CLEVELAND — After the dust settled in Tuesday’s election, two Cleveland commissioners defended their seats, while the race to fill an unexpired term saw a newcomer join the ranks.

The race for seats on the Cleveland Commission saw Travis Summitt and John Bradford retain their positions with 91 and 81 votes, respectively. Challenger Alicia Johns only received 48 votes.

Summitt, who is currently the mayor pro tem, will be entering his fourth term. Bradford will be entering his fifth term.

Summitt attributes his visibility around Cleveland and his accessibility to the town residents left voters confident in casting their ballot for him.

“When someone calls, I always answer the phone or get back with them,” Summitt said. “You always treat people good. That is the way I have always done it.”

Summitt said that while improving recreational opportunities for Cleveland residents was a priority, the No. 1 thing he wanted to see was a thorough examination of how to make Mimosa Street safer.

“We have been talking with (the) DOT about getting some stuff going with that,” Summitt said. “There have been quite a few close traffic accidents with people trying to get in and out of that school (West Rowan Elementary).”

He also mentioned the town’s aging wastewater treatment plant as a priority to address.

Similarly, Bradford sees infrastructure as a main priority.

“We have done a good bit (increasing the lighting) down toward the eastern side of Cleveland,” Bradford said. “Now, we need to turn our attention to the west side of town.”

Bradford sees an opportunity to expand the recreational offerings between new basketball and pickleball courts at the town’s park and further cultivate bonds among Cleveland’s residents.

“I would like to continue the sense of community in the town and keep that close-knit sense of community,” Bradford said.

Both men expressed optimism about working with the newest member of the board, Jeanette Rankin, who defeated David Miller in the race to fill the seat vacated following Danny Gabriel’s death earlier this year.
Rankin received 93 votes (65.49 percent) to Miller’s 49 votes (34.51 percent).
“I am excited this is a new journey for me,” Rankin said on Wednesday. “I have been attending the board meetings for about four years. I was sitting there, and I thought I should run. I think there should be some diversity on our board.”

Rankin joins the board as the lone Black person and lone female.

“I’m sort of like a spokesperson for our community, what we call East Cleveland,” she said.

Rankin got her first taste for governance after getting on the agenda and speaking to the board directly. Now a member of that board, she is ready to hit the ground running.

“We need to come together as a community,” Rankin said. “That is what made me get on there. We need more things for our children and youth to do in (Cleveland).”

Rankin has been actively supporting community events such as National Night Out and Community Day, believing that those bonds of community will strengthen through shared space and interaction. As a presence on the board, she hopes to continue that trend.

A day removed from the stirs of Election Day jitters, Rankin has fully processed the victory but acknowledged that she would not have been there without some help.

“I would like to thank the voters who voted for me and everyone who came out to support me,” Rankin said. “I had people praying for me that were not even a part of our community, so I would like to thank all of them for our support and prayers, and I hope they continue praying for me as I begin this journey.”