IMPROVING OUR STREETS
Cleveland Heights deserves safe and well-maintained streets, whether you're driving, walking, or cycling. As mayor, I’ll make this a top priority.
POTHOLES REPAIR & STREET RESURFACING
Our streets are one of the first things residents encounter every day, and we must ensure they are in good condition. We will improve the timeliness of pothole repairs and accelerate road resurfacing across all parts of the city.
SNOW REMOVAL
Snow removal often falls short when Cleveland Heights faces a harsh winter. It can be frustrating when you drive into neighboring cities and see their streets already plowed while ours remain covered, making it hard to get around safely. I will listen to our front-line employees to understand their challenges and collaborate with other nearby cities to learn their best practices so that we can identify opportunities for improvement. It's time for Cleveland Heights to match the expectations of our residents and keep our streets safe and accessible during winter weather.
PEDESTRIAN & CYCLIST SAFETY
In recent years, Cleveland Heights has seen an alarming number of serious injuries and fatalities involving pedestrians and cyclists. This trend is unacceptable, and we need to act with urgency. I will prioritize the implementation of the Comprehensive & Equitable Safety Action Plan (CESAP) and the Active Transportation Plan, both of which are designed to create safer streets for everyone. These plans will include measures such as safer crosswalks, better lighting, and traffic calming initiatives. By ensuring our streets are designed with safety in mind, we can reduce risks and encourage people to walk and bike confidently throughout Cleveland Heights.
Whether you’re driving your kids to school, walking your dog, or biking to work, you deserve streets that are safe and well-maintained.
IMPROVING OUR PARKS, POOLS, AND OTHER COMMUNITY SPACES
RECREATIONAL PROGRAMMING
I’ll work to expand and diversify our recreational programs so that residents of all ages have more opportunities to stay active and connect with each other. And I’ll make sure that the Youth Recreation Scholarship helps more families afford the activities they love and doesn't just sit unused in the city's bank account.
CUMBERLAND POOL
Cumberland Pool is an important part of our community, but right now it’s losing around 13,000 gallons of water every day. In the past, there were community meetings to talk about its future, but there’s been no follow-through. I will bring together residents, city staff, and other stakeholders to decide whether we should renovate the pool or build a new one, and I’ll work with City Council to make sure we actually get the work started.
SWIMMING AT HEIGHTS HIGH
Residents have made themselves clear: they want to swim at the Heights High again — and they deserve it!
When the CH-UH School District promoted the bond issue that funded the renovation of Heights High, a key selling point was that the newly renovated pool would be available to the public. And for a time, it was. However, because of the pandemic, the pool was closed, and it never reopened to the public.
City Council has already taken the important step of passing legislation that authorizes and directs the Mayor to negotiate a facility-sharing agreement with the CH-UH School District. Unfortunately, since the passage of that legislation, little progress has been made.
On day one, I will direct the Law Director to initiate negotiations with the CH-UH School District to reopen the pool to the public during designated hours as quickly as possible.
STRENGTHENING EXISTING HOUSING AND BUILDING MORE NEW HOUSING
70% of Cleveland Heights' housing is at least 80 years old. That’s part of what gives our city its charm, but it also means we face serious challenges in maintaining and modernizing our housing stock. As mayor, I’ll lead a comprehensive effort to protect and strengthen our neighborhoods, starting with better oversight and support.
To ensure that properties, both owner-occupied and rental, are safe and well-maintained, we will improve the consistency of housing inspections and strengthen code enforcement. At the same time, we will increase public awareness of financial assistance programs available to help homeowners with needed repairs and streamline how residents can access those resources.
But maintaining what we already have isn’t enough. Cleveland Heights needs new housing too. That means accelerating the pace of infill development and encouraging construction that includes options for seniors, working families, and residents with low or fixed incomes. We’ll support projects that bring new life to vacant lots and help keep our neighborhoods vibrant and inclusive.
By focusing on both preservation and growth, we can ensure that Cleveland Heights remains a place where people of all ages and incomes can find, and keep, a quality place to call home.
SUPPORTING OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES
Small businesses are at the heart of Cleveland Heights, they drive our local economy, shape the identity of our neighborhoods, and create spaces where residents connect and gather. But too often, business owners feel disconnected from City Hall.
To strengthen that relationship, I will establish a Cleveland Heights Business Advisory Council. This group will bring together local business owners and city staff on a regular basis to provide input on city policies, identify emerging challenges, and collaborate on strategies to strengthen our commercial districts. It will serve as a standing forum for open dialogue and partnership, so that those who know our business landscape best have a seat at the table when decisions are made.
We will also create a clear and easy-to-navigate menu of services that outlines exactly what support the City offers, from permitting assistance to grant opportunities, so businesses know where to turn and what to expect. By listening to and working with our local businesses, we can build a a healthier environment for small businesses to open, grow, and thrive.
BUILDING A BETTER WORKPLACE CULTURE AT CITY HALL
City government works best when the people inside City Hall feel valued, supported, and empowered to do their jobs well. Long before it made headlines, I advocated for an evaluation and improvement of City Hall's workplace culture and have continued to regularly do so for over two years. As mayor, I’ll foster a workplace culture rooted in respect, accountability, and collaboration. That means listening to staff, providing the training and tools they need, and setting clear expectations for excellent public service. We will create a Human Resources Department and, where possible, create a system of annual reviews. When we support the people who serve our city, residents feel the difference. And we'll do it all while continuing the business of the city because residents cannot put their lives on hold while City Hall gets its act together.
STRENGTHENING FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Transparent and accurate financial management is essential to the trust and functioning of our city government. When the mayor presented the draft 2025 budget to City Council, I immediately noticed significant deficiencies that could not be ignored. Rather than pass an incomplete budget, City Council opted for a temporary budget, and I took the responsibility of drafting that temporary budget by hand after the mayor denied staff assistance. This experience underscored the urgent need for stronger financial systems and accountability. As mayor, I will focus on:
Fully Staffing the Finance Department
Ensure Timely Payment to Contractors: We cannot continue to pay contractors months after they’re expecting payment. Paying them on time is essential not only for maintaining trust and accountability but also for protecting the city’s reputation. Delays in payments can discourage contractors from working with the city in the future, and we must foster strong, reliable relationships to ensure the successful completion of projects and continued collaboration.
Transitioning to New Financial Software: I will lead the transition to a modern financial software system that allows for better tracking, reporting, and forecasting of our financial activities. The Finance Department's staff are all but begging for a new system, and it's time to get it done.
Creating a Long-Term Capital Plan: We need to plan for the future. We will create a five- or ten-year capital plan that will provide a clear strategy for our city's infrastructure and long-term investments.
Resolving Outstanding Issues with the State Auditor and IRS: We will work swiftly to address and resolve all outstanding financial issues with the State Auditor and IRS, ensuring that we meet all compliance requirements and avoid unnecessary penalties.
Creating New Controls for Timely Reporting: We will establish new controls to ensure that regulatory deadlines are met consistently, improving both the timeliness and accuracy of our financial reporting.
OUR ENVIRONMENT
Cleveland Heights has a strong Climate Action & Resiliency Plan (CARP), but we need to act on it. In 2024, for example, the city budgeted $500,000 for sustainability-related capital projects, but not a single dollar of that money was spent. As mayor, I’ll make sure we follow through on the CARP.
That means installing electric vehicle chargers across the city, improving energy efficiency in public buildings, and investing in green infrastructure like permeable pavement and tree canopy restoration. I’ll also work to strengthen partnerships with groups like the Cleveland Heights Green Team and Friends of Lower Lake because lasting change happens when government and community work together.
Campaigns, like any operation, create emissions, from driving to events to printing and mailing literature. To reduce our footprint, our official campaign car is an electric vehicle, and while carbon credits alone cannot solve the climate crisis, I purchased a verified carbon credit to offset the emissions generated by this campaign as a small step toward environmental responsibility.
We’re also thoughtful about how we print our materials. We use a unionized, family-owned printer whose facility is powered entirely by solar energy because sustainability should be built into every part of how we operate.
GROWING CLEVELAND HEIGHTS’ POPULATION AND WORKFORCE
So that Cleveland Heights remains the city that we all love, it’s important that we grow our city’s population and workforce. With the local earned income tax being our city’s largest source of revenue, growing our population and workforce will enable the city to provide high-quality services and reduce the need for future tax increases.
