Council Will Likely Declare June 2012 LGBT Pride Month

Cleveland Heights City Council will likely declare June 2012 LGBT Pride Month at its regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 4 in .

Former council member Mark Tumeo, the first openly gay member of council, said at his final meeting that the resolution was after he was elected in 2006. Tumeo resigned in May 2011 .

While reading his final resolution, one that declared June 2011 LGBT Pride Month, his voice shook and his eyes filled with tears, especially when he spoke about how residents and officials in Cleveland Heights supported him.

"I grew up bullied, I grew up harassed, I grew up beaten because I was gay," he said at the May 16, 2011, council meeting. "And I came to a city that not only accepted me, but elected me."

Council members will also consider allocating Community Development Block Grant money to many organizations during the regular meeting tonight. 

The federal funds pay for street and sewer maintenance, housing programs, youth programs, food banks and senior programs, just to name a few. Council members will discuss distributing the money to the Center for Families and Children, the Cleveland Tenants Organization and the .

Council members will also consider hiring CT Consultants to work on the Mayfield/Lee Pedestrian Signalization Improvement Project.

The full agenda is included with this article. Look for highlights from today's meeting soon.