Cleveland Heights' new city administrator resigns

Dan Horrigan with Mayor Seren at Horrigan's Dec. 16, 2024, city council confirmation hearing.

Dan Horrigan resigned as Cleveland Heights’ city administrator on Monday, March 17. He had been on the job since January of this year.

Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren confirmed Horrigan's resignation at the 7:30 p.m., March 17 meeting of Cleveland Heights City Council, where he stated, “I’d like to confirm the news that today the former city administrator, Dan Horrigan, resigned his position.”

According to Cleveland Heights City Council President Tony Cuda, who spoke to Horrigan on March 18, Monday was Horrigan’s last day at City Hall. “He was absolutely the right guy for this job,” commented Cuda. “This is a big loss for the city.”

On March 20, the Heights Observer received a press release from the city, dated March 19, which confirmed that Horrigan's March 17 resignation took effect "by the end of" that day.

The mayor stated in the press release, "It can be tough to find the right fit for such an important role in our City government. But as with many of our successes thus far, nothing is achieved without some struggle. The way that his tenure ended is disappointing, but our resolve in finding the right teammate remains strong."

The press release headline indicated that the city is beginning the search for a new city administrator, but provided no information about the search process.

CH City Council confirmed Horrigan as city administrator earlier this year, on Jan. 6.

A former two-term mayor of Akron, Horrigan was Seren’s nominee for the position. According to the mayor, out of 42 applicants, Horrigan was the only candidate whom Seren interviewed. He is the shortest-tenured of the three city administrators who have served under Mayor Seren.

Horrigan’s predecessor, Danny Williams, announced in September 2024 that he planned to retire at the end of the year. Seren selected Williams to be the city’s second administrator in August 2023.

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

[Editor's note: This article was updated on March 20.]