Tristan Rader Campaigns To Be Councilman-at-Large

As part of election coverage, Patch will be rolling out profiles of candidates seeking election to city council.

LAKEWOOD, OH — Tristan Rader wants to be one of Lakewood's councilmen-at-large. He's been hitting the pavement trying to meet as many residents as he can. It's part of his campaign to get to know the people and the issues impacting everyday life in the community.

In fact, communication between the city and its residents is one of his primary issues. He wants to see the government take an active role in involving its constituents. In his words, he wants people to take back control of the government.

"I want people to feel like their voices are being heard," he says. "I want people to feel like they're part of a community." (Subscribe to the Patch Lakewood newsletter for local news and updates.)

Rader wants to see Lakewood reaching out to residents more, whether it's in the form of community meetings and forums, or in a different incarnation entirely. He said during his conversations with residents many have expressed a feeling of muteness, as if their elected officials have not heard them. He wants to install a sense of community decision making.

"Some residents feel like the city tells them how something is going to be, and that's it," he says.

Rader may be familiar to some residents as the co-founder of the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus and one of the voices of the Save Lakewood Hospital movement. He notes that if elected, he will not beat a dead horse on that issue.

"But I think there's room for discourse and dissent on city council," he says. "I don't think that's a bad thing."

Facing the Challenges

One of the exceptions to Rader's criticism of city hall, has been Lakewood's response to the opioid crisis, which Rader highlights as a prime example of what the city could be doing. Over the past months, the city has hosted forums bringing experts together to discuss the crisis and what residents can do to help stem the tide of narcotics and aid addicts.

"I'm very encouraged by what we're doing on that," he says. "I want to see the city keep that going."

Lakewood has been one of the suburbs hit hardest by the spread of opioids. In 2016, 28 Lakewood residents died because of heroin/fentanyl-related overdoses. Mayor Mike Summers has described the crisis as a "losing" battle.

Rader wants to continue the emphasis on community gathering and communication in response to the crisis. He believes the more the issue is brought before the people, the more it will de-stigmatize addicts and encourage them to find help.

"I'd like to see our Democratic Club hold a gathering on the opioid crisis," he says. "I want to see the community come together over this."

One of the other issues Rader is trumpeting is the possibility of gentrification in Lakewood. City officials have been cautiously broaching the topic, wondering aloud if the character of the city is being morphed by the drastic surge in housing prices and the depletion of housing stock.

Rader is equally concerned by this development, saying he's worried it will change the nature of the community as a place where anyone can start a life and buy a house, the way he did six years ago.

"Senior citizens are worried about this," he says. "People living on fixed incomes are seeing their rents go up. We need to make sure Lakewood is appealing to everyone."

Rader wants to see ordinances put into place to preserve certain sections of housing as rent-controlled, or encourage affordable housing. He also wants the city to engage in conversations with contractors to discuss what types of properties are being built within Lakewood.

He also outlines ways residents can be enlisted to fight gentrification. He notes that other cities have offered grant programs for things as simple as paint, with residents who meet certain qualifications receiving free paints to coat their houses.

"I think we need to be more proactive," he says. "But a lot of this comes down to communication. There are some programs in place, they're just not being communicated."

Rader says that if he is elected he will hold town hall meetings throughout the year to gauge residents' feelings on a variety of issues, including gentrification and what can be done to halt it.

"If I win, I'm going to do a 'Thank You and What Can I Do For You?' tour, where I re-visit every home," he says.

Readers can explore profiles of the candidates for city council below:

• Tom Bullock, councilman-at-large

Photos from Tristan Rader