Debbie Ziccardi, 53
Social worker
One of my favorite stories about Cuyahoga Falls is just how giving and kind people are in the community. I had an unfortunate incident where Christmas gifts for my children, as well as some placards and letters I used to put on our sign in front of the school, were stolen from my car.
At the time, I was serving as the vice president of the local PTA for my kid’s schools. When they found out what happened, the school, the parents and the PTA all chipped in and replaced everything that was in my car.
That people took the time and heard the story and were just very kind and generous to us, it reinforced the reason why I chose to live in the community. All those things are what I had in mind when it comes to raising my family. We moved to our first home in 1991 and never left.
Our government is also open to local input. They implemented a neighborhood ambassador program where anyone in the community can join and get updates about new programs and initiatives rolling out in our city.
As part of the program, I feel very comfortable and confident that I can approach, call, email and reach out to any one of our local officials, and they’re very responsive.
It was one of the things I noticed and admired when I ran for city council three years ago. We really build on any ideas brought forth from the citizens.
Visit clevelandmagazine.com/bestplacestolive to read more about Cleveland’s 77 Best Places To Live.
