- What is City Council?
- What are the responsibilities of City Council?
- Who is on City Council?
- When does City Council meet?
- What are the other elected offices in Shaker Heights?
- How do I contact City Hall?
- Where do I vote?
What is City Council?
City Council is the legislative body in Shaker Heights government. Its powers derive from the City Charter, first adopted in 1931. There are seven elected members on City Council. Members serve four year terms. Council terms are staggered in that four members are elected in the same year as the Mayor with the other three members elected two years later. As mandated by the City Charter, City Council members serve at-large, thus there are no wards or districts in Shaker Heights. In addition, the City Charter states that all elections are non-partisan. Political party affiliations are not allowed on the ballot. There are no municipal election primaries in Shaker Heights. Depending on the year, the three or four candidates receiving the most votes in the general election are elected to Council.
Find the City Charter at http://www.shakeronline.com/cityhall/documents/
What are the responsibilities of City Council?
As the legislative body of Shaker Heights city government, City Council has two important roles – (1) annual approval of the city budget and (2) additions and modifications to the city’s laws contained in the Codified Ordinances. Under certain circumstances Council also approves contracts, use permits, and real estate transactions. City plans are also brought to Council for adoption. The Shaker Heights Codified Ordinances can be found at http://www.shakeronline.com/cityhall/documents/
City Council members are also your representatives in city government. Questions, comments and concerns regarding city related issues, programs or services can be directed to any or all Council members.
Who is on City Council?
There are seven members of City Council.
Brian Gleisser (term ends 2009)
Lynn Ruffner (term ends 2009)
Rob Zimmerman (term ends 2009)
Jim Brady (term ends 2011)
Al Foster (term ends 2011)
Nancy Moore (term ends 2011)
Earl Williams, Jr. (term ends 2011)
More information about City Council members can be found at http://www.shakeronline.com/cityhall/council/
When does City Council meet?
City Council meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month in City Council Chambers, located on the second floor of City Hall, 3400 Lee Road.
The second Monday meeting is a more informal Work Session, with the meeting typically devoted to an in-depth discussion of a small number of topics. These meetings begin at 7 PM.
The fourth Monday meeting is the formal City Council meeting with a full agenda typically addressing a number of items and issues. These meetings begin at 7:30 PM. At the beginning of these meetings, the public has an opportunity to comment on any item on the agenda. At the end of the meeting, the public has another opportunity to comment on any topic, whether on the agenda or not.
Agendas and minutes for City Council meetings can be found at http://www.shakeronline.com/cityhall/agendas/
What are the other elected offices in Shaker Heights?
Other elected offices in Shaker Heights include Mayor, Judge and School Board.
Mayor Earl Leiken serves a four year term. He was first elected in 2007 and his current term ends in 2011. http://www.shakeronline.com/cityhall/mayor/
Judge K. J. Montgomery serves a six year term. She was first elected in 1993 and her current term ends in 2011. The Shaker Heights Municipal Court serves five municipalities: Shaker Heights, University Heights, Beachwood, Pepper Pike and Hunting Valley.
http://www.shakerheightscourt.org/home/
The Shaker Heights School Board has five members who serve four year terms. Elections for the School Board are held on a staggered basis with three members elected in one year and two members elected two years later. School Board members include:
Norman Bliss (term ends 2009)
F. Drexel Feeling (term ends 2009)
Annette Tucker Sutherland (term ends 2009)
Freda Levenson (term ends 2011)
Peter Robertson (term ends 2011)
http://www.shaker.org/about/directory/board.htm
How do I contact City Hall?
The general phone number for City Hall is (216) 491-1410. The operator can direct your inquiry to the appropriate department. The address for City Hall is 3400 Lee Road, Shaker Heights, Ohio 44120.
Contacts and descriptions for all city departments can be found online at http://www.shakeronline.com/dept/
Where do I vote?
Click on http://boe.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/voters.aspx to enter your street name and identify your polling location.
Absentee ballots can also be requested from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. Click on http://boe.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/vote-by-mail.aspx to get information on obtaining an absentee ballot.