On the heels of his State of the City address last week at Cleveland's Public Hall, Mayor Frank Jackson sat down for a one-on-one interview with WKYC's Jim Donovan on Tuesday.
Among the topics that the two discussed were:
Jackson on the rash of homicides in Cleveland: "I don't have to watch the news to get the message about what's happening, I live on 38th and Central. Many of the people who have become victims of crimes and victims of homicides, particularly young people, have been over to my house visiting my kids and grandkids. Every time it happens, I take it personally."
On if solving the crime problem is a long term issue: "There is no panacea. We live in a very complex society with a lot of moving parts and one thing plays on another. But what we are addressing is a very simplistic thing."
Jackson on why he chose the theme of Cleveland being a successful city, but not a great city, at his State of the City address: "We've seen a tremendous turnaround in our business district and in many of our neighborhoods that are trending well. We still have neighborhoods that aren't doing as well, which is why we have put forth our transformation plan. We are doing the things we need to do in order to be successful and position the city for the future, but we haven't gotten over the hump."
On Cleveland as a 'resilient city': "We are constantly bouncing back. It's a midwestern kind of trait I guess to take a lot and then you work through it and then you come back. It's an attitude of not giving up, thinking on your feet, trying to adapt to whatever the situation is, and then overcoming it."
How does Cleveland become 'great': "It's everyone's responsibility. There's nothing that we have done as a city and been successful at in any way that we have not done as one city and as an entire community. Greatness is not about the buildings, or economic developments. That's success. Greatness is measured by whether or not everyone is participating in the quality of life and in prosperity that we as a community create in what we do."
On why he keeps coming back to serve Cleveland as he works in his fourth term: "This is home. I'm born and raised here, I went to school here. I'm not going anywhere, my family lives here. What happens to the rest of the city, happens to them. You have to have a reason to get up in the morning and mine is to serve."
You can watch the entire interview in the player below:
