You don’t need to follow trade policy to feel the tariffs. You feel them at the grocery store when beef costs 9% more than it did last year. You feel them at the auto shop when a brake job costs an extra $80 because steel and aluminum parts are up 20–33%.

For families in Garfield Heights, the math is simple: everything costs more, and nobody’s getting a raise to match.

What’s Happening

In 2025 and 2026, the federal government imposed sweeping tariffs on imports — including 50% tariffs on steel, aluminum, and copper, and broad tariffs on goods from China, Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.

According to the Yale Budget Lab, the average American household is paying roughly $1,500 more per year because of tariffs. For a Garfield Heights family earning the median income, that’s not a rounding error. That’s a car payment.

Figure 1: Price increases across major categories driven by federal tariffs

Where You’re Feeling It

• Beef and veal: up 9.4% — the biggest jump in the grocery aisle
• Steel: up 20.7% year-over-year — every steel product costs more
• Aluminum: spiked 33% — from car parts to canned goods to gutters on your house
• Durable goods (tools, appliances, electronics): up 4.5%
• Clothing and textiles: up 5.6% — back-to-school shopping just got more expensive
• Overall food prices: up 2.6%, building on 2.9% in 2025 and 2.3% in 2024

Add it up, and a typical Garfield Heights household is spending roughly $1,400 or more in extra costs this year.

Figure 2: Estimated breakdown of extra annual costs per Garfield Heights household

It’s Not Just Your Budget — It’s the City’s Budget Too

Tariffs don’t just hit families. They hit city hall. When steel costs 20% more, road repairs cost more. When aluminum spikes 33%, city vehicles cost more to maintain. When construction materials rise, every capital project gets more expensive — or gets delayed.

Figure 3: The double squeeze — costs rising while revenue falls

Garfield Heights is already dealing with:

• A school district running a $2.9 million deficit
• 72 acres of tax-exempt land where the county jail is being built — costing the city millions in lost property tax revenue every year
• State revenue sharing cut nearly in half over the past 20 years

This is the double squeeze: costs are going up while revenue is going down. And tariffs are making both sides worse.

Figure 4: Ohio’s Local Government Fund has been cut nearly in half since 2005

Ohio Manufacturers Are Feeling It Too

One Cleveland manufacturer reported steel costs spiked 50% in just six months. Across Ohio, manufacturers reporting sales declines said revenue fell an average of 16% — nearly double the 9% growth from those benefiting.

As one industry report put it: “The chaos around tariff scope and timing is having a much bigger impact than the actual tariffs.” When Ohio manufacturers struggle, the ripple effects hit Garfield Heights: fewer jobs, lower wages, less spending at local businesses, and less income tax revenue for the city.

What Can Be Done Locally

A city of 30,000 can’t fix federal trade policy. But local leaders aren’t powerless:

1. Bulk purchasing agreements — Partner with neighboring cities to buy road materials, vehicle parts, and supplies in bulk
2. Prioritize Ohio-made materials — Source from Ohio manufacturers not subject to import tariffs. Keep dollars local.
3. Advocate at the county and state level — Push for emergency relief funding for municipalities hit hardest by tariff inflation
4. Transparent budgeting — Hold public budget hearings so residents see exactly how tariffs are affecting city spending
5. Right-size government spending — Every dollar saved on overhead absorbs rising costs without cutting services

Sources: Yale Budget Lab, Tax Foundation, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Associated General Contractors of America, Freshwater Cleveland, Policy Matters Ohio, Spectrum News Ohio, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, White House Fact Sheets.

In 1970, Garfield Heights was home to 41,417 people. Our seven-member city council — one representative per ward — made perfect sense. Each member served roughly 5,917 residents. The ratio was right. The structure matched the city.

That was 56 years ago.

Today, Garfield Heights has 29,781 residents. We’ve lost 28% of our population since that peak. But our city council? It hasn’t changed at all. We still have seven members representing seven wards — only now each member serves just 4,254 people.

It’s time to ask a simple question: Does a city of 30,000 need seven council members?

I believe the answer is no. And I’m proposing we do something about it.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Garfield Heights has been shrinking for over fifty years. The population boom of the 1950s and 1960s peaked in 1970. Every census since has shown decline, with the exception of a modest 3.2% uptick in 2020.

Figure 1: Population peaked at 41,417 in 1970 and declined 28% over the next four decades

Meanwhile, the council structure hasn’t changed since the 1956 charter established seven wards. The population dropped. The council didn’t.

The Representation Problem

At the city’s peak in 1970, each council member represented 5,917 residents. Today, with seven members serving 29,781 people, each represents only 4,254. That means taxpayers are paying for representation that’s 28% larger than what the population warrants.

If we reduce council to five members, each would represent 5,956 residents — almost exactly the same ratio as 1970. We’re not cutting representation. We’re restoring it to what it was when the city was at its strongest.

Figure 2: Five members restores the per-member representation ratio to the 1970 peak

Why This Matters Now

This isn’t just about numbers on a chart. Garfield Heights is under real fiscal pressure:

• Federal tariffs are driving up costs on everything from road materials to city vehicle parts
• Ohio’s flattened income tax has reduced state revenue-sharing distributions to municipalities
• Our school district is running a $2.9 million deficit
• 72 acres of prime real estate just went tax-exempt for the county jail — costing us millions in annual property tax revenue

Every dollar the city spends needs to count. Reducing council from seven to five members would save taxpayers an estimated $30,000 to $50,000+ per year in salary, benefits, and administrative costs.

Figure 3: Population changed dramatically. Council size stayed the same.

How Other Cities Do It

Garfield Heights isn’t the first Ohio city to face this question. Numerous municipalities of comparable size operate effectively with five council members. Smaller councils promote:

• More focused deliberation — fewer voices means deeper discussion on each issue
• Faster decision-making — fewer schedules to coordinate, fewer votes to count
• Stronger accountability — each member serves more constituents and carries more responsibility
• Lower overhead — fewer positions to staff, support, and compensate

How It Would Work

Under Ohio law, a charter city like Garfield Heights can amend its charter in two ways:

1. Council resolution — A two-thirds vote of council places the amendment on the ballot
2. Citizen petition — Signatures from 10% of qualified electors (~2,000–2,500) force the question onto the ballot

Either way, the final decision belongs to the voters. The proposed amendment would:

• Reduce council from seven (7) to five (5) members
• Require redistricting into five wards of substantially equal population
• Allow current members to complete their terms before the transition
• Maintain the council president selected from among members

Why I’m Advocating for This

I served as Council President Pro Tem. I’ve sat in those chambers. I know how city council works — and I know where it doesn’t work as well as it should.

This isn’t about taking power away from anyone. It’s about right-sizing our government to match our community. A city of 30,000 doesn’t need the same structure it had at 41,000. And at a time when every dollar is under pressure, we can’t afford to ignore common-sense reforms.

What You Can Do

If you believe Garfield Heights deserves a council that reflects the city as it is today — not as it was in 1970 — here’s how you can help:

• Talk to your council representative and ask if they support placing this amendment on the ballot
• Sign a petition if a citizen-led effort moves forward
• Attend city council meetings and make your voice heard
• Share this article with your neighbors — this is a conversation the entire community needs to have

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Decennial Census 1920–2020), Garfield Heights City Charter, Ohio Revised Code, Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, garfieldhts.org. Pre-charter (pre-1956) council sizes are estimates based on Ohio village statutes.

Right now, 72 acres of prime land at Transportation Boulevard and Granger Road sit at the center of one of the biggest investments Cuyahoga County has ever made.

The county is building an $890 million Central Services Campus — a jail — on land it purchased from Craig Realty Group for $38.7 million. Read More