Who we are and what we believe

Citizens for an Elected Mayor is a group of Cleveland Heights citizens who care about the city and believe the current structure of government is not adequate for the city’s future success. We believe that electing a full-time mayor will create more accountable and effective government.

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Committee members

Tony Cuda, Campaign Manager, Oxford
Len Friedson, Treasurer, Grant Deming
Michael Bennett, Secretary, Coventry Village
Patrick Akers, Fairfax
Mark Chupp, Coventry Village
Rhonda Davis-Lovejoy, Boulevard
Susan Efroymson, Severance/Taylor
Jeanne Gordon, Fairfax
Tonya Horn, Noble
Rob Rivera, Cedar-Fairmount

Mission statement

To amend the Cleveland Heights charter so that voters can directly elect a mayor who leads the city as its chief executive officer.

Motivation

An elected mayor could provide leadership that is decisive, agile and bold enough to address challenges facing Cleveland Heights.

The city is a diverse inner-ring suburb that has lost population, jobs, housing and property values, while retaining world-class assets and opportunities.

The current structure of government was created in 1921 during a period of unprecedented growth. It no longer functions effectively to move Cleveland Heights forward in the face of modern-day challenges, and in a region dominated by cities that are led by elected mayors.