Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson Elected to Fourth Term

In a historic election on Tuesday, Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson was elected to serve his fourth consecutive four year term, an unprecedented victory, according to Cleveland.com.

According to unofficial counts from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections on Tuesday night, Jackson won 59 percent of the vote, while opponent and former city councilman Zack Reed won 41 percent. Jackson maintained a lead of between 40 and 60 percent for the entire night, and in the final tally led by more than 11,000 votes.

In his concession speech, Reed expressed gratitude for all that he was able to accomplish during the campaign.

“We have at least alerted the people in the city of Cleveland that violence and safety have to be looked at and have to be addressed,” Reed said. “My hope, my wish and my desire will be over the next few weeks, months and years that we will stop this violence in the city of Cleveland.”

Jackson expressed that it was his continued responsibility to “relieve pain and suffering” in Cleveland, and that “the work is not done.”

Cleveland City Council Members Ousted on Election Day

Three Cleveland City Council members, Terrell Pruitt in Ward 1, TJ Dow in Ward 7 and Brian Cummins in Ward 14, were ousted in Tuesday’s election by Joe Jones, Basheer Jones and Jasmine Santana according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

The two vacant council seats, left by Zack Reed and Jeff Johnson when they decided to run for mayor this year instead of seeking reelection, were filled by Kevin Bishop, a business owner, and Anthony Hairston, a Cuyahoga County councilman, according to Cleveland.com.

Incumbent council member and Council President Kevin Kelly said he expects to retain the presidential seat of the council, and is looking forward to meeting the new council members.

“There’s almost always turnover in council seats,” Kelly said. “The voters have spoken, we’re going to respect the people they have elected to these positions, and give them every opportunity to be the best council people they can be.”

Governor Kasich Suggests 2017 Election Shows Hope for Independent Candidates

Ohio Governor John Kasich said in an interview Wednesday morning that he believes the strong national support for the Democratic party candidates during Tuesday’s election was not necessarily due to a love for the Democrats, but because people are rejecting the “anger and narrowness” within the Republican party.

“I think the party has to sit down and look at itself and say, ‘Who are we appealing to?’” Kasich said. “If we’re just appealing to a handful of people in our own base, I think [we won’t] win. You have to be broader than that.”

He believes that millennials will change the course of American politics, because they care about the United States’ presence in the world, and that widespread disillusionment is leading to a disconnect from both the Democratic and the Republican parties, according to Cleveland.com.

“Both the Republicans and the Democrats, I think they frankly have lost their way, and we’ll see how it all comes together, and what it means for independent people running,” Kasich said.