About Jenny
Jenny Spencer is a 13-year resident of Ward 15, is committed to public service and has a decade-long track record of success in community development. She was appointed to Cleveland City Council in November 2020 and will run for a full, four-year term in 2021. She currently serves on Council’s Safety, Transportation, Health and Human Services & Workforce and Community Benefits committees.
Jenny was raised in Shaker Heights where she graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 1996. She holds an undergraduate degree in political science from The Ohio State University and a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Urban Planning from the Harvard Kennedy School. From 2005-2007, she served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay, South America, where she met her husband Mario. She is fluent in Spanish.
In 2008, Jenny began work with Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization (DSCDO) as Project Manager for the Gordon Square Arts District. In this role, she oversaw the re-opening of the Capitol Theatre, established the first Special Improvement District in a city neighborhood, and managed streetscape development and parking expansion. From 2012-2014, she worked at Team NEO as a project manager to drive business attraction in Northeast Ohio. In 2014, Jenny returned to DSCDO to accept the position of Managing Director, where she supervised staff providing services ranging from economic development, planning and housing to marketing, events, organizing, youth services and crime prevention. In 2018, Jenny’s responsibilities expanded to include the Cudell and Edgewater neighborhoods through a Shared Services Agreement with Cudell Improvement, Inc.
Jenny has worked on multiple political campaigns and considers her vocation to be community organizing. She and her husband Mario happily reside in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. In their free time, they enjoy hiking and gardening, as well as spending time with Jenny’s mom Flo (a Cleveland Heights resident) and Jenny’s brother Andrew and his family (Ward 6 residents).
ABOUT WARD 15
Ward 15 neighborhoods include Edgewater, Cudell, Detroit Shoreway and parts of Ohio City and Stockyards as well as the Gordon Square Arts District. A map of Ward 15 and its voting precincts can be found here.
Located two miles west of downtown Cleveland, Ward 15 is a fantastic place to live, work and play. Visit the Detroit Shoreway or Cudell Improvement or Gordon Square Arts District websites for resources for residents and visitors.
Ward 15 is one of the most racially and socio-economically diverse communities in Cleveland. With a total population of over 28,000 residents, we are approximately 48% White, 27% Black, 21% Latinx, and 7% Asian Pacific Islander or Other races. Median household incomes are $23,446 for the Cudell neighborhood, $30,172 for the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, and $43,934 for the Edgewater neighborhood (compared to the city of Cleveland’s median household income of $29,008). While parts of Ward 15 are seeing new investment, many of our residents’ needs go unmet. Over 35% of Ward 15 residents live in poverty (compared to 34.6% for the city of Cleveland).
Source: The Progress Index
