LEADER LUNCH BREAK ARCHIVE

From political advertising and social media to local news and digital platforms, media plays a powerful role in how voters perceive candidates, understand the issues, and engage with campaigns. Hear insights and reflections on the media landscape surrounding the recent election cycle, including the changing ways campaigns reach voters, the influence of local and social media, and how this exposure shapes perspectives and participation.

The closure of Heinen’s downtown grocery store has raised concerns about access to fresh food while underscoring the challenges of sustaining essential retail in an urban setting. Hear what the closure means for residents, workers and visitors, as well as its broader implications for a growing neighborhood.

Learn why grocery retailers can be difficult to attract and sustain in urban areas, the efforts underway to address the immediate gap in downtown grocery access, and the longer-term work to support Downtown Cleveland’s continued growth as a vibrant, livable neighborhood.

Early voting for the November 3 general election begins October 6 and voters will decide everything from municipal seats and judgeships, to school funding and public safety.

Hear about a non-partisan approach to voter registration, education, and mobilization, drawn from the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity’s VREM Initiative across Ohio and West Virginia. The approach focuses on meeting residents where they already spend time, from faith communities to neighborhood associations to local businesses, and includes practical tactics civic leaders can put into practice immediately.

Cleveland has until mid-October to decide how the city will regulate incoming data center development, after City Council approved a moratorium on new projects this summer. The stakes span energy costs, land use, and public health, with legislation due before City Council this fall. Learn the goals behind the effort, the lessons learned so far, and where things go from here, including the economic opportunity and resident protections being weighed along the way.

For more than a decade, First Year Cleveland has worked to close the gap in infant mortality across Cuyahoga County, focusing resources and partnerships on the first year of a baby’s life, when risk is highest and support is often scarce. Learn about Rx Kids, the program First Year Cleveland is bringing to Cuyahoga County, that looks to extend that mission into direct economic support through unconditional monthly cash payments for pregnant women and new mothers.

Hear how this approach aims to ease the financial pressures that compound health risk during pregnancy and a child’s earliest months for families in Cuyahoga County and offers local leaders a model for treating economic security as core infrastructure.

Green space isn’t just an amenity, it’s an equity issue. In 2026, Trust for Public Land ranked Cleveland 31st nationally in its ParkScore Index, outpacing what Cleveland’s population size would predict. Nearly 90% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park and per resident park investment increased last year.

Hear what’s driving Cleveland’s performance, what the data reveals about access and equity across neighborhoods, and how civic and community leaders can plug into Trust for Public Land’s work locally.