Cleveland’s Forgotten Voices: Albina Cermak and the Race for Mayor

Political opponents Albina R. Cermak and Mayor Celebrezze with City Club President (1961);
via Cleveland Memory Project

By Gretchen Blackwell

On the balmy evening of September 29, 1961, Cleveland’s Public Square was alive with energy. Searchlights swept across the sky as a band played lively tunes. Applause, singing, and the blare of noisemakers filled the air. In the center of it all, standing near the Tom L. Johnson statue, was a woman clad in a simple black dress and white hat. With unwavering confidence, Albina Rose Cermak rallied the crowd, calling them to action. ¹

Cermak made history that year as the first woman to run for mayor of Cleveland—and, more notably, the first woman to seek the mayoralty of any major U.S. city since the 1920s. ² Though she did not win, her campaign was fearless and unrelenting, as she fiercely criticized the eight-year tenure of incumbent Anthony Celebrezze, a towering figure in Cleveland politics. The Plain Dealer covered her critiques almost daily, detailing her bold assertions. “Some shocked members of the present administration have said it serves no purpose… to wash Cleveland’s dirty linen in public,” she declared. “To them, I can only reply that if I am elected mayor, that is exactly where I shall wash it.” ³ Ironically, her obituary later noted that she “detested housework.” ⁴

Born on April 4, 1904, in Cleveland, Cermak was raised in a politically engaged household. Her mother, Rose Cermak, was a fierce suffragette who participated in parades, campaigned for candidates who championed equality, and debated tirelessly for human rights. ⁵ Inspired by her mother’s activism, Albina embarked on a lifelong career in politics.

In 1939, she secured her first political appointments, serving as vice chairman and secretary of the Cuyahoga County Republican Central and Executive Committees, as well as chairwoman of the Republican Women’s Organization of Cuyahoga County. Over the years, she became a delegate to three Republican National Conventions and served on the board of the National Federation of Republican Women’s Clubs. Her career took a national turn in 1953 when President Dwight Eisenhower appointed her as U.S. Collector of Customs in Cleveland. ⁶

When the Republican Party tapped her as their 1961 mayoral candidate, Cermak resigned from many of her positions to take on Celebrezze and his well-established political machine. ⁷

By the 1960s, Cleveland was in decline. The city, once an industrial powerhouse, faced economic turmoil as industries fled the Rust Belt. Housing stock deteriorated, neighborhoods became overcrowded, and urban renewal efforts only exacerbated population loss. Journalist Mike Roberts of the Plain Dealer described the city’s decay: “Cleveland’s housing stock was crumbling, and many of its neighborhoods were overcrowded.” ⁸ At the time, more than 10% of the city’s residents lived in “illegally overcrowded” conditions. ⁹

Cermak was passionate about addressing these issues. “These 20,000 dwellings are more than statistics,” she said. “They are hovels of misery, breeders of disease, firetraps, a spawning place for crime and immorality.” ¹⁰ She also voiced concerns about Cleveland’s environmental crisis, foreshadowing the infamous 1952 and 1969 Cuyahoga River fires. Smog blanketed the city, casting a pinkish hue over the skyline—an effect so notorious it was dubbed “Celebrezze pink.” ¹¹

Cermak was extremely critical of Celebrezze’s administration and its efforts to solve these pressing issues. She “believed that City Hall was not reliable or responsive to the needs of Clevelanders.” ¹²   However, her critiques often fell on deaf ears. Cermak, a Republican, faced a Cleveland that was overwhelmingly Democrat and enamored with the Celebrezze name. Local newspapers seemed fixated on Celebrezze’s personal life above his policies. The Plain Dealer published articles on his birthday celebrations and his children’s school achievements while dismissing Cermak’s candidacy as improbable. ¹³ One article bluntly stated that her chances of winning were “infinitesimal.” ¹⁴ When asked what she thought of her husband running against a woman for the mayorship, all Anne Celebrezze had to say was “may the best man win.” ¹⁵

Cermak ran for mayor at a time when women had just emerged onto the political scene. During the 86th Congress between 1959 and 1961, there were only two women in the U.S. Senate and just 17 in the U.S. House. ¹⁶ As an unmarried woman running for a position of power, Cermak endured patronizing remarks and dismissive attitudes. One news article quipped, “The city of Cleveland needs a good cleaning, and it looks like it will take a woman to do it,” juxtaposed with advertisements featuring oversexualized caricatures of women. ¹⁷ A particularly egregious article described her as an “attractive GOP mayoral challenger,” alongside a cartoon exaggerating her figure. ¹⁸

Despite the trials she faced, Cermak led a strong campaign, challenging Celebrezze. She visited communities, spoke directly to voters, and, in one of her more daring maneuvers, addressed a union hall full of City Hall employees—without inviting her opponent. ¹⁹ She committed herself to meeting with Clevelanders three days a week, engaging with constituents at every opportunity. ²⁰ Near the end of October 1961 Cermak told “those people who believe a woman cannot measure up to a man” that “I have another week to go, and I am going to win this campaign. I really am going to win it”. ²¹ Her courage in the face of criticism and overwhelming odds showed her devotion to improving Cleveland. As she declared at the beginning of her campaign, “I want to be mayor because I was born in Cleveland, I love the city and want to see it remain the best.” ²² In the end, however, her progressive ideas and passion for change were not enough to win the election. Still, Cermak left an indelible mark on Cleveland’s political landscape. She continued to hold various political roles, including becoming the first woman appointed as a bailiff to the Common Pleas Court in 1964. Her expertise in campaign strategy led her to manage numerous political campaigns. ²³ Though often overlooked, her legacy paved the way for future women in Cleveland politics.

1.  Dorsey, Ray. “Miss Cermak Hits City Hall ‘Failure’.” The Plain Dealer. September 29, 1961.; Williams, Brian. “Miss Cermak Starts Quest for Votes.” The Plain Dealer. August 2, 1961.; Robin Meiksins, “Tom L Johnson,” Cleveland Historical, accessed October 28, 2019, https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/329. ↩︎
2.  Mari Deinhart, “Albina R. Cermak,” Cleveland Historical, accessed October 28, 2019, https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/681. ↩︎
3.  Dorsey, “Miss Cermak Hits City Hall ‘Failure’.”; “Spotlight Now Shifts to the Mayoral Race.” The Plain Dealer. October  24, 1961. ↩︎
4.  “Albina R. Cermak, 74, leader in GOP, steady church worker.” The Plain Dealer. December  23, 1978.
   ↩︎
5.  Cermak, Albina. “Career in Politics Inspired by Mother.” The Plain Dealer. March  25, 1964. ↩︎
6.  “Albina R. Cermak, 74.” 1978. ↩︎
7.  “Albina R. Cermak, 74.” 1978. ↩︎
8.  Mike Roberts. “Cleveland in the 1960s – Mike Roberts.” Teaching Cleveland Digital. Teaching Cleveland Digital, January 17, 2017. http://teachingcleveland.org/cleveland-in-the-1960s-mike-roberts/. ↩︎
9.  Mike Roberts. “Cleveland in the 1960s – Mike Roberts.” Teaching Cleveland Digital. Teaching Cleveland Digital, January 17, 2017. http://teachingcleveland.org/cleveland-in-the-1960s-mike-roberts/. ↩︎
10.  “10% Live in 20,000 Hovels of Misery, Miss Cermak Says .” The Plain Dealer. October  17, 1961. ↩︎
11.  Jedlinsky, Joseph. “Air Pollution.” The Plain Dealer. July  19, 1961. ↩︎
12.  “10% Live in 20,000 Hovels of Misery, Miss Cermak Says .” The Plain Dealer. October  17, 1961. ↩︎
13.   Princiotto, Ted. “Celebrezzes Shun Labor for Holiday.” The Plain Dealer. September 5, 1961. ↩︎
14.   Dorsey, Ray. “Primary Doesn’t Bode Well for Miss Cermak.” The Plain Dealer. October 8, 1961.;  “Official City Type Ballot City of Cleveland Cuyahoga County.” The Plain Dealer. November 6, 1961. ↩︎
15.   W. Kane, Russell. “Local Political Battles Shape Up Early on TV.” The Plain Dealer. July 16, 1961. ↩︎
16.  “History of Women in the U.S. Congress.” CAWP. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, October 7, 2019. https://cawp.rutgers.edu/history-women-us-congress. ↩︎
17.   Jedlinsky, “Air Pollution.” ↩︎
18.   Jedlinsky, “Air Pollution.” ↩︎
19.  Braunlich, H. “Keep it Straight.” The Plain Dealer. October 31, 1961. ↩︎
20.  Williams, “Miss Cermak Starts Quest for Votes.” ↩︎
21.  Barmann, George. “Miss Cermak Says Taylor’s Finish Accents Joblessness.” The Plain Dealer. October 31, 1961. ↩︎
22.  “Miss Cermak Pledges Fight for Clean Air.” The Plain Dealer. June 27, 1961. ↩︎
23.  F. Miller, William, “Women’s City Club Hits 65, but won’t retire.” The Plain Dealer. May 11, 1961. ↩︎