Lakewood's Changing Political Landscape

In the coming months the political profile at Lakewood City Hall may undergo major changes. Although several elected officials have the potential to become a part of this re-shuffling, one vacancy is already a known quantity, i.e. Councilwoman (soon to be State Representative) Nickie Antonio. The procedure for replacing her at-large council seat can be found below. In addition, should Mayor Ed FitzGerald's pursuit of the newly formed County Executive seat be successful, a new face must be found for the office of Mayor. Clearly, the need to implement the Mayoral line of succession is still theoretical at this time, but the process that would be set in motion, should it become necessary, is also described below. The explainations of the processes set out by the City Charter for replacing both seats have been provided by Council President Kevin Butler.

Dear Members of Council:

With this letter I invite members of the voting public to submit applications for any vacancies created by the election of sitting elected officials in Lakewood to other offices.

Councilwoman Nickie Antonio’s position as councilmember-at-large will become vacant on or about January 1, 2011, when her term as representative to the Ohio General Assembly begins. Qualifications for members of Council may be found in the Second Amended Charter, Article 3, Section 2, and Article 23, Section 3; and vacancies among councilmembers are governed by Article 3, Section 2 of the charter.

In the event Mayor Ed FitzGerald is elected to the county executive position, his term in that new office would also begin January 1, 2011. Qualifications for mayor may be found in the Second Amended Charter, Article 2, Section 2, and Article 23, Section 3; and a vacancy in that office is governed by Article 2, Section 8.

Applicants for the position of mayor are informed that our review is subject to the following unknowns: (1) whether the mayor’s office will become vacant as a result of the November general election; and (2) whether those in the line of succession under the city charter — lawdirector, finance director, public works director and council president — indicate in advance their unwillingness to accept the office should it become vacant.

In order to facilitate our review, applications for both mayor and councilmember should be submitted before the close of business Friday, October 1, 2010. Applications should consist of a cover letter and current résumé and be directed to the Clerk of Council, 12650 Detroit Road, Lakewood, Ohio 44107, or by email to mary.hagan@lakewoodoh.net.

Application materials should help give Council an appreciation of the applicant’s reason for seeking appointment and his or her qualifications to serve in office. Any deadlines may be extended at our direction.

Following the general election, Council may conduct interviews of qualified candidates as appropriate.

It is worth noting that under the provisions of the charter, Mayor FitzGerald’s and Councilwoman Antonio’s appointed replacements would only occupy such office until the results of the November 2011 municipal election are certified. Any appointee wishing to retain his or her office past that date would be required to stand for election in 2011.

Very truly yours,

Kevin Butler