Northeast Ohio City Council Association: NOCCA
Strong Past… Bright Future
BY CAROLYN HOSACK
SENIOR WRITER
MUNICIPAL LEADER MAGAZINE
On February 21, 2008, Cleveland City Councilman Matt Zone was installed as president of the Northeast Ohio City Council Association, Inc. (NOCCA). Councilman Zone is the first Cleveland City Council member to hold this position, marking a new chapter in the history and growth of NOCCA.
NOCCA, formerly known as the Greater Cleveland Suburban Council Association, Inc., started in 1989 as the brainchild of a group of suburban council members who understood that more could be accomplished if they worked together. Throughout the 1980s, Northeast Ohio had many flourishing communities with highly successful leadership and promising economic development. Each of these communities had its distinct practices which made them successful, and leaders from suburban centers across the region decided that they could benefit from sharing their successes and failures with each other. As a voluntary membership organization, the GCSCA provided a forum for members of suburban municipal councils to work together on issues confronting the region.
Intending on preserving the values and integrity of local government and democracy, the GCSCA had taken an important step toward regionalism. While the idea of regionalism did not catch on quickly because of fears that the unique identities distinguishing each community from the other could be suppressed, members of GCSCA understood the potential for regional cooperation to move their communities forward toward a more positive economic future.
In many ways, the GCSCA revolutionized the idea of regionalism. Instead of inhibiting the unique characteristics of the participating communities, the organization gave each community a voice and an environment to share ideas and solutions to common problems. However, until 2002, GCSCA did not include any representation from the region’s core – the city of Cleveland.
Some of the original founders of GCSCA saw the opportunity of strengthening the region and their organization by including the participation of Cleveland City Council members. As a result, membership in the organization grew as community leaders took advantage of the networking and unified problem solving opportunities that existed as part of their membership. In fall 2002, to reflect the increasingly more diverse makeup of the organization, members voted to change the name to the Northeast Ohio City Council Association, Inc.
This unique organization continues to provide council members from the Northeast Ohio region with a forum in which to improve their skills and effectiveness by exchanging ideas and information. It also fosters dialogue among communities within our region. NOCCA holds quarterly forums and an annual workshop that tackles our region’s most pressing issues by bringing in specialized speakers to address many of the topics that affect Northeast Ohio.
Some of NOCCA’s most recent forums included: Public Utilities: How Are They Regulated, The Effects of Big Box Retail on Your Local Community, Sustainability: Best Practices for Municipalities, The ODOT I-77 Inner Belt Study, Strengthening Communities through Arts & Culture and What Can Your City Expect from State Tax Reform? All of NOCCA’s forums and workshops focus on solutions that can spur economic development and regional cooperation throughout Northeast Ohio.
The forum on the effects of big box retail allowed council members to understand both the positive and adverse impacts of economic development and taught them how to think strategically about issues such as land use when sighting the right retail development project. The Innerbelt Project, still a hotly debated topic, was featured last year. This forum was an opportunity for NOCCA’s members to clarify many of the issues associated with this nearly two billion dollar construction project. You can access past NOCCA forums via web casts at www.noccassoc.org.
NOCCA continues to grow, with nearly 300 members who represent more than 40 cities across Northeast Ohio. While the basis of NOCCA was formed in Cuyahoga County, the vision of the organization is to grow beyond the county and reach out to the entire region. As the president of NOCCA, Councilman Matt Zone plans on fostering increased support for this regional organization by guiding NOCCA’s expansion outside of Cuyahoga County. He believes it is the organization’s responsibility to help regional leadership find the right formula to make each individual municipality function at its utmost potential.
“I look forward to collaborating with other regional organizations such as the Northeast Ohio City Mayors & Managers Association, the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency and the Cuyahoga County Mayors & Managers Association to create a unified voice for our region,” said Councilman Zone.
NOCCA’s board of directors is made up of diverse council members from throughout the region. The board’s charge is to reach out to member and non-member city council persons, to grow the organization and help execute the strategies that NOCCA embraces. Since NOCCA cannot legislate policy in our region, they hope to influence the regional debate by being proactive as regional issues are debated. As Zone often says, “administration proposes and council disposes.” Understanding that principle, President Zone thinks, “the Northeast Ohio region would greatly benefit by having other constituency organizations working closely with NOCCA and its board of directors to move this region forward.”
Membership in NOCCA is open to any elected or appointed member of a city, village or township council. Yearly dues to the organization are $400 per city. Former council members can join as associate members without voting privileges for $25 a year. General meetings are held quarterly and executive board meetings are held monthly. Meeting announcements and quarterly newsletters are sent to NOCCA member city mayors, clerks and council members.
For more information on NOCCA please visit its web site: www.noccassoc.org. NEO
