Making an In-Person Public Comment at An Upcoming Council Meeting

Council welcomes public comments at each regularly scheduled Monday evening Council meeting. 

If you are interested in speaking at a Cleveland City Council, please read the revised rules and procedures for public comments and fill out the online form below. 

Submitting a Registration to Speak

Anyone who is interested in addressing Cleveland City Council at a public meeting must register with City Council prior to that meeting.

Registrations may be submitted:

  • By using the online form below
  • In person at Cleveland City Hall, Room 220, 601 Lakeside Avenue NE. Paper forms are available to register.
  • By downloading this form, filling it out, and emailing it to publiccomment@clevelandcitycouncil.gov or dropping it off at Council offices.

Registration Periods

Registrations will ONLY be accepted between Noon on Wednesday and 2:00 pm on the same day as a regularly scheduled Monday evening Council Meeting.

Council allows no more than 10 people to comment at its regularly scheduled Monday night meetings. Registration will close as soon as the first 10 people sign up. Each registrant will be allotted 3 minutes to speak.

Registrations will only be accepted for making comments at the next regular meeting; registrations for any future meeting will not be accepted until the Wednesday before the meeting. Early, incomplete, or false registrations will be rejected.

Notice of Registration

If your registration is successful, you will be notified by email or phone.

Accommodations

If you need assistance due to a language barrier or disability, please let us know at least three (3) days in advance by going here to make a request.

Attending Council Meetings

Cleveland City Council meetings are held in the Council Chamber on the second floor of Cleveland City Hall, 601 Lakeside Avenue, East.

Visitors may park for free at the upper lot behind City Hall after 5:00 pm on days when Council is meeting.

Public Record

Please remember that all registration information and public comments are public records and can be subject to public record requests.

Decorum

Cleveland City Council must maintain orderly, efficient, and productive meetings to ensure the important business of city government is completed. Council has developed a set of rules and procedures that allow the public to be heard in a fair and orderly manner. These rules and procedures apply to all speakers, and Council does not discriminate based on the speaker's identity or viewpoint or the content of the speech. Please read Council's revised rules and procedures for public comments before you register and before you appear before City Council.

Please note: Anyone attending a Cleveland City Council meeting is prohibited from engaging in any action or behavior that substantially interrupts, delays, or disturbs the due conduct of the proceedings of the Council; such conduct includes but is not limited to: handclapping, stomping of feet, whistling, making other loud noises, yelling, or similar demonstrations.  Any person who violates any of the above may be immediately removed from the Council Chamber.

Rules for Speakers
  • Speakers may not yield their time to other speakers.
  • Speakers shall only address the topic they registered to speak about.
  • Speakers' comments shall not be frivolous or repetitive.
  • Speakers shall not use language that is obscene or likely to produce imminent unlawful action. 
  • Speakers shall address all comments to the presiding officer.
Prohibited Items
  • Signs, posters, banners, placards, or similar items
  • Food and drink

 

To sign up to comment in person or online, please scroll down.

Make a Comment In Person at a Council Meeting

To sign up to speak during the registration period (Noon Wednesday through 2:00 pm Monday before Council Meetings) click this button.

You will be notified by email or phone if you are one of the ten people who will speak.


Make a Comment Online

If you would rather submit your comments in writing, please fill out the form below. 

Written public comments will be published on this page and delivered to all Councilmembers before the next full Council Meeting after they have been submitted.


Public Comments

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WCSB
Hello,

I would like to express my hope that Cleveland City Council can do something to help counteract Ideastream and CSU’s destruction of the cultural fabric of our city. The way they went about this, behind closed doors and without public input, is the antithesis of the supposed transparency and free speech Ideastream claims to support.

Cleveland champions itself as the “rock and roll city” and one of the best independent college radio stations that championed lesser known artists was just junked for a Spotify algorithm of mid century mainstream jazz.

But WCSB was more than a radio stations it was the essence of community. In a town that has lost so much media in the past 20 years it was a venue for artists of all types to get the word about their shows, performances, exhibits, etc. The loss of this resource will be catastrophic to the cultural fabric of our community.

And for what? To accomplish the pet project of a California based CEO and the dreams of a couple of millionaire donors? That’s not Cleveland.

If we are going to continue to grow arts and culture in this city we need WCSB. If we are going to promote the Rock Hall and its importance to the city, we need WCSB. We don’t need pre programmed jazz.
Brandon Stevens
WCSB Resolution
To whom it may concern. WCSB 89.3 is an important cultural beacon for the people of Cleveland & the surrounding suburbs. It gives people access to ideas, community & resources that may otherwise would be inaccessible to them from any other source. Please keep the station broadcasting
Jonathan Mathews
WCSB
I endorse that the Cleveland City Council act to return WCSB to the students at CSU. This is a vital voice in the city.
Markus Lofstrom
COLLEGE RADIO
I endorse that the Cleveland City Council call for WCSB to be returned to the students at CSU. Preserve and protect COLLEGE RADIO FOR GENERATIONS OF CLEVELANDERS! Act now!!
Robin Wise
WCSB at Cleveland State being taken over by ideastream
WCSB was a voice for the voiceless. Between the ethnic programming and the alternative programming that station means a lot to a lot of Clevelanders. Please help!
Mike Murphy
Ideastream's takeover of on-air programming from WCSB Cleveland State University
There are many reasons why I believe that the full control of programming should be returned to the XCSB student organization but I especially would like Cleveland City Council to be aware that Ideastream is simply unwilling to fulfill it's mandatory public service requirements. Are you aware this is the THIRD time that Ideastream has terminated ethnic programming from Cleveland's airwaves as they've added radio stations to their portfolio. 1) in 1988 WCPN lost its entire block of weekend ethnic programming (Hungarian, Slovenian, Ukrainian, German, Slovak, Czech, Lithuanian, British, Serbian, Spanish, Italian and Jewish). 2) ethnic programs were eliminated again in 2021 when Ideastream took over programming of WKSU, and 3) now with the takeover of WCSBs programming, Ideastream has eliminated ten ethnic radio programs that previously aired on WCSB's FM signal, including those that served the Arabic, Congolese, East Asian, German, Hispanic, Hungarian, Irish, Latin, Polish and Slovenian communities in Cleveland.
Mary Cipriani
WCSB
We would like to express our deep disappointment in CSU's selling of the wonderful student-run community radio station WCSB to Ideastream. Not only is it a horrible decision, the way in which it was sprung on the staff at the 11th hour without notice, over Zoom and then locking them out of the station and calling the police, was shocking and detestable. The former WCSB - about to celebrate their 50th year of broadcasting - was a treasure, not only to the local community in Cleveland but, thanks to its archive and internet broadcasting, also to listeners around the globe. We listened regularly to WCSB here in NYC and supported it during each fund drive. We urge the council to do all in their power to return WCSB to its student-run governance and wonderful volunteer staff. It was invaluable to us all. Sincerely, Michael Serafin-Wells, New York, NY
Michael Serafin-Wells
CSU transferring control of WCSB to Ideastream
The move by CSU to take control of the student organized radio station and hand it over to Ideastram troubled me greatly. I wish for this nearly 50 year old institution to be returned to the students of CSU.
Michael Gliebe
WCSB
It's terrible that people ripped WCSB away from the students and the entire community in secret. They have caused so much grief -- all for their personal benefit. They need to reverse this decision immediately.
Jayce Renner
Ideastream takeover of CSU student and community run radio station WCSB
Cleveland Council members:

On the morning of October 3rd, 2025, Ideastream abruptly and unceremoniously took over the on-air signal of Cleveland State University’s student and community run radio station, WCSB, which was about celebrate its 50th anniversary, replacing an eclectic mix of music and public affairs programs, with an all jazz format.

Why? Ideastream CEO Kevin Martin cites results of a “study” that showed Cleveland listeners want a conventional radio station devoted to 24 hour jazz programming, without offering any specifics. Cleveland State President Laura Bloomberg framed the arrangement as a ”strategic partnership.” Interestingly, those involved in the deal were bound by NDAs ahead of the October 3rd date. The people most involved with the radio station — the students, station engineer, and community volunteers — were literally the last to know.

There is clearly more to the story as even a cursory glance of the scant available details reveals. At a minimum, those directly involved in the takeover need to publicly explain and justify their actions.

Please, do whatever is in your power to hold them accountable. To date, such inquiries from current and former CSU students have been met with smug indifference.

Respectfully,
Lawrence Kren
Case Western Reserve University engineering graduate and former volunteer programmer at WRUW
Lawrence Kren