Geoff Fitch
Geoff Fitch was a nonpartisan candidate for Ward 2 representative on the Cleveland City Council in Ohio. Fitch was defeated in the general election on November 7, 2017. Click here to read Fitch's response to Ballotpedia's 2017 municipal candidate survey.
Biography
Fitch received a bachelor's degree from Ohio State University. As if his 2017 campaign, he was working towards a master's degree from Moody Theological Seminary. He also received a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University. A pastor, Fitch worked in economic development for ten years.[1]
Elections
2017
The city of Cleveland, Ohio, held elections on November 7, 2017. A primary election occurred on September 12, 2017. The mayor and all 17 seats on the city council were up for election. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was June 29, 2017.[2]
Kevin Bishop defeated Geoff Fitch in the general election for Ward 2 of the Cleveland City Council.[3]
| Cleveland City Council, Ward 2 General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kevin Bishop |
72.15% | 2,619 |
| Geoff Fitch | 27.85% | 1,011 |
| Total Votes | 3,630 | |
| Source: Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, "General Election Official Results," November 22, 2017 | ||
The following candidates ran in the primary election for Ward 2 of the Cleveland City Council.[4]
| Cleveland City Council, Ward 2 Nonpartisan Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Kevin Bishop |
24.71% | 563 |
| Geoff Fitch |
16.59% | 378 |
| Azel Bolden | 16.15% | 368 |
| Kenya Gray | 14.44% | 329 |
| Debra Lewis-Curlee | 12.99% | 296 |
| Carol Ford | 7.20% | 164 |
| William Daniel | 3.86% | 88 |
| Tony Minor | 1.80% | 41 |
| Write-in votes | 2.24% | 51 |
| Total Votes | 2,278 | |
| Source: Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, "Official Election Results," September 12, 2017 | ||
Campaign themes
2017
Candidate survey
Fitch participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates.[5] The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Reducing crime by investing in Shotspotter, a gunshot detection technology. This will give the police the information needed to respond to every single gunshot.[6] | ” |
| —Geoff Fitch (October 18, 2017)[1] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.
| Issue importance ranking | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking |
Issue | Candidate's ranking |
Issue |
| K-12 education | City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | ||
| Crime reduction/prevention | Homelessness | ||
| Unemployment | Housing | ||
| Civil rights | Transportation | ||
| Government transparency | Public pensions/retirement funds | ||
| Recreational opportunities | Environment | ||
Nationwide municipal issues
The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Very important | |
| Federal | |
| Increased police presence/activity | |
| Create a more competitive business climate | |
| Cleveland's culture of diversity is outstanding and makes our community more vibrant and richly textured. | |
| Reduce crime, particularly shootings and murders. Investment in police equipment and tactics are needed to improve the safety of our community. |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Geoff Fitch Cleveland City Council. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Cleveland, Ohio | Ohio | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2017, "Geoff Fitch's Responses," October 18, 2017
- ↑ Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed February 2, 2017
- ↑ Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, "2017 Candidate List," July 7, 2017
- ↑ Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, "2017 Candidate List," July 7, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
 |
State of Ohio Columbus (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
