GCP releases results of voter opinion survey about county government reform

Monday, July 06, 2009

Cleveland, Ohio—The Greater Cleveland Partnership recently released the results of a poll commissioned to gauge voter support for county government reform. GCP President and CEO Joe Roman stated that the results of the poll show positive support across the board for restructuring Cuyahoga County government. 

“Reforming county government from its current outdated structure to one that fits the role of a modern government representing over one million residents has been a hot topic around here for generations," said Roman. "This proposal has been well thought out by many people, and the electorate deserves a chance to vote on it this November, which is why the GCP contributed funding to make that happen.”

More than 45,000 signatures are needed to place the issue on the November ballot. Voter response has been overwhelming. It is expected that at least 70,000 signatures will be collected by late summer. 

Click here to read the poll results. Highlights indicate voter concerns about the current environment:

  • Is Cuyahoga County a better place to live than it was five years ago or is it worse? 55 percent say it is a worse place to live.

  • Voters were asked how satisfied they were with Cuyahoga County government. 72 percent said they were somewhat or very dissatisfied and less than 24 percent reported they were satisfied with the current county government.

  • Voters surveyed supported the key aspects of the proposed county restructuring, especially those dealing with job growth and financial accountability. The following are the specific issues surveyed, and what percentage of voters believed it to be a good change:

    • Single county executive and 11-member county council—61 percent

    • Economic development becoming a more important function of the county—83 percent

    • Eleven county council members elected from separate districts—76 percent

    • Council would approve budget and hire auditor to review spending—83 percent

  • If the election were held today, would you vote for the new county charter? 73 percent said they would “definitely” or “probably” vote for it; 12 percent were against it, and 13 percent were undecided.

If the issue successfully makes the ballot this November, the GCP will evaluate its endorsement decision early in the fall.

As an association of business members, the Greater Cleveland Partnership mobilizes private-sector leadership, expertise and resources to create jobs and leverage investment to improve the economic vitality of the region.

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