Advocacy News from LMM
Welcome, Gloria!
LMM is thrilled to announce the start of Gloria Craig as Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry’s Community Engagement Coordinator. This new position, which is housed within the Advocacy Department, will provide LMM an expanded presence in the community and add capacity to further advance LMM’s advocacy priorities.

Gloria is a recent graduate of the Mandel School of Applied Social Science with a concentration in Community Practice for Social Change. Gloria graduated from Wittenberg University in 2019, majoring in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology. She has a minor in Justice, Law, and Public Policy. She strives to help bring confidence and motivation to neighborhoods and communities that have been purposely forgotten and intentionally ignored. We are excited to have Gloria on the team! 
LMM Community Engagement Coordinator, Gloria Craig
Deadline to Register to Vote is Monday (10/4)!
If you haven’t registered to vote for the November 2nd General Election, the clock is ticking! The deadline to register for the Cleveland mayoral and city council election is this Monday, October 4th, and the first day of voting is October 5th. You can check your registration status here and register to vote, or change your address here. For more information regarding early voting, visit the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. 
Staff Advocacy Meeting
On Monday, September 27th, the Advocacy Department hosted its bi-monthly staff advocacy committee meeting. The LMM staff advocacy committee is a volunteer group of dedicated staff members who are committed to advancing LMM’s advocacy priorities. The meeting featured two guest speakers: Kevin Ballou from Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), who provided the staff committee with information about SURJ’s advocacy related to Issue 24, Citizens for a Safer Cleveland and Dionne Dowdy, Coordinator with the Compassion Over Cages Campaign who provided an update on her work ensuring emergency readiness within Ohio’s prison system. 
An Election Conversation with Joe Cimperman
On Wednesday, September 29th, Joe Cimperman, President of Global Cleveland, joined Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry to provide an overview of the Cleveland Mayoral Election. Joe is a leading voice in local politics having served 18 years in City Council prior to joining Global Cleveland.

The conversation with staff included his insights into primary election results, his views on the general election and what to know about the competitive Cleveland City Council races. We are grateful to Joe for joining us for this conversation, and for sharing his knowledge and expertise with LMM. 
Redistricting Comment Letter
Ohio Redistricting Commission at Cleveland State University
Since May, LMM has paid close attention to the statewide redistricting process. Staff has participated in two sessions with the advocacy organization, Fair Districts Ohio, to learn about redistricting and engaged in a map-drawing activity. LMM’s Advocacy Director, Margie Glick, attended a hearing with the Ohio Redistricting Commission at Cleveland State University in August to hear arguments in favor of fair districts.

Following this forum, LMM submitted written testimony highlighting why fair districts matter to us and how redistricting, if done right, can allow for better public policy. To read LMM’s testimony click here.