Jane L. Campbell

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**Jane L. Campbell**

Office:	Mayor, Cleveland, Ohio
Political Party:	Democrat
Term of Office:	2002–2005
Predecessor:	Michael R. White
Successor:	Frank G. Jackson
Date of Birth:	May 19, 1953
Profession:	Politician

Jane L. Campbell, (born May 19, 1953) is an American politician of the Democratic party who served as the 56th and first female mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 2002 to 2005.

1 Personal details
2 Early career
3 Mayoralty
4 References

[edit] Personal details

Campbell, the daughter of former General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, Joan Brown Campbell, was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She attended Shaker Heights High School and earned her bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan and a master's degree at Cleveland State University. She married urban planner Hunter Morrison (reportedly separated in June 2006), who is currently redeveloping Youngstown, Ohio through its Youngstown 2010 renewal plan. They have two daughters, Jessica and Katie. The family lives in Cleveland's Ludlow neighborhood, near Shaker Square.

[edit] Early career

Campbell's political career began in 1984, when she was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives as a majority whip and later an assistant minority leader. In 1996 she was elected Cuyahoga County commissioner. Holding that position she presided over both the Welfare Reform: Next Step Task Force for the National Association of Counties and the Human and Youth Committee.

[edit] Mayoralty

In November 2001, Campbell won the Cleveland mayoral election with 54% of the vote, defeating fellow Democrat Raymond Pierce, who was a political novice and virtual unknown to any Clevelander before February 2001. Nonetheless, Pierce, an African American, received 46%. Campbell took office on January 7, 2002, and became the city's first female mayor. As mayor, she focused on economic development, budgetary discipline, administrative reform and reclamation of the city's Lake Erie waterfront, but was criticized by many for indecisive and lackluster leadership.

Campbell's troubled tenure as mayor was attributed by opponents to her lack of experience as a chief executive and her lack of capacity to build support outside of her inner circle of advisors, since all of her previous elective experience was either legislative or as part of the three-member Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners. She made enemies of the police and firefighters unions, particularly in her handling of layoffs, and suffered from a variety of other flaps, such as urging civic-minded companies to "adopt a trash can," making controversial proposals to install cameras to ticket red-light traffic violators as a means of revenue, pushing for legal gambling and casinos to be built in Cleveland, and taking criticism for overuse of city vehicles and Cleveland Police Department security by her family. She was also criticized for the high salaries of some executives in her cabinet and her last-minutes "repayment" of deferred bonuses to her insiders, which are not necessarily consistent with a tight city budget. Critics also cite her ill-considered and racially-insensitive quip at an NAACP dinner, when she said she was surprised that the event was actually running on schedule. Campbell also appeared on Good Morning America for a makeover, which was seen by many opponents as an indication that she lacks a serious commitment to addressing the city's problems.

She also was plagued in her final year in office by reliance on advice given by political and business novices that convinced her, and few others, that they held the answers to Cleveland's need for "new economy" initiatives. Most ridicule was reserved for her "Red Room Revolution" (so named for the mayor's primary reception room), which purported to be a City-directed initiative to increase technology-oriented investment and job creation. Although it drew substantial media attention, it brought no results. The media criticized the Mayor and its "founders", who were neither technology experts nor known to civic leaders or capital providers.

In December 2003, a Cleveland voter, Michael Levin, tried unsuccessfully to have Mayor Campbell recalled. Levin had more than the required amount of signatures (exceeding 23,000). However, he was held back from submitting them by the 30-day deadline after being deluged by calls from worried city employees. Clerk of Council Valarie McCall rejected Levin's request for an extension. ^[1]

As election season approached, Campbell announced her intent to run for re-election. On September 6, 2005, former Cleveland Mayor and current U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich endorsed Campbell for a second term. The Plain Dealer endorsed the incumbent mayor as well on September 25, asserting that she had made needed appointments of professionals to the city's finance and legal departments, and to run the airport. The editorial also highlighted some improvements in the operations of the permitting process for building and housing, and in bringing technology to bear in streamlining government processes. It was thought a lukewarm endorsement by many. ^[2]

Nevertheless, on October 4, 2005, Campbell came in second to Frank G. Jackson, president of Cleveland City Council, in a field of seven candidates in the Democratic mayoral primary. Only 16% of Cleveland's population participated in the primary, the lowest voter turnout in the city's history; the turnout levels were skewed to a degree by the high voter enrollment levels of the 2004 presidential election cycle. In the November 8, 2005 general election, Jackson defeated Campbell 55% to 45%. At 11:25 p.m. (EST), she conceded to Jackson, who became the city's mayor on January 2, 2006.

After leaving office, Campbell accepted a short-term position at Harvard University as part of a fellowship at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Her teaching covered issues in city governance and Ohio politics. She taught at the school during the spring of 2006.

[edit] References

↑ The Plain Dealer, December 27, 2003. Recall Drive Against Campbell Dies As Clerk Denies Extension by Mike Tobin.
↑ The Plain Dealer, September 25, 2005. Cleveland Mayor: After A Bumpy Start, Jane Campbell Has Grown In Office And, Given The Alternatives, Earned A 2nd Chance From Voters, editorial.