Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

 of the government

Local government in the United States

Local government in the United States is generally structured in accordance with the laws of the various individual states. Typically each state has at least two separate tiers: counties and municipalities. Some states have their counties divided into townships...

 of the City of Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

 in Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. Its members are elected from 19 wards to four-year terms. The number of council members has decreased over the years. In 1885 there were 50 council members, by the 1960s there were 33, and in 1981 Cleveland voters approved reducing council to 21 members.

In November 2008

United States elections, 2008

The 2008 United States general elections were held on November 4. The result was a significant victory for the Democratic Party on the national level, as they increased majorities in both houses of Congress and won the Presidency. Democrat Barack Obama defeated Republican John McCain in the...

, Cleveland voters passed a charter

Municipal corporation

A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...

 amendment linking the size of City Council to the city's population. City Council approved a redistricting

Redistricting

Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...

 plan in March 2009 reducing the number of wards to 19 at the start of the 2010–2013 term. Thereafter, the number of wards will be tied to the population identified in the decennial United States Census

United States Census

The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...

.

The Cleveland City Council chambers are located in Cleveland City Hall, across the street from Public Auditorium

Public Auditorium

Public Auditorium is located in the central business district of downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Since it was opened in 1922, it has served as a concert hall, sports arena and convention center. Although it was planned and funded prior to World War I, construction did not begin until 1920. Designed by...

.

City Council members

The members of Cleveland City Council are listed below in the order of the ward they serve.

All are members of the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 except where noted.

1. Terrell Pruitt
2. Zachary Reed
3. Joe Cimperman
   Joe Cimperman
   Joe Cimperman is an American Democratic politician who serves as a member of the City Council of Cleveland Ohio. He is currently the chairman of the City Planning Committee, vice chairman of the Finance Committee, and a member of the Community and Economic Development and Legislation...
   
   
4. Kenneth L. Johnson, Sr.
5. Phyllis Cleveland - Majority Leader
6. Mamie J. Mitchell
7. TJ Dow
8. Jeffrey Johnson
   Jeff Johnson (Ohio politician)
   Jeff Johnson is a former member of the Ohio Senate, serving from 8 years in the 1990s. Convicted of campaign violations in 1998, he served time in prison before making a return to politics.-External links:***...
   
   
9. Kevin Conwell
10. Eugene Miller
    Eugene Miller (Ohio politician)
    Eugene R. Miller is a member of Cleveland City Council and a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 10th District from 2007 to 2009. He has represented Cleveland's Ward 10 since May 2009, when he was appointed to complete the unexpired term of Councilman Roosevelt...
    
    
11. Michael Polensek
12. Anthony Brancatelli
13. Kevin Kelley - Majority Whip
14. Brian J. Cummins (Green Party)
15. Matt Zone
    Matt Zone
    Matt Zone is a Cleveland City Councilman in the U.S. state of Ohio. Like every other member of the Cleveland City Council, Zone is a member of the United States Democratic Party....
    
    
16. Jay Westbrook
    Jay Westbrook
    Jay Westbrook is an American politician of the Democratic Party in Cleveland, Ohio. He presently represents Ward 16 in Cleveland City Council. He was first elected to council in 1980 and served as its president from 1990 to 1999.-External links:...
    
    
17. Dona Brady
18. Martin J. Sweeney
    Martin J. Sweeney
    Martin J. Sweeney is an American politician of the Democratic Party in Cleveland, Ohio. He served as the majority leader of Cleveland City Council, representing Ward 20. He was elected council president in November 2005, when then-president Frank G. Jackson was elected mayor of Cleveland. He...
    
    - Council President
19. Martin J. Keane

• Clerk of Council - Patricia J. Britt.

External links

• Cleveland City Council (official website)