UPFRONT A CMSD OCCUPATIONAL therapist submitted her resignation the day after photos surfaced and allegations followed that she participated in the Jan. 6 riots in D.C., including entering the Capitol and posing for photos on the floor of Congress. The district confirmed Christine Priola’s resignation to Scene and shared her resignation letter, which said she was leaving her position because she refused to take a COVID-19 vaccine, because she doesn’t agree with how her union dues were used, and because, “I will be switching paths to expose the global evil of human trafficking and pedophilia, including in our government and children’s services agencies.” In a brief statement, a Cleveland schools spokesperson said: “Questions raised today about a former CMSD employee’s alleged involvement in the riots at the U.S. Capitol this week have also raised questions about the District’s position on such behaviors. While CMSD deeply believes in the right of any individual to peacefully protest, as many did on the Capitol plaza on Wednesday afternoon, the District deeply condemns the actions of those involved in the riots inside the Capitol and on the Capitol grounds. The right of peaceful protest, as protected by the first amendment, is a foundation of our democracy. The forcible takeover and willful destruction of our government is not.” The Cleveland Teachers Union acknowledged the reports in a statement and condemned the violence. “Rioters who broke the law should be held fully accountable,” the statement read. “Our national affiliate has called for the immediate removal of President Trump for instigating this assault on our country. “We are aware of reports of a Cleveland educator who engaged in rioting in the Capitol. We take these allegations very seriously and if true, they must be held accountable. While we support the right to peaceful protest, what happened inside the Capitol on Wednesday was not a protest, it was an insurrection. It is the exact
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Photo via CMSD
CMSD OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST RESIGNS AFTER CAPITOL SIEGE PHOTOS SURFACE
Photo courtesy Justin Bibb
opposite of what we teach our students. Anyone who participated must bear the very serious consequences of their actions.” -Vince Grzegorek
Bibb! Formally Launches Cleveland Mayoral Campaign Citing an urgent need for a new generation of leaders at City Hall, 33-year-old nonprofit executive Justin Bibb formally launched his 2021 Cleveland Mayoral campaign Tuesday afternoon. “From the streets to the boardroom, I’ll never stop fighting for Cleveland,” Bibb said in his announcement materials. “I love this city and I believe we have the potential to become a model of revival and possibility. We have all the right assets to revitalize our city and we are uniquely positioned to lead America’s economic recovery.” Bibb was born and raised in Cleveland’s Mt. Pleasant
| clevescene.com | January 13-19, 2021
neighborhood and holds graduate degrees in law and business from Case Western Reserve University. He has been a corporate and nonprofit professional for at least the past decade, working for both Gallup and KeyBank. He now manages a portfolio of “cutting-edge” projects for the Tacoma, Washingtonbased nonprofit Urbanova, which attempts to find smart city solutions in midsize cities nationwide. He recently founded the nonprofit Cleveland Can’t Wait, which focuses on building opportunities in underserved neighborhoods. With a professional background “at the intersection of government, business and the nonprofit sector,” Bibb is billing himself as a “bold, dynamic and visionary leader” who can bring both his professional and lived experiences to bear on city government. He says he will deploy new strategies and technologies “to make neighborhoods safer, communities healthier and [the] economy stronger.”
In a virtual launch Tuesday, he outlined a number of key campaign issues including public safety, (more officers on the streets, better enforcement of Consent Decree, new policing models); education (accelerating the pace of change at CMSD by investing in teachers and modernizing curricula); and economic development, (equitable economic policies centered on new jobs and higher wages). He highlighted what he called a “back to basics” agenda for City Hall, saying that he wanted to deliver services more efficiently and make conducting business with the city easier. He said he wants to elevate residents’ voices, making “democracy building” more than an election-year exercise. Throughout his career, Bibb said he’d had one primary focus: bringing people together. And he said as Mayor he would work to convene Clevelanders “from the grassroots to the grass tops.” “The next mayor must be unifier
