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CLEVELAND, Ohio – Despite mounting pressures over Cuyahoga County’s budget strains and hunger crisis, Executive Chris Ronayne is still making time to focus on climate action – without further burdening taxpayers. Ronayne was invited to travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this week to attend and speak at the C40 World Mayors Summit 2025, a gathering of mayors and regional leaders to discuss climate solutions. This year’s summit centers on leaders in urban energy transitions, public transit innovation and partnerships between governments and private or philanthropic organizations, according to the summit’s website. Talks run through Wednesday, and Ronayne returns Thursday, county documents show. “The summit will be an opportunity to share and showcase the county’s work to steward a healthy environment and enhance the well-being of residents and visitors, and to engage stakeholders on important sustainability matters,” county spokeswoman Jennifer Ciaccia said in an emailed statement to cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. “It will also be a chance to create new partnerships and collaborations with philanthropy and other local government leaders.” Travel costs for the trip, estimated at $5,900 for flight, hotel, meals and transportation, are being paid for by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the county said. “No county funds will be utilized for this travel,” Ciaccia said. The county’s internal watchdog, Inspector General Alexa Beeler, OK’d the travel arrangement. She cited Ohio ethics laws which say no public employee shall accept anything of value, including travel, meal or lodging expenses, from an improper source, meaning one regulated by the county, contracting with the county or seeking to do business with the county. But she noted that Bloomberg has no business before the county. “Therefore, anything of value to you from Bloomberg Philanthropies is unlikely to have an improper influence,” she wrote in her opinion letter. “Accordingly, the County Ethics Code does not prohibit Executive Ronayne from accepting travel/meal/lodging expenses from Bloomberg Philanthropies.” She also signed off on a separate potential trip to Brazil for the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place the next week in Belém. That trip would have been funded by the George Gund Foundation, which alone would be “improper” because the foundation does business with the county, Beeler said. But she noted an exception since Ronayne would be speaking at the event, and the associated costs fall within state law exemptions for public officials attending conferences. She reminded him, though, that such travel reimbursements must be limited to actual expenses and directly related to a public official’s role at an event. Ronayne must also disclose the travel expenses in his financial statement. Ultimately, Ronayne opted to attend only the World Mayors Summit to share ideas that he hopes will help inform discussions at the UN conference. He “will be providing a regional perspective on what world leaders need to hear...about our local climate action,” Ciaccia said. Ronayne has made environmental sustainability a theme of his administration, including efforts to reduce carbon emissions from county buildings, expand green infrastructure and strengthen regional collaboration on Lake Erie protection. But the administration has been treading lightly when advancing its environmental agenda this year, amid shifting federal priorities under President Donald Trump. County officials have generally framed their initiatives around the local benefits of improving air and water quality, strengthening the economy and attracting investment, rather than climate action.
