LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS / Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights

SEPTEMBER 3, 2024, regular meeting

• Public comment
• Mayor’s report
• City administrator’s report
• Liquor permit
• Severance Mall
• Council actions
• Council member comments
• Other agenda items
• Committee of the Whole
  
  

Present were Mayor Kahlil Seren and Council Members Tony Cuda (president), Davida Russell (vice president), Craig Cobb, Gail Larson, Anthony Mattox, Jr., Jim Petras, and Jim Posch. Also present were Clerk of Council Addie Balester, Law Director William Hanna, and City Administrator Danny Williams. The meeting ran for about two and one quarter hours.

Public comment

Nine people addressed the Coventry PEACE Campus, of which many were directly involved with the building. Others were concerned community people, including Matt Moore, the new executive director of the Coventry SID, and Brady Dindia of the Coventry PEACE Board. The speakers maintained that the library and the tenants should be helped to find a mutually beneficial solution, perhaps transferring ownership and management to the tenants, so the community does not lose a vital arts asset. Financial and engineering/mechanical aspects of a plan were described. Speakers asked council members to demonstrate community leadership by promoting a plan to save the building.

Many speakers addressed public use of the Cleveland Heights High School (CHHS) pool. They explained that, because state law prohibits the school board from spending money unrelated to school instruction, the city must manage and fund community use of the pool. Despite appropriation of funding by city council, progress seems to be held up by the mayor. One large group of Cumberland Pool users presented a short protest, many clad in bathing suits. This citizen activist performance artwork can be viewed on the YouTube recording of the meeting at 1:13:15—1:16:34. Council Member Posch, who had served on the school board for eight years, spoke as a member of the public and asked why the city and the school board cannot work together. He said the mayor can make this happen and asked him to do so.

A speaker asked council to draft legislation supporting National Coming Out Day on October 24 and National Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 11.

Blanche Valancy from the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland announced an educational forum to be presented by the League and Heights Libraries at the Community Center on Sept. 12. Entitled “Disinformation, AI, and Elections: How to Separate Fact From Fiction in 2024,” the speakers will be Dean Jackson and Lee Jordan.

Mayor’s report

Mayor Seren reported that the officer involved in the shooting of Christian Thomas last Thursday, Aug. 29, is under investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. This will take longer than anyone would prefer. He expressed condolences to the victim’s family.

The mayor congratulated Director Jimmie Hicks at Start Right Community Development Corporation for being accepted into the Mandel Leadership program. 

Seren said there are conflicting stories about whether the school system may hire lifeguards for community use of the indoor pool at Cleveland Heights High School. He has looked at the program at Beachwood, where he attended high school, and does not understand why Cleveland-Heights-University Heights cannot have a program like the one in Beachwood.

City administrator’s report

City Administrator Williams announced his retirement at the end of 2024 to return to other pursuits. He said his approach differs from the mayor’s and feels he is not adding sufficient value to the administration.

Accessory dwelling units

Director of Planning and Development Eric Zamft announced that a design competition, open to designers and residents, for accessory dwelling units [ADU’s] will take place Sept. 4—Oct. 24. The outcome will be a set of pre-approved plans for ADU’s ready to be built by residents in their back property.

Liquor permit

Ms. Balester announced an application to the state for a liquor permit for Lavelle Gift Company, LLC, 12427 Cedar Road.

Severance Mall

Ryan Porter, a managing partner at MPACT Collective, a development firm working with the current Severance Mall owner on a public-private partnership to revitalize this problem area, described the process they are working on with Namdar Realty Group and Cleveland Heights. They hope to break ground in 2026 starting on the Walmart/ movie theatre side of the mall. The public is welcome to contact Mr. Porter at rporter@mpactcollective.com

Council actions

On second reading, council voted not to approve Drew Herzig, the mayor’s appointment to the Arts Commission. Cuda, Larson, Russell, Petras, and Posch voted no. Russell noted that Mr. Herzig was recently on the Charter Review Commission and council should appoint different people, not the same repeatedly. Mayor Seren expressed sadness that the appointment was denied without discussion and identified this action as retaliation. Mattox expressed his anger and disappointment, saying he was glad this “shameful action” happened in public where all could see it.

Also on second reading, council approved the remaining mayoral appointments to the Arts Commission: Deidre McPherson, Nathan Motta, and Tony Sias. On first reading, council appointed Judith Weiss to the Architectural Board of Review (ABR) and Connor Kaldor as an alternate ABR member.

On second reading, council authorized an Energy Savings Performance Contract with Leopardo Energy and the financing of energy conservation improvements under a guaranteed savings contract; an agreement with Wade Trim, Inc. for professional services in the amount of $417,000 for the Yellowstone sewers and waterline replacement; and an agreement with GPD Group for engineering design services in the amount of $106,500 for the East Fairfax Waterline Replacement Project. The latter was amended to use of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding.

Council approved, on first reading, four pieces of legislation related to assessments including accepting two reports of the Assessment Equalization Board and proceeding with various street and lighting assessments. 

Council heard several pieces of legislation on first reading only (no vote) including:

• Amendment of a city ordinance to provide for the online publication of legislation for increased efficiency and cost effectiveness.
• The mayor’s appointments of Audrey Hudak to the Lead-Safe Advisory Board, Morgan Mackay to the Lead-Safe Advisory Board, and William Fadel to the Community Improvement Corporation of the City of Cleveland Heights.
  
  

Council member comments

Mr. Mattox questioned the fairness of when council members are granted the opportunity to speak. Cuda replied that, as council president, he decides when council members speak outside of the typical comment agenda item. 

Mr. Cobb expressed support for the non-profit organizations in the Coventry PEACE building, noting the library’s promise in 2018 and asking all council members to join him in urging the library to get the property into the tenants’ hands.

Mr. Petras commented on resident reactions to the CHHS pool situation and the legislation to fund lifeguards for public use of the pool.

Mr. Mattox urged council to be sure it does all business in public and use only city email addresses for the purpose of accountability.

Ms. Russell commented that last March, Communication Director Mike Thomas asked her and President Cuda for essays for the Focus publication but did not use the essays. She distributed her essay and asked Mr. Cuda to do the same, saying the essays demonstrate their ability to govern. She noted that the legislation to fund lifeguards at the high school was hers and thanked the public and council for supporting this.

Mr. Cuda said he was impressed by the fearless and entertaining residents who spoke during public comment. In his president’s report he said the number of speakers about pool use and the Coventry PEACE Campus showed how council and mayor need to work together. He thanked the Leopardo Group for their ongoing work.

Mr. Posch discussed the need for council members to learn how to work together and said that council is publicly perceived as a little dysfunctional.

Mr. Mattox announced that he will be starting a series of open work sessions for issues and programs he is working on regarding parks and recreation, public properties, and transparency. He said he felt left out in many cases.

Committee of the whole

Council heard a presentation from the Coventry PEACE Campus Board, its supporters, and the executive director of the Coventry SID.

Chris Hetzel of the law department updated council on ARPA, describing the contracts, obligations, expenditure processes, and progress toward a self-imposed October deadline to commit all Cleveland Heights ARPA funds.

During committee reports, Mr. Cobb discussed the difficulties around the mayor’s commission appointments and the desire to create ethics and email legislation in the future.

LWV observer: Blanche Valancy  

Meeting packets, legislation, and other information can be found on the city website at: https://www.clevelandheights.gov/1625/City-Council-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