Meet the non-incumbent CH council candidates

There will be at least one new face on council in January 2012. Although the four nonincumbents running agree on some things, each would bring a different perspective to council.

Mary Dunbar is running for council again, after losing her 2009 bid by 219 votes. A 41-year resident of Cleveland Heights who spent 22 years working in investor relations, she believes her knowledge of the community, as well as her financial and communications expertise would make her an effective council member. "I’m used to managing projects and having them come in on budget," she said.

As cofounder of the Cleveland Heights Bicycle Coalition, Dunbar wants to make Cleveland Heights a more bicycle-friendly community, which she said is what "people are wanting now." She also served as president of the Fairfax Elementary Parent-Teacher Association and has helped in the effort to add the Shaker Farm neighborhood to the National Register of Historic Places.

She considers attracting more residents and businesses to Cleveland Heights to be the most important issue the city faces, and that city government needs to work more closely with the school district, nearby cities, and residents to make this happen.

Keba Sylla also ran unsuccessfully for council in 2009. A 15-year resident of Cleveland Heights and an officer on the citizen advisory committee, he has a Ph.D. in public administration and an M.B.A. in criminal justice studies. He believes his experience in these fields would help him "bring a new leadership" to city council.

Sylla said safety and security would be his top priorities, and that he would focus not only on responding to crimes but also on preventing them. He also said government transparency was an important issue and pledged to hold regular meetings for the purpose of hearing from residents about their concerns, as well as informing them of council’s actions.

Making all CH residents feel included economically, socially, and culturally is important. "I would like to make sure people understand . . . I’m here to fight for them and for the city of Cleveland Heights," he said.

Jeff Coryell is running for council for the first time. A 17-year resident of Cleveland Heights, he served as an assistant attorney general and provided legal counsel to AIDS patients and the homeless, pro bono, before giving up his legal career to become an artist. The former president of the Cleveland Heights Democrats, he worked on the presidential campaigns of both John Kerry and Barack Obama.

Coryell believes the city needs a strategic vision for development and sustainability. He listed public safety, becoming more environmentally friendly, external marketing, improving and promoting public schools, and "work[ing] harder to aggressively pursue citizen engagement" as among his top priorities.

In addition, Coryell said his experience as an artist gives him a perspective that is different from those of the other council members. He sees himself as "a liaison to the arts community," someone who could help "promote Cleveland Heights as a true home to the arts."

Mike Gaynier has lived in Cleveland Heights for only four years, but said he "really loved" the community since he first moved to the region in 2001. He has been the board chair of the Home Repair Resource Center for three years. Anticipating the coming budget cuts to Community Block Development Grants, he helped the organization transition to a private funding model.

Gaynier said he thinks his big-picture mentality would be helpful on council, as well as his skill at facilitating collaboration. "I have an ability to help people, bring them together to find innovative solutions to challenging problems," he said.

In addition to supporting public schools and encouraging regional collaboration, he sees maintaining the vitality of successful business districts while encouraging the development of others (particularly along Taylor Road) as key to the city’s future success.