Cuyahoga County Council: District 10 candidate Stephens has a passion for housing and land development
By Shelby Eisenhart
It’s Oct. 9, and hot air fills the usually cool fall air at the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library. An escape from the heat happens in the library, where cool air conditioning flows above and all around is the scent of library books.
A warm presence enters the automatic doors, in the person of Cheryl Stephens. Her smile fills the room with a friendly warmth. As the interview begins, the sun beams through the window and Stephens begins to boast of her love for libraries and the written word. She brings life to the job of a librarian stating, “They (librarians) are guardians of the written word.”
Stephens is currently running unopposed for Cuyahoga County Council’s District 10 seat. She began her journey in politics in 2007. Her current position is serving on Cleveland Heights City Council. As can be learned on her campaign website, Stephens is also currently the president and CEO of the East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation. She was previously the council president and mayor of Cleveland Heights.
As a self-described nerd, her passion for reading and writing is almost as intense as her passion for economic and land development, she said in an interview. The latter passion started for Stephens during her graduate studies. During this time in her education, Stephens was given a zoning project, a project that she assumed would be boring.
She explained how zoning and economic and land development are actually a great discipline. This discipline is also known as urban planning.
According to Collins English Dictionary, urban planning is “the study or profession dealing with the growth and functioning of cities and towns, including environmental concerns, zoning, the infrastructure, etc.”
Stephens said her belief in the American Dream only fueled her passion more. “One of the most American industries is housing,” she said.
Today, economic and land development is a huge issue in Cuyahoga County. Elizabeth Stiles, political science professor at John Carroll University stated, “Cuyahoga County has a lot of vacant land due to our economic problems after many of the industrial sectors collapsed or moved away from here. So how we redevelop is a critical issue.”
The current mayor of Cleveland Heights, Carol Roe, said of Stephens, “Land development and Community Development Corporation have been passions for her.”
Stephens revealed how, as Americans, we are entitled to a decent public education where we can learn and work hard, and which will prepare us for a job. The wage earned will give Americans the ability to buy and own a home.
“Owning a home is, like, so beneficial,” Stephens said. “If the people who buy houses or rehab them make good wages, you have had economic impact before the family has even moved in. When a family moves in, their sense of ownership in that neighborhood is much higher than somebody who is a renter.”
“So, oh my gosh, how can you not fall in love with housing!” Stephens concluded with glee.
With her passion and knowledge for housing, Stephens felt that running for public office would give her the chance to make a difference. However, achieving this seat would not be without hardship.
In January, Anthony Hairston stepped down as the representative of the 10th District on Cuyahoga County Council, to serve as a member of Cleveland City Council. Four individuals, as stated by Cleveland.com, vied to become his replacement: Rico Dancy, Brian Davis, Michael Houser and Cheryl Stephens. The position expired in April for the primary election.
Michael Houser was selected to fill the vacancy, where Stephens lost by a slim two points. As the primary elections crept up in April, she explained how she found herself comfortable with remaining on City Council in Cleveland Heights.
That changed when an older local woman gave her a small check and an immense amount of faith. Stephens said she could not let the woman down and decided to run against Houser in the primary, although the Democratic Party, and many other big names in politics, had already endorsed him.
According to Stephens’ campaign website, she received endorsements from Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, the Cuyahoga Democratic Women’s Caucus and several former mayors.
As political scientist Stiles explained, having endorsements matters. “It signals support. If the newspaper for example endorses someone then it says why and it has the opportunity to persuade voters that this is the best candidate.”
Stephens’ campaign was received positively by the people, which is how she won the primary — primaries take place when there is more than one candidate from the same part who wants to run in an election; the party has to pick just one.
In campaigning, she said, her job is to deliver on her messages. Stephens revealed how being in politics is her job, and she must make personal sacrifices and remain strong in the face of public criticism. But above all, she wants to inspire others.
Her commitment to the people links backs to her commitment in housing and economic development. Stephens said she looks forward to her new position. Stephens is ready to work to get construction financing and begin to clean up the mess of 2008.
In 2008, the subprime crisis happened. Business Dictionary explains the subprime crisis as, “A situation starting in 2008 affecting the mortgage industry due to borrowers being approved for loans they could not afford. As a result, a significant rise in foreclosures led to the collapse of many lending institutions and hedge funds.”
Cleveland is still actively working to decrease the number of foreclosures and redevelop the many abandoned and foreclosed-on buildings.
Who knew that a quiet library on a warm, sunny day would set the stage for a passionate woman to share her vision, ideas and hardships with a young student journalist? As she runs unopposed, Stephens is excited and ready to begin her journey in this new position.
You can find Cheryl Stephens and many others on the Cuyahoga County ballot on Nov. 6. Find a local polling station near you to vote (https://www.vote.org/polling-place-locator/).
