CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Monday marked a new chapter for the city of Cleveland Heights as its second mayor has now officially taken office.
Dozens gathered inside City Hall as Jim Petras was sworn in by former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Melody Stewart.
"Do you feel ready for the job?" I asked Petras Monday night.
Petras said, "You can never be too ready. I look forward to listening and learning from staff members and being able to be a good leader for our city."
By his side as he was sworn in were his mother and father, who Petras says are very proud of him.
Prior to Petras' win in November, Cleveland Heights constantly found itself in the headlines.
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Former and Cleveland Heights' first-ever mayor, Kahlil Seren, was recalled from office by almost 7,000 voters.
His removal came after months of frustration stemming from a delayed 2024 budget and high staff turnover to a civil rights complaint filed against the city for Seren's wife's alleged anti-Semitic remarks.
A lawsuit was also filed against the city and Seren's wife for discrimination.
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Although a year filled with turmoil for this city, the new mayor and its residents are ready to leave it all in the past.
"I think there are so many people in our city who are excited to turn the page and start a new chapter, and I'm very grateful that I could take the proverbial baton and carry it forward for our city," Petras said.
While Petras has been in office for less than 24 hours, he's already hitting the ground running.
Within an hour of his swearing-in ceremony, he attended the first city council meeting of the year.
Two new council members, Jessica Cohen and Joe DeWitt-Foy, were sworn in at the meeting.
No legislation was heard on Monday.
Petras, however, is ready to get the ball rolling on the future of this city.
"We just completed our 2023 audit, and we have a plan for completing our 2024 and 2025 audits. I'm also very focused on our core city services, so our roads... grateful that our city council has more than doubled our funding for road resurfacing this year. I want to support things like our parks and the community center so that families have great places to gather," Petras said.
Petras said he's grateful for the smooth transition of power he's experienced.
"Since being elected, I have spent a lot of time here at City Hall listening and learning from staff members, trying to understand the status of projects, and I could not be more grateful for how helpful all the staff members are," Petras said. "No one can do this alone. No one can prepare for taking on this job alone, and so I couldn't be more grateful that the staff have been so helpful."
His interim predecessor, Tony Cuda, was re-elected onto council.
Petras said qualities of Cuda's that he will carry over into his term are the willingness to collaborate and listen.
The next city council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 20.
