CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Cleveland Heights residents have voted to recall Mayor Kahlil Seren, according to unofficial election results from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
The recall comes as Seren has been under the microscope of scrutiny for months, stemming from a civil rights complaint regarding his wife, a discrimination lawsuit, a delayed 2025 budget process and high staff turnover.
Residents who voted in the primary election told us they felt confident in their work over the last few months to oust Seren from office.
"No one is ever going to be gleeful about this because it's difficult when a community goes through a dysfunctional situation like this, but I feel like our work was validated," said Eileen Rammerman, member of the Cleveland Heights Recall Committee.
For months, the recall committee campaign team has worked to remove Seren, with the recall petitioned by residents earlier this year after a former city employee filed a complaint claiming that the mayor and his wife created a hostile work environment at city hall.
On Tuesday's primary, the team gathered to watch the fate of the city's recall, and by the end of the night, although the votes were unofficial, they were happy with the outcome.
"I am really proud of the results so far and what it says about the people of Cleveland Heights doing what needs to be done to protect our city employees and to stabilize city operations and to ensure fiscal responsibility moving forward," said Josie Moore, Cleveland Heights Recall Committee member.
Earlier Tuesday, News 5 spoke to Seren about the recall.
"I'm just really hoping that the people of Cleveland Heights can come out and recognize this recall effort for what it is, which is a misguided attempt to correct a problem that does not exist. In fact, it could increase the amount of problems and chaos that we have in the city by installing a temporary mayor in place," Seren said.
During that interview, the mayor told us that he does not believe the people who would take on this are well-equipped to do the job well.
"I'm going to have to do a whole lot of work really, really quickly in order to try to, i don't know, defray some of the harm that will happen when that temporary mayor takes office. I'm going to have to do a lot of work to make sure that my staff is able to make that transition," Seren said.
Seren will remain in office until the votes have been verified.
On Wednesday, Seren issued the following statement about the recall:
"Cleveland Heights voters made their voices heard in yesterday's recall election. Turnout was approximately 24%, bringing home an important point about how we make our collective decisions by either actively participating or staying home.
Though I believe that the result of this vote will have negative consequences for our city government, I respect that this was the voters’ decision to make. My focus now is to ensure a steady and orderly transition to the interim mayor, so that City services and ongoing initiatives are not disrupted. With only a few months remaining until the next elected mayor takes office, our teams will continue serving residents while I work with City leadership to prepare for what’s next.
What happens next: The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is scheduled to certify the Sept. 9 election on Thursday, September 25. Upon delivery of that certification, under the City Charter, the Council President will serve the remainder of the mayoral term through year-end, and Council will vote to select a new Council President and to fill the vacancy. It has been an honor and an education to serve as Mayor of Cleveland Heights. Together, we have made significant progress over the last three and a half years, and I am proud of what we have accomplished. I will do everything in my power to leave the City strong, stable, and prepared for the future."
On Nov. 4, residents will cast their ballots to elect a new mayor. That election will come down to a choice between Jim Petras and Davida Russell, who led the field among five people running for the top city seat, according to unofficial election results.
