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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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| Name | Brian Cummins |
| Address |
Cleveland, Ohio , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
Unknown
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| Contributor | None Entered |
| Last Modifed | RBH
Sep 10, 2009 12:16pm |
| Tags |
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| Info | n 2005, Councilman Brian Cummins was elected to Cleveland City Council to represent the communities of Brooklyn Centre and Old Brooklyn. Councilman Cummins brings to his elected position more than 25 years of professional experience in administration, finance and international and local community and economic development. He has worked in the private, government and not-for-profit sectors in Ohio and overseas in the Dominican Republic, Latvia, Russia and Moldova.
Councilman Cummins was born in 1960 on Cleveland’s Westside. He later moved with his family from the Puritas-Long Mead and West Boulevard neighborhoods to Avon where his father started his own small business. Brian’s ancestry includes Slovak, Irish and French and his late grandfather, John F. Cummins was the Publisher and Editor of the Cleveland Union Leader, a newspaper that provided a voice for industrial union organizations in the 1940’s and 1950’s.
Throughout elementary and high school Councilman Cummins was active in student government, music, theater and athletics. He served as a peer counselor for high school students, warning them of the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. Councilman Cummins also worked hard outside of school, earning money as a laborer, dishwasher and kitchen manager. After graduating from high school Brian moved back to Cleveland and took a job with Cotton Club (Teamsters Local 1164) in order to save money to begin college.
Councilman Cummins is a graduate of Cleveland State University, where he received a Bachelor degree in Business Administration with a major in Finance.
From 1982 to 1999 Brian worked hard to establish a career. In Cleveland, Councilman Cummins worked for the Halle Bros. Co., several small businesses, National City Bank’s Trust Division, and served as Associate Director of the Cleveland International Program.
At Cleveland State, Brian was a member of the Fencing Team and served as Captain during his junior year. Throughout the 1980’s he continued his interest in music and lead several rock bands and studio sessions and was active within the Cleveland music and art’s scene. While living in downtown Cleveland, Councilman Cummins and his wife Gayle designed windows for the Cleveland Opera, Playhouse Square and local businesses and worked to convert an old space in a Playhouse Square building into a modern loft apartment. They also volunteered at the Salvation Army’s Harbor Light House homeless shelter, attended St. John’s Cathedral and were married there in 1986.
In 1990 Councilman Cummins and his wife were selected to serve together as U. S. Peace Corps Volunteers and were assigned to the Dominican Republic. As a Volunteer, Councilman Cummins worked within the executive, administrative, finance and agricultural technical services departments of a large regional, non-governmental organization focused on community development. He also taught English as a foreign language and assisted a variety of women’s groups, small business and non-profit community organizations. After his volunteer service, Councilman Cummins served as a consultant and technical trainer for Peace Corps’ Small Business Development Program and carried out trainings for volunteers in the Dominican Republic and Latvia.
In 1994, Councilman Cummins was selected as an Associate Director for the Peace Corps in the Russia Far East and lived with his family in Vladivostok. He served a 2nd tour of duty as an Associate Director for Peace Corps in Chishinau, Moldova. In these positions, Councilman Cummins developed important technical and managerial skills associated with economic and community development. He provided program and administrative support for volunteers working in small business development, environmental education, teaching English as a foreign language, and health projects. The Peace Corps honored Councilman Cummins with three meritorious awards for outstanding service for his work in Central and Eastern Europe.
In 1999, Councilman Cummins returned to Ohio and worked as the Chief Financial Officer for the Community Shelter Board in Columbus. The Shelter Board works to develop and implement strategies that decrease homelessness and increase the placement of homeless persons in permanent housing in Columbus and Franklin County.
In 2001, Councilman Cummins was selected to be Executive Director of the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation (OBCDC) and Publisher and Editor of the organization’s free monthly, community newspaper, the Old Brooklyn News. As Director of OBCDC, Councilman Cummins lead in the restructuring of the organization and helped attract over $9.5 million in investment to the community in projects related to commercial, residential and greenspace and trail development.
Some major projects Councilman Cummins has been involved in include the Ward 15 Commercial Revitalization Study, Lower Big Creek Study and related US EPA Community-Wide Brownfield Assessment Grant, Pearl Road Traffic Study, Neighborhood Trail Connection project, Treadway Creek Restoration Project, Benjamin Franklin Community Garden, new construction and rehab housing projects, code enforcement, residential and commercial historic restoration projects, designation of the South Brooklyn Commercial Historic District, Veggies in the Valley, storefront renovations, grant management and technical assistance for neighborhood groups, community events, seminars and trainings, and community clean-up projects.
As Editor of the Old Brooklyn News Brian has received numerous awards for writing, layout and photography, and served as President of the Neighborhood and Community Press Association of Greater Cleveland.
Through his work at the local development corporation and as a 15-year resident of the historic Brooklyn Centre neighborhood, Councilman Cummins is very involved in both the Old Brooklyn and Brooklyn Centre neighborhoods. He has worked with a wide range of local organizations, including the Archwood Denison Concerned Citizens, Southwest Citizens Area Council, Art House, Senior Citizen Resources, Old Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn Center Historical Society, Brooklyn-Cleveland Kiwanis, Brooklyn family YMCA, Brookside Center, Friends of Big Creek, Entrepreneurs for Sustainability and Ohio Canal Corridor.
Councilman Cummins lives on Mapledale Avenue in historic Brooklyn Centre with his wife Gayle and their two daughters Addy and Tatum. Gayle was born and raised in Brooklyn Centre and her Mother, Bernice Stanko, has served as School Guard for more than 30-years for the Denison Elementary School. Councilman Cummins and his family are in the process of restoring their century home with assistance from the Cleveland Restoration Society. The home was previously owned by Gayle’s grandmother. The Cumminses are parishioners at Our Lady of Good Counsel.
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