CH Mayor-elect Seren on election and government transition

Cleveland Heights Mayor-elect Kahlil Seren.

Thank you, Cleveland Heights.

I am immensely grateful for the faith that you have placed in me, and acutely aware of the responsibility I’ve been given as the first mayor elected in Cleveland Heights.

It’s been about one month since one of the most consequential elections in our city’s history. Our community answered this historic question of leadership with resounding support for my candidacy. This support provided a clear mandate to govern and to lead our city through the necessary changes that make progress possible.

Our first mayoral election is over; now the work of creating an administration begins.

As mayor-elect, I have been working with our city manager and city council to lay the foundation for our new executive branch of municipal government. In consultation with the current administration and several trusted advisors, I have been developing improvements in the structure of the executive branch that will help us better address the challenges, and take advantage of the opportunities, that lie ahead.

I have introduced to council a proposed salary range for the Charter-created City Administrator position, and the city will be releasing a newly developed job posting this year, so that my administration and the new council can hit the ground running next year to confirm and onboard my second-in-command with no delay.

It will be necessary to round out the team with some new Directors—job postings are forthcoming. Of note, following the election, our current chief of police has decided to stay on initially, as part of my administration.

I ran on a platform of government efficiency because I know our performance must improve, even as we contend with scarce public resources. Those improvements mean making changes that advance our goals of consistently high-quality service to our residents, inclusive and transparent decision-making that reflects common values, and earning back our reputation as a forward-thinking, interconnected, and invigorating place to live and work.

I want all of you to know that I am here for YOU. To represent you, I must know what matters to you. I expect to hear from you often; the new administration is already working to strengthen multiple avenues for timely, unfiltered communication. I will be resuming online Sunday office hours, effective Dec. 5, so that residents can interface with me directly now and into the new year.

We’ve waited long enough, so let’s get started—I’m looking forward to the new Cleveland Heights we create together.