Austin Davis: Building a Cleveland That Works for Everyone

An interview on issues important to Cleveland’s Latino communities.

Reflecting on your primary campaign, what did you learn from residents that shaped your approach heading into the general election, and was there a moment on the trail when you realized you needed to adjust your message or priorities?

First, I have to say how humbled and honored I was by the community's strong support in the primary election–to see how deeply my values and experience have resonated with my neighbors here in Ward 7. I'm so grateful to everyone who put their trust in me.

On the trail, I’ve learned how important it is for local candidates and elected officials to emphasize a proactive message about Cleveland's future. We have to explain what we want to do, not just what we’re against. And I’m an optimist! While we have much work ahead, I believe that this is a great time to be a Clevelander. 

At the same time, it’s also important as a local candidate to provide a positive alternative to the national turmoil. It’s been a joy to hold a torch for local government and advocate for the importance of these city council roles now more than ever, when our state and federal governments are on such a destructive path.

Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory whose residents are citizens but lack full voting rights in Congress and in presidential elections. U.S. HR 2757, the Puerto Rico Status Act, proposes a plebiscite offering three paths: Independence, Free Association, or Statehood.

Although the bill has stalled in Congress, the question of Puerto Rico’s future remains urgent for the tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans in Cleveland. If you were voting in that plebiscite, which option would you personally support, and why?

Puerto Rico’s future should be determined by its own people, full stop. There should be no role in that conversation for folks like me: mainlanders without ties to the island. Puerto Ricans deserve the same right to shape their own future that any community or nation would expect, and their voices alone should lead the way forward.

Cleveland’s immigrant communities play an important role in the local economy, especially as small business owners and workers. How would you support minority-owned businesses and immigrant entrepreneurs in Ward 7?

Our incredible small businesses help define the character of our ward and our city–particularly our minority and immigrant small business owners. Even just the food scene! Whether it’s breakfast at Guanaquitas 2, lunch at Nate’s Deli, dinner from Banana Blossom, enjoying the patio at Cilantro Taqueria, or cooking at home with produce grown by refugees at the Ohio City Farm, immigrants across Ward 7 define my daily life here. And I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the priest at the St. Theodosius Orthodox Cathedral in Tremont, who is from the same country that my grandmother is from, Slovakia. 

But from my conversations with our Ward 7 small business community, I know how difficult it can be for entrepreneurs to keep the lights on, or even get started. On one hand, it should be easier to open and grow your business. On city council, I want to serve as a collaborative partner to help simplify and speed up our city processes—particularly the ones that can make it hard to get the right permit or paperwork to open your business in the first place. That might be investing in new tools, training, or personnel, but it’s an essential need.

I also believe in expanding loan, grant, and support programs for small businesses–and ensuring equitable access to city incentives for our immigrant and minority entrepreneurs. That means strong language access and expanding outreach about existing programs, to make sure everyone is included. The city can be a real partner in helping diverse entrepreneurs succeed.

On the other hand, I want our amazing local businesses to have more customers, and I believe in a people-first approach to economic growth in our neighborhoods. That means building communities where everyday life works well, and where we invest in the people who live here. When we have more residents and when those residents are thriving, they shop locally, spend locally, and support local businesses.

That kind of bottom-up momentum is what retains families in our community, attracts new ones, and creates jobs—and what can mean the difference for minority-owned businesses and immigrant entrepreneurs' ability to thrive in our communities.

Finding affordable childcare is a challenge across Cleveland, and Latino families in Ward 7 often face added barriers like access and a lack of culturally responsive options. Do you see a role for City Council in addressing these challenges, and if so, what steps would you take?

My wife and I have an infant daughter, and we’ve learned firsthand that childcare is every bit the challenge people said it would be.

I’d support exploring ways to expand partnerships with organizations that already provide essential childcare services—like Starting Point and Cuyahoga County’s Invest in Children initiative—to increase the availability of affordable, high-quality, culturally competent childcare in neighborhoods that need it most.

While the district is not there today, I would strongly support efforts over the long-term to expand the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s universal preschool program from only 4-year-olds to including 3-year-olds, too.

Further, I strongly believe in comprehensive after-school programming options, so that parents don’t have to worry about their children while they finish up their workday. Like many cities, our after-school and teen support programs have been stretched thin by state and federal cuts. It is imperative that we reinvest in youth programming, pipelines to jobs, and other support structures—to ensure every child has a safe and productive place to go after school.

Language barriers keep some residents from fully participating in civic life or accessing city services. Have you made your campaign materials available in multiple languages, and if elected, would you support hiring bilingual staff and translating city documents so that all families are included?

I regret that I have not been able to make all campaign materials available in multiple languages, given the limited capacity of these local city council campaigns—because I know that language accessibility is essential to ensuring inclusion and civic participation.

In office, I would prioritize hiring bilingual staff across the city and ensuring that all key public-facing documents and forms are translated into multiple languages, so every resident can fully access our city services.

If elected, how would you engage with the Latino community in Ward 7 to hear their concerns, set priorities, and work together on solutions?

I’ll always be committed to meeting residents where they are. Families and working people are very busy, and they’re not always able to offer their perspective when meetings are during dinner time on a school night. That’s why I’ll keep knocking on doors, showing up at block parties, participating in community events, and having real conversations—so we can shape the future of this ward with everyone.

That commitment includes intentionally engaging with our Latino community—attending cultural events, collaborating with neighborhood organizations that serve Latino families, and ensuring language isn’t a barrier to participation. I had a great time at the Puerto Rican Festival this year, and I’ll look forward to joining in the parade next year if elected to city council!

Jasmin Santana is currently the only Latina on Cleveland City Council and many residents look to her as a voice for the broader Latino community. If you’re elected, how would you collaborate with Santana to make sure Latino families in Ward 7 and across the city are represented at City Hall?

During my time serving as a lawyer and advisor in City Hall, I was proud to work with Councilwoman Santana on multiple pieces of legislation to help ensure residents’ needs were met.

For example, she was a key champion of gender pay equity and transparency legislation that I had the privilege of developing. The legislation prohibits employers from asking job applicants about their prior salary, which is a practice that only bakes in past wage discrimination—especially against Latina women. I was proud to work with Councilwoman Santana to craft a law that makes a real difference for families’ bottom lines.

Councilwoman Santana was also a key force behind the city’s new smoke shop regulations, and I was proud to develop the specific regulatory framework to push back against them. These are predatory businesses that undermine public health and target vulnerable communities. This initiative reflected her deep commitment to protecting families’ health and neighborhood safety—values I share and will continue to champion on city council.

I look forward to continuing that collaboration to ensure Latino families in Ward 7 and throughout the city are well represented and supported at City Hall. 

For example, a core tenet of my platform is building a city government that works for all. Each community faces distinct challenges and barriers, but by listening to residents’ experiences and working collaboratively across wards, we can shape policies that make city services more accessible and responsive to all Clevelanders.

By 2030, 1 in 5 Americans will be 65 or older. How would you make sure seniors in Ward 7 are supported, and do you see any ways this demographic trend could benefit Cleveland?

Too many seniors in our community are at risk of being priced out of their homes due to rising housing costs. Losing our long-term residents—the folks who made our Ward 7 neighborhoods great places to live in the first place—is a blow we don’t have to accept.

I will advocate for property tax relief programs in Columbus, continue to take on out-of-state slumlords that prey on our older residents, and increase the availability of affordable, accessible housing so seniors can afford to age in place. I also support stronger investments in transportation, healthcare access, and community programs that help seniors stay connected, safe, and healthy.

At the same time, Cleveland can benefit from this demographic trend. Seniors are the backbone of many neighborhoods—they bring institutional knowledge, stability, and care for the places they’ve called home for decades. Their spending power also supports long-term small businesses, and their volunteerism and mentorship strengthen the workforce and civic life.

By creating opportunities for older residents to share their experience, support small businesses, and stay engaged in the community, we can make sure this demographic shift is understood as a real asset for the city.

Cleveland’s public schools have been under mayoral control since 1997, with the mayor appointing the school board. Do you believe CMSD should remain under mayoral control, or should Cleveland return to an elected school board?

My concerns about our schools, and the concerns shared with me by other parents and community members, are all about whether my local school will be facing closure, the quality of our children’s education, and the safety of our kids. If elected to city council, those will be my focus, too.

That focus is important because the District is facing so many critical decisions today. Declining enrollment is forcing these school closures, and we’re facing growing funding threats at the state and federal levels—including the gutting of the federal Department of Education and its support for our schools, as well as proposals to eliminate key property tax support in Ohio. 

I do believe there is room for more democracy on the school board. But with so much of the District’s future uncertain, and with students and families already navigating significant change, I don’t think this is the right time to overhaul CMSD’s board structure. That said, decisions about the future of the district must be made collaboratively as a community to ensure the long-term success of our students—a responsibility I take seriously as a parent myself.

Although CMSD would not fall directly under my purview on city council, I will continue to advocate for transparency, accountability, and meaningful community engagement in every major decision affecting our schools.

What is one message you’d like to leave with Ward 7 residents as we head into the general election?

I was born in Cleveland, and while I grew up mostly in the suburbs, I’m raising my own family here on the Near West Side. 

I come from a blue-collar, middle-class family—my dad worked as a union crane operator, just like his brother and their dad. They pushed me to go to college, and I did so thanks to Pell Grants. I’ve served my community as a lawyer and advisor in Cleveland City Hall, and I’m coming with real experience in law, policy, and local government.

I am fully committed to this community, and I am ready on day one to serve our Near West Side residents and strengthen our neighborhoods as a dynamic, results-first councilmember. And together, I believe we can ensure that our community here in Ward 7 is more safe, affordable, just, and vibrant than ever before.

Featured image by: McKinley Whiley