CLEVELAND -- Dennis Kucinich must want his old job back.

A little more than 40 years after voters removed him as Cleveland mayor, Kucinich is acting very much like a man plotting a comeback.

This doesn’t mean Kucinich will be a candidate for mayor in 2021. It does mean that, as of today, he’s acting like and considering becoming one. I spoke with four people familiar with Kucinich’s thinking, all of whom believe it is highly likely he will run.

In recent months, Kucinich has become far more visible around town. He’s shown up at various public events, and is keeping in touch with friends from long ago.

On Wednesday, he was spotted doing a meet and greet in City Hall. And he has weighed in with a Plain Dealer/cleveland.com opinion piece that included specifics on how to improve the troubled West Side Market and rightly complained of the “indifference of the city administration to simple remedies.”

Anyone who dismisses the notion of Kucinich being a serious contender for the Cleveland mayor’s job understands neither Cleveland nor its politics.

A Kucinich race in 2021 would have little in common with his landslide, 62 percent to 23 percent, loss to Richard Cordray in the 2018 Democratic primary election for governor.

Kucinich never had a chance of winning that race. And he was thoroughly trounced in Northeast Ohio.

But more important is that Cleveland proper was one of the few places in Ohio where Kucinich outpolled Cordray.

And while running against Cleveland-based opponents might pose bigger challenges than a race against someone from suburban Columbus, a crowded mayoral field would dramatically increase the likelihood of Kucinich finishing first or second in the primary election and earning a spot in the runoff election.

Kucinich’s last race for a Cleveland office was in 1983, when he ran and won a race for City Council. The passage of time is rarely a good thing for an aging politician, but remember Kucinich represented a large part of Cleveland in Congress for 16 years, representation that ended with his Democratic primary loss to Marcy Kaptur in 2012.

The two-time candidate for president was 30 years old when he first announced for mayor in 1977.

On Election Day 2021, Kucinich will be 75.

Kucinich is one of many considering the race. Mayor Frank Jackson’s fourth term has been by far his worst, but he has yet to announce his intentions. The most likely explanation for that is Politics 101, which teaches that incumbents should wait as long as possible to confirm lame-duck status.

As of today – and subject to frequent change – the short list of possible candidates would include, in alphabetical order, Councilman Blaine Griffin, Council President Kevin Kelley, former Councilman Zack Reed, University Circle Inc. President Chris Ronayne, former Councilman Marty Sweeney and state Sen. Sandra Williams. Throw in less likely rumored candidates and the size of that list doubles.

Cleveland has not had a remotely interesting mayoral race since 2005, when Jackson bested incumbent Mayor Jane Campbell. And in the past 50 years, there have only been three elections that gathered significant attention – 1989, 2001 and 2005.

No matter what the field looks like next year, 2021 will be an election campaign worthy of close attention from all Greater Clevelanders. Jackson brought many admirable qualities to the job. And at times his understated style has served the city well.

Nevertheless, Cleveland now desperately needs a leader able to articulate a vision and plan for its future, a mayor capable of attracting the first-rate talent now in short supply at City Hall.

Kucinich did not respond to a telephone call and two text messages that included a brief explanation of what I would be writing.

But on Feb. 26, he sent an email blast to friends, supporters and contributors telling them he is finishing a book, and is not presently a candidate for any office, adding:

“Rolling Stone recently said I was ‘years ahead of my time’ and the Washington Post Magazine referred to my (OUR!) work as ‘the future of American politics’…It is imperative that at this time we rejoin our discussion, with fresh insights of our most recent experience as we endeavor to lift up our nation.

“I’m back.”

For Kucinich, coming back in 2018 proved a mistake. His chances in 2021 would be better.

Brent Larkin was The Plain Dealer’s editorial director from 1991 until his retirement in 2009.

To reach Brent Larkin: blarkin@cleveland.com

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