Former Akron mayor is CH city administrator nominee

Mayor Seren with Dan Horrigan, his pick to be the next CH city administrator.

On Monday, Dec. 16, Cleveland Heights City Council held a confirmation hearing for Dan Horrigan, the former mayor of Akron, who is Mayor Kahlil Seren’s nominee to serve as the next city administrator of Cleveland Heights.

The hearing, a special meeting of the Council Committee of the Whole, can be viewed on the city’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2aNUPafnTY&t=20s.

According to the mayor, Horrigan was one of 42 applicants for the position, and the only one whom Seren interviewed—via a “series of conversations about his experience and interest in continuing in public service.” The mayor noted, “I wanted to jump on this opportunity and move forward.”

If hired, Horrigan plans to commute to Cleveland Heights from Akron, where he was a two-term mayor, serving from Nov. 3, 2015 to Jan. 1, 2024.

All seven city council members attended the meeting, with most indicating that they found Horrigan to be well qualified. Some council members alluded to current challenges and discord between the city’s executive and legislative branches, specifically relating to communication and the budget approval process.

Addressing Horrigan, Council Member Jim Posch commented, “You seem to be a perfect fit for this job. I’m glad the mayor is bringing your candidacy forward. The relationship between the administration and council is somewhat strained at this point. This is my personal opinion.”

Answering a question from Council Member Craig Cobb, Horrigan described his mayoral relationship with Akron’s City Council as “excellent,” and noted that he also served seven years as a ward council person. He noted, “I had weekly meetings with council leadership, especially regarding legislation.”

Horrigan further commented, “Friction is natural, especially when you change systems of government. I’m more than happy to brief [council] on what’s going on.”

Cobb also asked, “I think we’re all concerned that you would now be the third city administrator in three years. The last city administrator that left, one of the reasons he mentioned for retiring was that he had a different management style than the mayor. What have you done to satisfy yourself that you would be a good fit?”

“It’s a relationship business,” Horrigan replied. “I’ve built a number of relationships with different personalities that I think have been successful. I think that’s the key.”

As a next step in the confirmation process, Council President Tony Cuda and other council members indicated that they would like to have private, one-on-one conversations with Horrigan. As of Jan. 17, no such conversations had been scheduled.

When asked, Horrigan said he had not reached out to Cleveland Heights’ two previous city administrators, but that he eventually would.

Current CH City Administrator Danny Williams announced in September that he would retire at the end of the year. While his official last day is Dec. 31, he has accrued personal time off and is not expected to return to City Hall.

Mayor Seren selected Williams to be Cleveland Heights’ second city administrator in August 2023.

The first city administrator, Joseph Sinnott, a former mayor of Erie, Pa., was appointed by the mayor in March 2022 and resigned in March 2023.