Copyright cleveland.com
ELYRIA, Ohio – Nearly $9 million in grant money has flowed into Elyria since 2020, when city leaders contracted with a specialized consulting firm to pursue funding opportunities and advocate for the community in Columbus and Washington. Vince Peterson of McCaulley & Company outlined the firm’s accomplishments during Monday’s City Council meeting, detailing how strategic grant writing and federal lobbying have translated into substantial resources for the community. Since 2020, the partnership has resulted in 51 successful grant awards worth approximately $8.9 million – including 10 grants totaling $1.7 million coming through in 2024 and 2025 alone. The funding spans a wide array of city needs. Public safety received a major boost with an $847,000 SAFER grant to expand the fire department’s staffing and $154,000 in violent crime reduction grants to support the police department’s neighborhood impact unit. Infrastructure and environmental projects also benefited significantly, including $325,000 for an inclusive playground at West Park, $136,000 to maintain the city’s compost facility operations and $115,000 to modernize street lighting with energy-efficient LED technology. Smaller but meaningful awards have addressed specific needs: $70,000 for the city’s pocket park, $60,000 will fund a brine production mixer and storage tank and $19,000 will strengthen security at the Republic Steel Quarry site. Council members expressed strong support for the partnership. Councilman Kenny Oswald admitted skepticism about consulting fees but said the results speak for themselves. He praised the firm’s work, citing its connections with key decision-makers and collaborative approach with the mayor. “Your company is not an expense, it’s an investment,” Oswald said. Councilman Phillip Tollett emphasized two key factors that sealed his support: consistent transparency from the firm and financial returns. By his calculation, residents have received $17 back for every dollar spent on the consulting contract. Cleveland.com has reached out to Elyria City Council for the amount paid in 2025 for McCaulley & Company’s services. The grant pipeline remains active. Peterson reported nine pending applications that could bring additional resources to Elyria, including a $1 million request that would allow the city to hire additional police officers and a $204,000 fire prevention and safety grant that would enable the fire department to install smoke detectors in homes that need them. Peterson credited the city’s staff and leadership for making the grant applications competitive, saying strong partnerships and quality information have been essential to the firm’s success. Beyond grant writing, McCaulley & Company serves as the city’s federal and state lobbyist. Peterson detailed an active schedule with legislative representatives including a series of meetings with local congressional offices and a White House briefing to make the right connections in order to address city priorities. These lobbying efforts have yielded results, including $1 million for the Southeast Sanitary Sewer Interceptor project. Two more requests are currently pending: $2 million for the Middle Avenue sewer extension and $500,000 to replace aging police radios.
