportunity for resident voices to be heard citywide,” Kelley says. “It's a powerful opportunity for residents to be able to speak directly to the Mayor, administration and the full council.”
How to participate in the public comment process.
For first-timers considering stepping up to the mic, Kelley offers words of encouragement:
“Speak from the heart, have fun, and speak truth to power!”
As Cleveland City Council continues to shape the rules and limits of public comment, residents and advocates alike are watching closely. What’s at stake isn’t just a few minutes at a microphone—it’s the broader question of who gets to participate in democracy, and how.
Visit clevelandcitycouncil.org/public-comment to read the official rules and sign up to speak. For advocacy efforts and updates, check out resources from Signal Cleveland.
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