Quick Facts
TaurusBiography
Justin Morris Bibb (born April 26, 1987) is an American politician and former non-profit leader serving as the 58th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio since January 2022. Prior to serving as mayor, Bibb was the Co-Chair of Teach for America – Ohio, and a board member for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Destination Cleveland, and LAND Studio.
On January 12, 2021, Bibb announced his candidacy in the 2021 Cleveland mayoral election. In the crowded eight candidate primary, Bibb came in first with 27% of the vote in the September 14th primary, advancing him to the general election alongside the President of Cleveland City Council, Kevin J. Kelley. On November 2, 2021, Bibb won the city's mayoral election, defeating Kelley with a decisive 62% of the vote, becoming Cleveland's 4th African American mayor, and its 2nd youngest.
Early life and education
Bibb was born in Cleveland and grew up in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood on the southeast side. He attended American University in Washington, D.C. where he earned a B.A in Urban Studies. During his undergraduate degree, he studied abroad at the London School of Economics where he completed The General Course program in Social Policy and Economics. In 2014, he returned to Cleveland and attended Case Western Reserve University School of Law and received his JD and MBA.
Career
Bibb interned for Senator Barack Obama in 2007 and began working in local government in 2011 as Special Assistant for Education & Economic Development for Cuyahoga County, where he established the Cuyahoga County Public Policy Fellowship Program. Bibb spent two years working in corporate strategy for Knowledge Generation Bureau before taking senior positions at Gallup (company), becoming the Head of Global Cities Practice in 2015. After working in New York and Washington, D.C, he returned to Cleveland to serve as Vice President at KeyBank in 2019. He worked as the Chief Strategy Officer at Urbanova, a venture focused on smart cities.
Bibb founded Cleveland Can't Wait, which seeks to use technology and entrepreneurship to support citizens of Cleveland.
Mayor of Cleveland
Election
2021
Bibb formally announced his candidacy for mayor of Cleveland in early 2021, promising to bring new leadership and a sense of urgency to Cleveland's problems. He pledged to make public safety his number one priority. Three months after launching his committee, Bibb's campaign announced that it had raised $180,000, a significant sum for a first-time candidate and more than other candidates in the 2017 primaries.
Bibb had a strong showing at the Cleveland Mayoral Candidates Forum on Criminal Justice held on April 28, 2021. 3,000 valid petition signatures are required to make the ballot for the 2021 Cleveland mayoral election, known as a relatively high hurdle. Bibb filed his petition to run for Cleveland Mayor at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections on June 10, 2021. Bibb was announced as one of seven candidates to make the ballot on June 16, 2021.
On August 8, 2021, Bibb was endorsed by the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, Cleveland's major newspaper. On August 18, 2021, Bibb was then endorsed by two former Cleveland mayors, Michael R. White and Jane Campbell.
On September 14, 2021, Bibb placed first in the mayoral primary, advancing him to the November 2 general election alongside City Council President Kevin Kelley. On November 2, 2021, Bibb defeated Kelley in the general election, receiving 62.86 percent of the vote.
Tenure
On January 3, 2022, Bibb was sworn in as the 58th Mayor of Cleveland.
On January 31, 2022, at a press conference at Tower City Center, Bibb announced that for the NBA All-Star Game, hosted in Cleveland that year, all in attendance would have to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
On October 7, 2023, Mayor Bibb posted on Twitter in support of Israel, stating “Cleveland stands in solidarity with Israel in the face of terror and condemns these acts of evil.”Critics of the Pro-Israel statements, including from within the Cleveland Palestinian community, called the Mayor's support for Israel "self-serving", citing his support from Israel Bonds supporters.On October 31st, Pro-Palestine Cleveland demonstrators attended a City Council meeting to call for the city to support a ceasefire.
Family
Bibb's late father was a police officer and firefighter.
