Michael R. White

2009 Honoree

Michael R. White’s path to becoming Cleveland’s longest-serving mayor was paved during the 1960s civil rights era.

White, who served as mayor of Cleveland from 1990 until 2002, declared his bid to one day become mayor of his hometown as he watched Carl B. Stokes, the city’s first African-American mayor, being sworn in 1968. White was 13 at the time.

"He’s a guy I worshiped," he says of Stokes, who died in 1996.

White also credits other civil rights giants such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks for fueling his political drive. He admires the self sacrifice and commitment they demonstrated.

"Leadership is many things and, to make change, you have to take risks," he says.

Once elected mayor, White followed his leadership mantra, building an administration dedicated to public safety, education, neighborhood revitalization, economic and job development, and improved race relations. His tenure saw more than 2,300 new homes built and more than 36,000 homes renovated. Violent crime fell 28 percent, and overall crime declined by 25 percent.

Cleveland’s dwindling manufacturing base led to White’s emphasis on economic growth. The subsequent retention and creation of 30,000 jobs prompted Fortune magazine to name Cleveland one of North America’s best cities for business.

Other accomplishments include the reform of Cleveland’s public school system. The Ohio Legislature granted White governance of the school district, and the city passed a $380 million bond levy for capital improvements.

White says his administrations were successful because he "was an open book about where I was going. We were dogged. We never, ever lost our focus."

White has received several awards and recognitions, including the Freedom Award from the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP, Cleveland State University's In Tribute to Public Service Award, and the Man-of-the-Year from the Baptist Ministers Conference.

A graduate of Ohio State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in education and master’s degree in public administration, White also has served as president of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors and on the board of trustees for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

From 1984 to 1989 he served as a state senator in Ohio, and from 1977 to 1984 was a city councilman in Cleveland.