Moore resigns from CH City Council

At the Dec. 16 Cleveland Heights City Council meeting, I submitted my resignation from council.

I’ve done a lot of reflection on how this year developed—how our new council started, and where we are now. I recall beginning the year excited to collaborate with my new colleagues to make our community stronger, to work on the issues that are my driving force, and to learn all that I can in the process.

And while I did learn a lot this year, I did not learn what I had hoped to learn.

Among other lessons, I learned—or, rather, I finally came to accept—that I do not have the thick skin I thought I had. I care too much, I lead from my heart, and this is not an easy way to be in this world. If I could snap my fingers and be different, be tougher, in a heartbeat I would. But I need to accept this as a part of who I am.

As a council member, I tried to do what I thought was good and helpful. I don’t claim to be perfect or to have done everything in the best possible way, but my intentions were always true. I tried to learn, to share, to collaborate, and to figure out how I can be an effective elected representative. But much of the time I felt like I was in the dark, the ground continually shifting under my feet, the goalposts always moving, while my intentions and actions were repeatedly and unkindly mischaracterized.

The stress of this has had a negative impact on my mental health, and this has been increasingly affecting my physical health as well. Most importantly, I have been unable to prevent this stress from reverberating into every part of my life and affecting every role I perform.

Ultimately, I’ve come to believe that, despite my hopes otherwise, my presence on this council will not have any substantive impact on what happens in our city. Whether I’m there or not, what the city does will be the same. But the outcome for me and for my life will be very different depending on whether I continue or I retreat.

I am saddened that I’m letting people down. However, I must prioritize my well-being and my ability to be fully present with my family.