Former Cleveland Councilman Zack Reed joins Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Mayor Justin Bibb hired former Cleveland City Councilman Zack Reed for a job aimed at cultivating minority businesses.
Reed ran against Bibb in the 2021 mayoral primary but went on to endorse him in the general election against former City Council President Kevin Kelley.
Reed started Wednesday as the business development administrator in Cleveland’s Office of Equal Opportunity. Reed said the goal of the job is to help bring more economic opportunities to minority businesses by supporting the growth of their enterprises. The office provides technical assistance, workshops, and other help aimed at increasing minority business participation in city contracts, as well as in private-sector projects.
“[Bibb] wants to see the Black and brown contractors in the city grow. He wants to see them go to the next level,” Reed said.
Reed said the job shares similarities with a minority business outreach position he held in Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office before last year’s mayoral election.
Reed said his work will also play a role in Bibb’s goal of rebuilding the city’s southeast side, which has long struggled with disinvestment.
Reed represented the southeast side’s Ward 2 during his 17 years on council.
He ran for mayor in 2017 and again in 2021. When Reed failed to win enough votes to advance to the general election, he backed Bibb and helped canvass for his campaign. Bibb won 82% of Ward's 2 votes.
Reed said he didn’t expect Bibb to give him a job in exchange for his campaign support. But he said the new position was in line with his experience in LaRose’s office and his long-time advocacy for the southeast side.
