Mayor Charlie Cleves grew up in Bellevue and was an active businessman, now he’s leading the city

By Josie Shriver
NKyTribune reporter

Part of an occasional series on NKY’s mayors

Charlie Cleves has held the Bellevue mayor position for almost two and a half years, but has had a long term presence in the community where he grew up.

Though he was a math major and was offered several jobs, upon graduation from Northern Kentucky State College (now known as NKU) in 1975, he decided to enter the jewelry business and began working at his grandfather’s store, Cleves and Lonnemann Jewelers.

Cleves said that his “love of watches and repairing them has led to [his] store being one of the top repair destinations and dealers of pre-owned Rolex, Patek, Breitling, and many other brands.”

In 62 of his 65 years of living in Bellevue, Cleves has lived one block away from Cleves and Lonnemann Jewelers.

His love for Bellevue is evident in his involvement in the community, which started with membership in the Bellevue Business Association from the 1990’s until 2002. In that same year, The Main Street program emerged while Cleves was president of the association and, eventually, the two programs were combined to create the Bellevue Renaissance. Cleves held the president position for the first two years of the Bellevue Renaissance and remembers the first meeting vividly.

Cleves had everyone walk the six blocks on Fairfield Avenue to identify the ten worst buildings on the main street. The members saw that five of the buildings were for sale and bought them. Because of this approach, the members were awarded a $300,000 grant from the Main Street committee, which they were awarded again two years later. Cleves continued to buy the worst conditioned properties and now owns seven on the Avenue in order to continue the development and growth of the city of Bellevue.

As of 2017, Cleves’ son owns the jewelry store because Cleves himself “was looking forward to taking it easy when problems started boiling over in Bellevue.” He described feeling frustrated with the then-city leadership as projects meant to improve the city failed to move forward.

In 2014, a one million dollar grant acquired for a much-needed improvement to Lincoln Road was forfeited back to the state due to the fact that the project never started. Additionally, The FEMA project on Taylor, Bonnie Leslie, and Sherry was on the verge of being canceled. He saw the lack of regular attendance at OKI (Ohio Kentucky Indiana) and Tri-ED meetings meant to assist cities with development.

The late John Williams, past president of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, “was the person who convinced [him] that the city would continue to deteriorate unless business people stepped forward and [took] an active role in running the city.” Cleves answered the call.

Since Cleves took the position of mayor, Bellevue has become more business friendly. He believes this is one of his most important accomplishments as mayor so far. Within this historic year, he’s helped all of the restaurants and small businesses take steps to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Most notably, Cleves reached out to the 17 small bars and restaurants in the city and provided guidance as they applied for $10,000 grants. Of those seventeen, sixteen chose to apply and all received the grant.

The most challenging part about being mayor is balancing the old Bellevue with the new. Cleves said, “The entertainment district and live music do not sit well with the lifelong residents on the streets adjacent to the Avenue.” He is focused on finding the middle ground and, so far, has been successful in ensuring the city is continuing to grow and prosper while keeping to their roots.

Cleves gave all the credit to his team when discussing the most rewarding part of his job. He says he “feels like [he] has the dream team backing him up.” He works closely with the City Administrator, Frank Warnock, and the Code Enforcement Director, Tom McDaniel, to improve the quality of life within the city. With the experience and expertise from City Engineer Mike Yeager, he can apply for more grants to benefit Bellevue, moving away from putting out fires and, instead, finally focusing on the projects he has planned for this year and in years to come.

Specifically for 2021, Cleves would like to reduce expenses that will save taxpayers’ dollars. He wants to install LED lighting, apply for grants to repair sidewalks around trees, and apply for stormwater grants to reduce the problems on Covert Run. Along with four new restaurants that are coming to the city, there are also 74 single family homes that are going to be breaking ground soon.

Always forward thinking, Cleves has big plans to

• Develop the riverfront from the Dayton to the Newport border
• Connect Bellevue to the river with a fishing pier, kayak launch, boat dock and water taxi
• Redevelop the parcel, which runs from Frisch’s to Donnermeyer Drive
• Get storm water under control
• Get Bellevue out of debt and
• Add parking to the Bellevue Beach Park using the city-owned property between Vanvoast and O’Fallon.

When asked what makes Bellevue so special, Cleves said without hesitation it came down to the people and the location. Having lived in the city his whole life, this city’s mayor has been able to maintain relationships with people he has known his whole life while meeting new friends through organizations and events. Furthermore, the “3,887 feet of riverfront [of unobstructed] property” gives the city of Bellevue a view of downtown Cincinnati from multiple locations, even those farthest from the Ohio River.

“The new business friendly rules, historic business and entertainment district, outdoor dining, beautiful flowers on the Avenue, new restaurants, access to highways, and the outstanding recreational programs at the Bellevue Vets all make Bellevue the ideal place to live and work and play.”

Mayor Cleves is committed to making the city of Bellevue better every day.