Friends and Supporters,
I have suspended my campaign for County Council.
When first considering running last fall, it was after speaking with a number of community leaders who were concerned that no one was willing to challenge the status quo.
As the filing deadline approaches, that is not the case and I would be one of three challengers.
The other two candidates are women who are local leaders in their own rights. With each of them, I share substantial overlap in our visions for structural reform on healthcare access and other quality of life issues that the county addresses.
Given the antiquated nature of the partisan primary system, having multiple reform candidates in the race for new leadership only increases the likelihood that the status quo will hold.
Our communities deserve leaders who will put the many above self-interest. By standing aside and focusing my efforts on supporting other progressive candidates and causes in our region, I can continue the fight in other ways.
I am so grateful for the support and encouragement that you placed in me, and I hope to continue to earn that confidence as I talk with friends and neighbors about the best use of my time and tenacity to take on important issues going forward.
In Solidarity,
Justin Strekal
We All Do Better When We All Do Better
As a Democratic member of County Council, Justin will fight for:
Guaranteeing access to healthcare for all
Ensuring housing and utilities are affordable for all
A government that works for every neighborhood
Together We Can build a healthy and affordable cuyahoga county
In an era where our communities are under attack by the special interests and cuts to programs from President Trump and Republicans in Congress and Columbus, we have to work with determination and speed to mitigate the harms of these cuts.
Yet we must not simply fight against the Republican cuts - we need to fight for a better region.
Now is the time for Democratic Party leaders, including our elected officials, to fully embrace healthcare and housing as human rights.
Justin will work every day towards making that promise a reality.
He has proposed the Healthy and Affordable Cuyahoga Action Plan which you can read here.