Browns stadium, lakefront and crime at center of Cleveland town hall meeting

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CLEVELAND (WJW) – The announcement by the Cleveland Browns that they plan to build a domed stadium in Brook Park and move there in 2028 was a topic of discussion Tuesday night at a town hall meeting held by Mayor Justin Bibb.

The discussion began after a Cleveland taxpayer told the mayor, “I just wanted you to hear from somebody that we personally don’t believe in cities and counties and governments spending tax money on sports teams. If you want your own sports team, go do it.”

“We offered the Browns what I believe was a competitive but responsible deal to renovate the existing stadium,” Bibb responded.

While the city is gearing up for a battle to keep the Browns downtown, the mayor told the audience at Sunbeam School on the city’s east side that his administration is moving forward with a plan to re-develop the lakefront, including Burke Lakefront Airport.

“If they do leave, you have my word and my vow that we are going build one of the best lakefronts this country has ever seen. That’s the goal,” said Bibb as the audience applauded.

Another major issue at the mayor’s town hall meeting was crime and the devastating impact it is having on residents in neighborhoods across the city.

A 72-year-old woman who lives in a senior housing complex told the mayor that criminals have broken into 45 cars in the complex’s parking lot, but police have not been able to stop them.

The woman told the audience, “one lady had her windows busted out eight times in her car.”

The Cleveland retiree then told the mayor that the elderly residents have come up with their own security plan, blowing a whistle whenever they see a crime being committed.

“I blew the whistle loud and I said, ‘the police are coming for you right now,’ and I blew the whistle real loud and you know what happened? They took off running,” she said.

As the audience applauded, Bibb said, “we ought to hire her. I share your anger and your frustration. We’ve seen these rings of car thefts and carjackings all across our city, particularly with juveniles.”  

One of the other crime problems that the mayor addressed during the town hall meeting was “street takeovers” and he told taxpayers that a new police task force is making progress in catching up with the criminals responsible for the dangerous stunts in high-powered sports cars.

“Many of these folks don’t live in Cleveland. They’re coming from Akron and Cincinnati and Sandusky, preying on our streets,” said Bibb. “We’ve already made significant arrests, in just two weeks, in terms of holding those accountable for those street takeovers.”

The mayor also told the audience that the city is attempting to hire more police officers to fight crime on the streets, by offering more attractive compensation packages and increasing the maximum age for recruits willing to join the force.

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Jack Shea

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