BEACHWOOD, Ohio — The mayor of Beachwood is being investigated by city council and could be removed from office, according to Beachwood's City Council agenda.
Mayor Martin Horwitz said city council began an investigation into comments he allegedly made.
The city council confirmed they were investigating Horwitz but would not say what the alleged comments were.
Horwitz released the following statement about the investigation:
"On August 22, 2019, Beachwood City Council began an investigation into comments I am alleged to have made. Based on the posted agenda for the Council meeting of October 30, 2019, I understand that Council plans to review a summary of the investigation and consider next steps.
I have been informally made aware of these allegations. Based on what I have been told, the allegations are a mix of misconstrued comments, statements taken out of context, and complete untruths. To be clear, nobody has claimed that I touched them inappropriately, said anything overtly sexual to them, propositioned them, or demeaned them. To the contrary, since taking office, I have demonstrated the highest levels of respect, appreciation, and support for our staff. This is not only a personal value of mine, but something I consider essential to our City’s success.
As a lifetime Beachwood resident and elected official for 24 years, I look forward to a public airing of this matter in order to clear my name. My record of service over many years, working with countless individuals to advance our community and improve Beachwood residents’ quality of life, speaks for itself. I encourage City Council and our residents to closely examine the facts in this matter. I’m confident that they will show that I have done nothing wrong, and that these claims are baseless."
A special council that is leading the investigation is meeting with Beachwood officials on Wednesday.
