In municipal halls around the nation, the millennial politician has emerged as the dominant political force. After shocking Ohio’s political elite in 2021, 34-year-old Justin Bibb took office as mayor of Cleveland. A rising figure in the Democratic Party, the former Obama intern turned Key Bank executive is currently president of the Democratic Mayors’ Association.
Even though it was a steamy July Sunday, I managed to track down Bibb, who was sporting his trademark round tortoiseshell spectacles and a slim-cut blue suit. From his hopes for hospital system change in his city to his reservations about potential federal funding cutbacks and his willingness to collaborate with Republicans and Trump on permitting reform, we covered a lot of ground regarding his city’s relationship with the federal government.
As Bibb sat down to a mac and cheese at the hip Cleveland bistro Luxe, he made the case that the Democratic Party as a whole has failed to recognize the millennial generation’s traits: impatience, a strong sense of entrepreneurialism, and a hunger to find solutions to the problems they’ve lived through their whole lives.
Many people, including many long-serving Democrats, advised Bibb to “wait my turn” when he campaigned for mayor, he said. “We have seen the signs of a crisis… because we have been through them ourselves, and that is why we are impatient with this nation.”
This discussion has been condensed and made more clear.
It’s Cleveland where you live.
Native Clevelander since birth. I was a resident in the Mount Pleasant/Union Miles area on the side facing southeast.
Cleveland is not a city I’m really acquainted with. So, you want me to know the vibes or identity implications of it.
In terms of its past, it has a wild identity. It was a Jewish middle-class area when Cleveland was at its most prominent—we were once the fifth biggest city in the US. A Black middle class community emerged after white flight and redlining.
There are traces of that even now. Even though the city was experiencing a crack epidemic in the 1990s, when I was a kid there was still a sizable Black middle class and vibrant main streets. Reversing that decrease was one of my motivations for running.
You indicated in an interview from earlier this year that this Congress could be able to make some headway on housing policy. Since then, have you come across anything useful?
So far, no results. That this “big beautiful bill” will add to the deficit and cause interest rates to rise, which in turn will make housing prices more expensive, is something that worries me.
Regarding housing, I believe Trump could garner genuine bipartisan support. Isn’t he a builder?
In my opinion, if you lobby mayors and governors about allowing change at all levels of government, they will all want Congress to back our cause. As an added bonus, no matter which American mayor or governor you speak with, they will all urge HUD to relax building standards.
Is there somewhere else you think there’s been a chance lost, where our interests coincide?
The government is reportedly considering opportunity zones and, gasp, childcare tax subsidies.
Concerning immigration reform, later on… Passing commonsense immigration reform is the greatest course of action we can take to maintain a competitive economy. We need to get back to work and achieve sensible immigration reform, not this show and this nonsense. Everyone wants a safe border, but in order to remain competitive on a global scale, we must also provide a road to citizenship.
As a member of the Democratic Mayors Association, you’ve made ties with several other city officials. Is there a housing policy in another city that piques your interest?
A lot of people are concentrating on allowing reform at the moment. This autumn, Cleveland will begin its initiative to streamline the process of obtaining a permit from City Hall and uploading your plans.
Mayor Todd Gloria deserves my utmost admiration for his swift and effective efforts to reduce the number of homeless people living on the streets of San Diego’s downtown. Since he assumed power, it has dropped by more than 60%.
Andre Dickens’s work in Atlanta is inspiring; he transformed abandoned shipping containers and vacant lots into a refuge for the homeless, providing a safe space where individuals may recover with respect and dignity.
Remember those budget cuts that came out of Washington, D.C.? They affected programs like Medicaid and school financing. Is there anything you’re doing to compensate for these losses?
This is something that I believe every mayor in the nation can agree on: the federal government isn’t going anywhere.
If these changes are implemented, Metro Hospital, our sole safety net hospital, which is located in Cleveland, might close its doors permanently. Curiously, in working with Republican senators, [Trump] included measures in this package that would benefit rural hospitals, but no such provisions were included to assist metropolitan hospitals. This will have a devastating effect on our public health system.
Since Ohio likewise reversed its state Medicaid expansion, its citizens will experience the effects more acutely, won’t they?
I agree.
Cleveland Clinic, Metro Health, and other emergency hospitals will be even more burdened by the state cuts. It’s a matter of public safety because, without a robust social safety net, individuals may resort to criminal behavior as a means of subsistence.
There is a connection between all of these things. Republicans in Washington, DC and the president can simply claim, “Democrat-run cities are unsafe.” But by enacting these heartless, insane measures, they are the ones reducing the security of our nation.
You can’t make up for the government cuts, and I get that. However, you mentioned seeking charitable opportunities to assist in various ways at your State of the City speech.
To bridge the gap until the federal government takes action, I will be meeting with hospital and healthcare CEOs as well as the heads of my foundation to discuss our options.
One possibility is to discuss ways to encourage more preventive care so that people aren’t becoming sick and end up in the hospital. To ensure that people have access to necessary healthcare in the event that these changes take place, I will be collaborating with Metro Health Hospital, our community’s social safety net hospital, to enroll them in the exchanges in advance. In addition, my public health department launches a mobile health clinic. So, everything said above is up for grabs.
A millennial, that’s you. What is it about millennials that the Democrats fail to grasp?
As a result, we are restless.
Provide further details.
A number of people, including many long-time Democrats, advised me to sit tight when I sought the office of mayor. We have seen the big recession, 9/11, two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the pandemic personally, so we know what a crisis looks like and are restless about our nation.
Additionally, our generation is the most enterprising ever.
I have a follow-up question on Generation Z, but I’m not sure millennials are the best people to answer it. Nationwide, millennials remained the most blue-collar voters in 2024. Next Gen leaned more toward Trump.
Generation Z perceives a system that is politically biased.
But millennials like us do it too, don’t we? Then why is the sensation different?
I believe that Generation Z witnesses the tremendous influx of riches generated by technological advancements and the rise of companies like Amazon, Uber, and others. They fail to comprehend the reason for our inability to promptly resolve these issues.
They expected a disruptor like Donald Trump to step in and make things right.
They trusted him as the disruptor, which is why he is losing his footing with Epstein and the Epstein papers. All eyes would be on him. They are now failing to understand that we desire openness.
To what extent would you like the Democratic Party in Washington, DC, to fulfill your wishes?
Mayors should be heard. We are in the thick of it when it comes to the difficulties and suffering caused by this federal destruction, but we are also in the thick of it when it comes to the darn answers. Because we’re doing it, we know how to address America’s housing crisis. In places like Atlanta, Baltimore, and Cleveland, we are improving public safety. When unions and labor are integral parts of the solution, we can build high-quality employment.
Democrats in Washington, DC, will not be the ones to solve the Democratic Party’s issues or ensure its survival. American governors and city mayors must spearhead this effort.
Please tell me the songs that are currently playing on your summer playlist.
Drake is reliable. I adore Jungle and listen to it often. I, too, have been in a vintage Jay Z phase as of late. For some reason, listening to Jay Z and Memphis Bleak in the summer makes me feel like I’m living the dream of a city kid.
My [Spotify] daily playlist was just emailed to my barber. Sunday afternoon at the “luxury barber shop.” “Dude, it’s straight bangers,” he exclaims.
As you may be aware, he is now performing at the barbershop… Then they say, “this is the playlist the mayor uses.”