Longtime Cuyahoga County resident Chris Ronayne hopes to take over as county executive this election season, facing off against Republican candidate Lee Weingart. Both are vying for the position formerly held by Armond Budish for two terms.
Previously the president of University Circle Inc. for 16 years, Ronayne also worked as the City of Cleveland’s planning director and as the Chief of Staff and Chief Development Officer. Now he aims to take his skills to a higher level, emphasizing a new approach to county government systems.
In July, Ronayne listed his top five priorities and issues in an interview with Cleveland Magazine — a list which included reducing gun violence and improving health and human services.
We touched base with Ronayne — as well as Weingart, whom you can hear from here — ahead of the Tuesday election to hear more about his approach to the job:
1. What is the county executive’s most important role?
At the core of the county work is providing our citizens the safety net for when they fall through the cracks of life. That safety net includes children and family services, health and human service dollars, justice affairs and senior services, to name a few. If we do nothing else, this county is entrusted with maintaining a strong safety net for our residents. So it’s the health and well-being of our citizenry. Our charter also leans in on economic development, and to that, I’m excited about helping with workforce training, small business development and economic growth in our county.
2. What does day one of the job look like for you?
Day one requires a different approach to county government. So it’s about doing things differently. It’s about making sure we rebuild … that we get a common plan for the health and well-being of our citizens. And that we put this county on a path of economic growth. It’s about changing the way we do business in Cuyahoga County.
3. What is the most important issue facing the 1.2 million people of Cuyahoga County today?
There are the must-dos, of right-coursing the department of children and family services, and protecting our most vulnerable kids. There’s the must-dos of ensuring a better justice system and addressing clear failures in the county jail. And there’s the should-dos of addressing today’s needs in our communities, whether it be quality housing, transportation, infrastructure, workforce development and capitalizing on our location on the great Lake Erie.
4. What does the future of Cuyahoga County look like if you’re county executive?
We will truly live up to that brand promise of ‘The Best Location in the Nation.’ This will be the best region in the country to live in, because of our quality of life, our incredible amenities, our cost of living, an improved housing stock, a better transportation system, and a place where we’ve leveraged our asset base to which we are rich in resources, whether it’s healthcare, arts and culture, parks, fresh water — where we’ve leveraged those assets for greater community growth and sustainability.
5. What do you love about Northeast Ohio the most?
I love living on the Great Lakes. We are truly the freshwater capital of the world. The place that came back from a time when the river burned, to a cleaner river, and a fishable Great Lake, where we enjoyed at our front door, 20% of the world’s fresh water supply and 90% of this nation’s. What’s not to like? It’s truly the best place you can live in this world, on the fresh water for recreation, housing, industry and beauty.
