Jim Trutko: Why I'm Running for Cuyahoga Council District 1
I’m running for Cuyahoga County Council because our county is at a turning point—and we cannot afford more of the same. For too long, career politicians have allowed spending to grow out of control while public safety, services to the needy, and economic opportunity have stagnated. Families in Bay Village, Westlake, Rocky River, Fairview Park and North Olmsted are paying more and getting less from county government.
My campaign is built on three clear goals about what I want from Cuyahoga County Government:
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Spend Less: I will restore fiscal responsibility by demanding state performance audits and eliminating the inefficient bureaucracy that fuels our $1.8 billion budget.
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Provide Better Services: I will strengthen public safety and infrastructure by moving away from "process-focused" government and toward a results-driven approach based on clear performance metrics.
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Grow Jobs: I will be a tireless advocate for businesses and entrepreneurs, targeting high-growth sectors like defense, AI and healthcare to bring real prosperity back to Cuyahoga County.
With my business experience and proven analytical ability, I will be a voice for homeownwers and for the businesses that create jobs. It’s time to demand a county government that works for you and taxpayers.
Spend Less-
Restore Fiscal Responsibility.
From 2015 to 2024, Cuyahoga County ran deficits in eight out of ten years — even as our population declined.
Yet the 2026 county budget approved by the current council is an astonishing $1.8 billion — about $3,500 per household.
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The current representative is a member of the budget committee and he has done little to curb spending or strengthen budget oversight.
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The current representative deprived voters of a vote on taxes when he cast the deciding vote in council to extend the sales tax for 40 years.
As your council representative, I will introduce a resolution to ask for a state performance audit of spending on human services and the sheriff to improve departmental efficiency. I will push for a comprehensive review of county facilities, and advocate for workforce restructuring to ensure taxpayers are not funding inefficient bureaucracy. I will insist that tax increases be put to the vote of the people.
For the average voter in the five West Shore communities, this will mean that county government would live within its budget, efficiently provide the needed services and would not seek increases in property tax or sales tax to fund continual deficits.
Spend Less- Ronayne's 510 Employee Surge Added an
Estimated $42 Million to County Spending
Recently, Cleveland.com had a lengthy article asking whether employment growth of 510 employees in Cuyahoga County government under County Executive Ronayne was excessive. Based on an average cost of $63,500 per employee, the total cost of the additional employees was about $32 million. With additional 30% in benefits, the total cost was about $42 million.
Taxpayers deserve to know not only how much money is spent, but whether the employees actually improved economic development, public safety, health and human services, and community well‑being.
Provide Better Services: Improve Public Safety
A Data-Driven Plan Could Reduce Crime & Protect the Community Without Increasing Cost
Public safety is a core responsibility of Cuyahoga County, yet current outcomes fall short. County government's approach lacks the planning, monitoring, and fiscal discipline required to keep residents safe.
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Broad Community Impact: Safety is the foundation of prosperity. Persistent crime undermines economic opportunity, worsens poverty, and disrupts education. While crime rates vary by neighborhood, the fear of social disorder affects every resident in the county.
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The Data Gap: The county cannot manage what it does not measure. Current crime documentation is inconsistent because police crime reporting isn’t mandatory and data is often reclassified. Without accurate metrics, the public cannot evaluate the effectiveness of safety programs.
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The High Cost of Inaction: Crime is a massive economic drain. I previously estimated that 39,200 annual crimes cost our county $2.3 billion—roughly $1,800 per resident in social and economic losses.
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County Government’s Role: While municipal police are on the front lines, the County manages the back end. Public safety, judicial functions, and the Sheriff’s Department account for 48% of the county workforce and 67% of General Fund expenditures.
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Management Failures: The new county jail project exemplifies our current execution crisis. Costs skyrocketed from $500 million to nearly $1 billion in just two years—a direct result of poor planning and a lack of cost control. The additional failures surrounding renovation of the Justice Center for the courts have simply compounded the problem and further increased the cost to taxpayers.
As a member of Council, I will advocate for the following steps to improve to improve public safety:
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Establish a realistic plan to reduce the countywide crime rate from the current rate of about 250 per 10,000 residents to a target rate of 200 incidents per 10,000 residents.
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Support additional resources and technology to target high crime areas.
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Advocate for a comprehensive, countywide crime report summarizing major crimes in all communities.
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Replicate the City of Cleveland’s Crime Incident Dashboard and mapping tools countywide.
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Conduct an independent, state-led performance audit of the Sheriff’s Department.
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Reallocate 100 existing county positions to strengthen sheriff operations.
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Press for faster case processing to shorten the time from arrest to plea.
Strengthening public safety and supporting law enforcement will command broad public support and deliver wide-ranging benefits for Cuyahoga County’s residents, economy, and quality of life.
Provide Better Services: Expedite Repairs of Road & Bridge Network
The county's failure to competently manage maintenance and repairs is exemplified by the roads and bridges public works projects. Evaluating the county's performance alone is difficult because it must coordinate with other bodies of government, but the results for the county show that the conditions of the area's roads and bridges are poorer than most areas in Ohio. The poor infrastructure handicaps the area's abilty to attract jobs.
The key to improving public services is a adopt results-driven approach shifts Cuyahoga County government toward greater accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness for all residents.
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Focus on Results-Driven output, Not Just Spending: Measure government success by real results.
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Adopt Clear Performance Metrics and comparisons to similar counties.
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Publish Schedules of planned repairs including clear progress points and track estimated time to completion.
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Eliminate Ineffective Programs and Strengthen Grant and Contract Accountability
With my past business experience and analytical ability, I will demand updated performance data in all budgets and quarterly updates and ask questions systematically in budgeting about time‑to‑service trends, bottlenecks, cost per outcome, variances.
Sample: West Shore Road Network
Grow Jobs: Target Entrepreneurs & Growing Sectors to Improve Job Creation.
County government has poured resources into economic development programs, but has not been successful in creating job growth and a vibrant private sector. Economic growth comes from empowering entrepreneurs and fostering a thriving private sector, not government subsidies. The county's economic development plans are excessively focused on process and social objectives and do not address real factors that limit job creation
I support targeted policies that support growth in rebuilding the defense industry, rolling out AI, support growth sectors and expanding leisure sectors. I agree we need to sustain our enviable position as a destination for top-quality healthcare but a multi-sector approach is needed to reach the entire spectrum of job-seekers.
More attention is needed to ensure that more good shovel-ready sites in good locations are immediately available for development. I will be a council member who publicly speaks for the value of business activity and profitable investment leading to job creation and prosperity.
For the average voter, focusing on sectors where growth is achievable will mean more job opportunities for them and their families, with more young people able to build their careers in the local area. More jobs and increased investment will support county services and the county budget with an increased tax base.
Cuyahoga County: You're Spending More and Getting less
