| | Abstract: | Ralph J. Perk was the Cuyahoga County, Ohio auditor, 1963-1971, and mayor of Cleveland, 1972-1977. Perk, the first Republican mayor since 1941, faced big budget deficits which he covered with existing bond funds and general revenue sharing funds, as well as large federal grants from the Nixon administration. Nevertheless, city sewer and public transit systems had to be regionalized to raise operating capital. A Czech-American, Perk was seen as a national leader on ethnic issues. He retired from politics in 1977 after an unsuccessful campaign against John Glenn for the United States Senate in 1974 and a defeat in the 1977 nonpartisan mayoral primary. The collection consists of correspondence, memoranda, financial records, reports, speeches, minutes, news releases, campaign materials, newspaper clippings, invitations, certificates, etc., pertaining to Perk's political career and public service. Mayoral records include voluminous correspondence and a subject file, as well as the records of various secretaries and administrative assistants. Notable issues represented in the papers include the proposed sale of the Municipal Light Plant, a 1977 survey on pornography, abortion, gun control, air pollution, regional sewer and transportation issues, public safety, senior citizens, the federal Model Cities program, urban renewal, and Cleveland's celebration of the 1976 US Bicentennial. Perk's many political campaigns are documented, particularly the 1977 mayoral campaign which resulted in his defeat. His service as county auditor is very well represented in a series of newspaper clippings, which also document such events as the Hough riots of 1966 and the Glenville Shootout of 1968. | |
