Horrigan cites 'hostile work environment' at Cleveland Heights City Hall

Dan Horrigan resigned suddenly as Cleveland Heights’ city administrator on Monday, March 17, after less than three months on the job. Now, in an Akron Beacon Journal article, the former two-term mayor of Akron has commented on his experience working at Cleveland Heights City Hall.

“I raised a number of workplace safety and hostile work environment issues that involved a member of the mayor’s family that were not addressed,” stated Horrigan in the article.

“I just never got a response to the issues,” noted Horrigan, adding, “If you’re not going to make those changes that make it safe for employees, then you kind of become complicit in that atmosphere, and I wasn’t going to be complicit.”

The Heights Observer has contacted the Cleveland Heights Public Relations department for a response to Horrigan’s comments, and was informed staff are working on a statement. This article will be updated if a response is received.

Mayor Seren confirmed Horrigan's resignation at the 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 after he resigned, “He was absolutely the right guy for this job. 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 that 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. The mayor noted that, out of 42 applicants, Horrigan was the only candidate he interviewed. Horrigan 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.