CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland City Council is rushing into an emergency Zoom meeting Wednesday to greenlight millions for downtown cleaning and safety patrols — but the special session leaves something out: a promised censure vote against Councilman Joe Jones, who’s accused of threatening to kill a staffer.
Council will convene to authorize Downtown Cleveland Inc. to collect $5.8 million in taxes from property owners for cleaning and safety patrols. The vote is required before a Sept. 8 state deadline, and Council President Blaine Griffin says that urgency justifies calling members back from summer break.
But Griffin has refused to call a special session for the censure, scheduling that vote for Sept. 15 — nearly a week after Jones faces a Sept. 9 challenge from State Rep. Juanita Brent,