CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Cleveland Heights' first-ever mayor, Kahlil Seren, will be removed and replaced with an interim mayor after an overwhelming vote to recall him was certified by the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
RELATED: Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren recalled, according to unofficial election results
The recall petition was verified by the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in late June.
It then appeared on the September ballot.
Cleveland Heights has a rough population of 44,000 people.
The recall, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections' count, was voted on by 8,428 people.
Of that, 6,926 registered voters agreed that Seren should be removed from office.
That means only 15% of Cleveland Heights voted to boot Seren.
"I don't want anybody to think that low voter turnout is a problem that's unique to Northeast Ohio," Cuyahoga County Board of Elections Community Outreach Department Manager Mike West told me. "Fewer and fewer people are participating in the democratic process."
West said more community outreach is needed across the country.
"There are a long list of excuses that people make as to why they don't vote. People say 'my vote doesn't count,' and we can parade out example after example, even in some fairly large races where there were tie votes or just one or two votes made the difference," West said.
West explained it's common to see in primaries that only 20% of a county is voting.
In Cuyahoga County, there are more than 895,000 registered voters, but fewer than 22,000 people voted in the September primary this year.
"One of the presentations we do is called connecting the dots because we think a lot of people have forgotten or never learned that there are people at all levels of government, from municipal on up to federal, that have staff that are just waiting to answer your phone calls and help you. I think people need to know who's responsible for state programs, federal programs, city programs, and things like that. The short answer to the question, I think, is awareness and reminders and things of that nature," West said.
Now that a small percentage of Cleveland Heights has decided to remove Seren from office, who will take over?
Once the certified votes are delivered to City Hall at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, City Council President Tony Cuda will be sworn in as Cleveland Heights' interim mayor at 9 a.m.
"Do you feel prepared?," I asked him.
"You know, I do. I do. I've spent time with a small group of people, like my advisers, and I've also had two staff meetings that I've been included in. I've met with directors privately, you know, so pretty ready to go," Cuda told me.
Cuda said he will present a plan on Wednesday for his short term as mayor.
Cuda's priorities are creating and providing a smooth transition for the next mayor by the end of the year, finalizing the city's budget in November, and bringing calmness to City Hall.
However, the calm water Cuda was hoping for became choppy in Seren's 11th hour as mayor as he fired longtime city Law Director Bill Hanna.
Hanna was fired for a potential breach in confidentiality as well as allegedly partaking in conflicts of interest.
Seren's Communications Director, Frances Collazo, provided Hanna's termination letter, which included several communications that are listed as private and confidential.
About two hours after sending the termination letter, Collazo said, "These were released with Bill Hanna’s termination letter, inadvertently, without seeking prior authorization from the Cleveland Heights City Council. Typically, the authority to waive attorney-client privilege is vested with the legislative body of the political subdivision that holds the privilege. We respectfully request that these emails not be released until the Law Department can determine whether their privileged status was properly waived."
Collazo said the city's law department would follow up with the media by 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
Regardless of this latest firing, Cuda said nothing will distract from what's to come for Cleveland Heights.
"People are going to see tomorrow what my plan is. We're going to make it as positive as we can," Cuda said. "I'm gonna be visiting all the city buildings and saying hello to all the city workers. I want to make them feel energized."
Once Cuda is sworn in as the Cleveland Heights interim mayor, that means his council president seat will become vacant.
City Council will have 45 days to select a sitting council member to take on the role of council president.
Cuda is still running for a city council seat next year and hopes to be selected to hold the position of President again in the future.
In the upcoming general election, two candidates are up for a vote to become the next Cleveland Heights mayor: Jim Petras and Davida Russell.
Their primary votes show the pair is neck and neck.
West said the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is rolling out its voter education in stages to better prepare people for the November election.
"We work with the media, and also every household with a registered voter, except for Newburgh Heights, will get a voter guide in the mail," West said. "That is kind of the first alarm bell that we try to ring. Hey everybody, there's going to be an election. Choose your voting method and get prepared. Voting is more than just marking a mark on a ballot and filling in a circle. It means something. It means you care about your community, you care about your county, your state, your country. For young people, it should be a rite of passage. Get registered and vote. You're part of the bigger community."
The general election will happen on Nov. 4.
