CLEVELAND — As we head into Mother’s Day weekend, we have been interviewing the moms of Northeast Ohio’s biggest names -- including Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb.
3News’ Danita Harris had the chance to sit down with his mom, Charlene Nichols-Bibb, to learn more about our city’s leader.
Justin Bibb is the 58th mayor of Cleveland, a man who carries the responsibility of keeping the city safe and providing quality services to residents and their communities. While we’ve learned about his mission as a leader, we wanted to know more about what he was like as a little boy.
“He was curious,” Charlene tells 3News. “He wanted to do everything. Just stay busy, always questioning, ‘Well, why is this so? Why is that?’ And the dialogue, it wasn't the normal dialogue that you would have with a 7-year-old or 5-year-old. He was an old soul.”
When Mayor Bibb was on the campaign trail, you would see his mom, too, as they are both very close.
“We’re a team and we’ve always been a team,” Charlene says. “We're very engaging. We hold each other accountable. We cherish our times together.”
During the conversation, Danita also posed the following question: “There are people who love the mayor. There’s going to be people who don’t like the mayor. As a mom who loves her son, how has that been for you to sit on the sidelines and see both sides?”
“Proud that he's had this position and he's really able to make a difference in this great city of Cleveland,” Charlene says. “And then some days I don't understand why he wants to do it, because it's hard. I think that every day should be a good day, but I know that's not realistic.”
Mayor Bibb's mom also shared that he's "always been a neat person.”
“He's really OCD about his living space and area, so he's always been like that," she says. "I think one of the things that plucks my nerves even to this day, is sometimes you have to go through the stuff like the mail and the papers before you throw them away. And he wants to throw everything away.”
Bibb is the youngest mayor ever in the city of Cleveland -- and he’s also single. So what are the character traits of the woman who wants to join “Team Bibb” according to his mom?
“God-fearing, loves family and a teammate who knows where to step in and step out,” Charlene says. “And you have to be able to do it all with grace and class. That’s it.”