Council President Cuda’s message to CH residents

There is a lot going on at Cleveland Heights City Hall, so let’s get to it.

Thanks to vigilant city council oversight—especially council members Petras, Larson and Cobb—our city did not renew the ARPA consultant contract with Guidehouse. The mayor has since hired the Bricker Graydon law firm to take us the rest of the way as the administration disperses the ARPA money allocated by city council in December 2023. As of today, this looks like a much better option.

September begins budget season. Our most important decisions on spending priorities will be made over the next few months. In February, I asked city council members to direct their budget priorities to our clerk of council, to keep a log of our collective ideas. We will be presenting these in the coming months. But we also need you, our residents, to pay very close attention when we start budget hearings in November. Make your voices heard by e-mailing your elected representatives and attending our budget hearings.

Regretfully, the mayor has chosen to investigate city council by hiring a law firm (Flannery Georgalis) and paying them $375 an hour to find out if any council members violated the Ohio Open Meetings Act.

Four council members—myself, Russell, Larson and Petras—have retained the legal services of former city council member Mike Ungar, AT NO COST, to represent us. Ungar has put out a statement on behalf of the four of us. Here are a few excerpts:

• At no time was there a prearranged gathering of a majority of the seven members of Cleveland Heights City Council.
• We believe this (investigation) to be both an unwise and unnecessary expenditure of taxpayer funds ($375 an hour) and retaliatory in nature, and my clients have so advised (the mayor).
• President Cuda and Vice President Russell have offered to sit down with the Mayor (on multiple occasions) and his representatives to clear the air and discuss any legitimate areas of concern, but have thus far been rebuffed. My clients remain open to doing so.
• The Mayor's so-called "evidence" of an open meetings violation does not withstand even the slightest scrutiny.
  
  

As city council president, I believe we owe it to our residents to at least try to settle our differences without wasting taxpayer dollars on lawyers and litigation.

What we need to do is to put every dollar we can into improving city services, our safety forces and maintaining our publicly owned properties.

So let’s get to it.

[Editor's Note: In a video posted to YouTube on Aug. 2, Mayor Seren addressed his "decision to instruct the law director to seek out an outside firm to conduct an investigation into [council] misconduct."]