Mohammad Faraj shares his view on government transparency, accountability, and public participation in Open Cleveland questionnaire

Recently, Mohammad Faraj completed a candidate questionnaire for Open Cleveland, an all-volunteer group dedicated to “improv[ing] the City of Cleveland and all of Northeast Ohio using open data and web technology.”

The questionnaire, found here, allows Mohammad to expand upon topics pertaining to government transparency, accountability, and public participation—three values driving Mohammad’s candidacy.

“My opponent and I have two very different philosophies when it comes to being a public servant, and I think the contrast is overwhelmingly clear in this Open Cleveland questionnaire,” shares Mohammad.

In response to a series of questions regarding the City’s Open Data Portal, Mohammad commends the progress the city has made under the Bibb administration but cautions against a government that uses technological progress to replace relationships and interactions.

He states, “We cannot hide behind complex datasets while ignoring our duty to meet every resident where they are at.” He elaborates: “Comprehensive data is not just about the technical ability to produce a data catalog but also must include a consideration about both data literacy and access for residents.”

Faraj continues, “One of the reasons I decided to run for political office is because I have a problem with the ways electeds often try to shame voters for not getting involved because I think it wrongly shifts the blame to the residents while ignoring the behavior of those in power.”

For Mohammad, a conversation on government transparency, accountability, and public participation demands a discussion on the city’s history of failing to respond appropriately and timely to public records and Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

“There are well-documented delays regarding the city’s history of slowly responding to public records requests. Investigative reporting and even court rulings report residents waiting months, sometimes hundreds of days, for basic information,” which is a sentiment shared by many who have gone through the painstaking process of attempting to receive public information for Cleveland city government.

The latest drama regarding the city’s inconsistent approach to de-prioritizing public records release is unfolding right now at city hall, where the Bibb Administration is accusing a city council staffer of manipulating the city’s lack of protocols to access records that have not removed confidential information yet.

Council President Blaine Griffin, alleging to have the support of the entire city council, instead argues the city administration is trying to cover up their mistake by retaliating against the city council staffer. Specifically, Council President cites the well-known delays the city of Cleveland is known for when it comes to responding to public requests in a timely and consistent fashion.

“This type of behavior – the mayor’s administration failure to protect resident data and empower best practices – is what leads to residents not trusting their government,” insists Mohammad.

Mohammad believes voter turnout is a reliable measurement about whether the residents trust the city government. Unfortunately, Cleveland's voter turnout was only 47% in November 2024 and most recently an abysmally low 7% in the September 2025 election, demonstrating that the city has a long way to go to improve government transparency, accountability, and public participation.

Bureaucracy and technology aren’t often considered compatible, but that doesn’t mean our city’s government shouldn’t prioritize having the best practices in place to navigate these threats against residents’ data.