Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 8-25-2021

AUGUST 25, 2021, special meeting to call a Special Election for a vacant council seat

Present were Jason Stein, president; Kahlil Seren, vice president; Craig Cobb; Melody Joy Hart; Davida Russell; and Michael N Ungar. Also present were Susanna Niermann O’Neil, city manager; Amy Himmelein, clerk of council; William Hanna, law director. The meeting lasted seven minutes.

Special election

Council convened this special meeting to pass an ordinance calling for a special election to complete the unexpired council seat (vacated by Mary Dunbar) ending Dec. 31, 2023.

After council approved the ordinance, Vice President Seren explained the ordinance was needed to meet the timelines necessary to hold a Special Election that would fall on the same day as the November 2 General Election. Candidates must submit a petition with 50 valid signatures to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections by 4 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 7.

The petitions require that:

1.)   Signatures be dated after council approved this legislation, which is Aug. 25.

2.)   Petition signers sign only one petition.

3.)   No more than 150 signatures are submitted.

4.)   No write-ins be allowed per state law. 

Before adjourning the meeting, Council President Stein thanked resident Garry Kanter for drawing council’s attention to city charter wording that prescribes a 60-day threshold for council vacancies going on the ballot. That threshold would be Sept. 2 for the Nov. 2 election.

LWV observer, Gail Larson

Meeting packets, legislation, and other information can be found on the city website at: https://www.clevelandheights.com/1142/2021-Agendas-and-Minutes 

Videos of council meetings can be viewed on the “City of Cleveland Heights, OH” YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ClevelandHeightsOH