SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — A woman who attended and spoke at Tuesday’s (Sept. 23) City Council meeting wants to ensure that City Council has the best candidates from which to choose come January.
While South Euclid ward council seats are being contested this November, a unique situation will result in one, and possibly two council seats becoming vacated in January. That would lead to council members, in Janaury, having to select from candidates wishing to fill the open seat or seats.
During Tuesday’s council meeting, resident Debbie Wright made this point, and also called attention to the fact that City Council now has three of its seven members who were chosen by council, and not elected by residents.
In a followup email to cleveland.com on Wednesday (Sept. 24), Wright stated, “I stress that I am not saying that they (the selected council members) have done a bad job. But a Democracy relies on governing by the elected.”
Wright asked that residents be made aware of what is to come in January so that those who may be interested in applying for the open one or two seats can begin now making that decision.
City Council is not permitted to make a legal announcement of an opening and advertise for candidates until that opening becomes official. Council then typically gives interested candidates two weeks to apply.
Council next has 30 days to choose a replacement. If council fails to decide upon a candidate within that time, Mayor Georgine Welo would then select the new council member or members.
The special situation taking shape in January will come about when Council President Justin Tisdale, now an at-large representative, seeks election as Ward 2 councilman.
Tisdale is unopposed for the Ward 2 seat, meaning that in January, there will be an opening for an at-large seat.
In February, former Ward 2 councilman Joseph Frank resigned due to health issues. Council chose Len Calabrese to replace Frank, but Calabrese stated his intention to serve only through the remainder of Frank’s term, which ends Dec. 31.
Meanwhile, former council president and Ward 1 councilwoman Ruth Gray resigned from council in late April pror to moving to Arizona. Council selected in May Mark McMillian as the new Ward 1 councilman to serve through the Dec. 31 completion of Gray’s term.
McMillian has decided to seek election to a full term. He is being opposed by At-large Councilwoman Chanell Elston, a Ward 1 resident. Should Elston win that election, council would need to choose a new at-large council person in January.
Ward 4 Councilman John Fahsbender is running unopposed in November to retain his seat.
Fahsbender was appointed by council to his seat in January, 2024, as, essentially, a replacement for himself.
During the 2023 election season, Fahsbender, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections determined, had not collected enough valid signatures, making him inelgible for the ballot. There were, however, no other Ward 4 candidates in November, 2023, so council chose Fahsbender to regain his seat.
Fahsbender was originally appointed Ward 4 Councilman in early 2022, after the former Ward 4 councilwoman, Jane Goodman, retired at the end of her term, Dec. 31, 2021.
Although Goodman had announced her retirement in advance, there were no Ward 4 candidates on the November, 2021 ballot. Fahsbender, after his 2022 appointment, had to face election in November, 2023, but had no opponents.
In this year’s election of ward council representatives, Ward 3 Councilwoman Sara Continenza is also running unopposed for her third term.