In less than two weeks, voters will decide who is best to lead the city of Cleveland: incumbent Mayor Justin Bibb or community activist Laverne Gore.

Bibb was the city's first millennial mayor and won his seat in 2021 against a crowded candidate field, following Mayor Frank Jackson's four-term administration. Previously, he's worked in the government, private and nonprofit sectors.

Gore has never held elected office, but has run in several elections including for mayor in 2009, and most recently lost to Shontel Brown in the 2021 special election for Ohio's 11th Congressional District. She currently runs her own marketing consultant firm.

Though the race for Cleveland mayor is nonpartisan, Bibb serves as the president of the Democratic Mayors Association, and Gore is a registered Republican.

The "Sound of Ideas" invited both Bibb and Gore to participate in candidate interviews that would air on Thursday's show. We would ask them about important issues facing the city, from the cost of housing to economic development, crime and beyond, and why they think they're the best person to handle those issues.

Bibb agreed. To start the hour, we'll play that conversation that was taped earlier this week, due to scheduling constraints. We want to note that we also booked an interview through Gore's campaign that she did not show up to. And when we tried to reschedule, she declined to participate.

Later in the show, school levies can be complicated to understand and can seem burdensome for some taxpayers who are navigating rising property taxes. But advocates say they are crucial for some districts to repair old buildings, pay staff salaries and other operational costs.

There are almost 60 districts in Northeast Ohio with tax levies on the ballot this November, including some that have seen past levies fail in recent years.

We'll discuss what's on the ballot as well as some other K-12 issues with our education reporter, Conor Morris.

Finally, Cleveland music producer Nate Saggio has helped local musicians craft viral hit songs while exploring his own creative path. On this week's Shuffle, Ideastream Public Media's Amanda Rabinowitz talked with Saggio about his passion for supporting independent musicians and his own music.

Guests:
- Justin Bibb, Mayor, City of Cleveland
- Conor Morris, Education Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
- Amanda Rabinowitz, Host and Producer, "All Things Considered" and "Shuffle"
- Nate Saggio, Music producer and Artist