A Fourth Woodmere Council Member Is Out As Final Recall Votes Are Tallied

All the votes are finally in and four Woodmere Village Council members are out.

Woodmere Village Councilman Craig D. Wade was recalled on a 91-88 vote, after seven outstanding ballots were counted in the Feb. 23 Woodmere recall election. Before those mail-in ballots were added to the tally, it seemed Wade would hold on to his seat – with a slim, two-vote majority.

Four of the village’s seven council members lost their jobs in the recall election in the tiny East Side suburb of about 700 where a group of residents calling themselves “The Woodmere Project” accused the council members of standing in the way of village projects.

Among the issues were disputes between the council and Mayor Benjamin Holbert over $265,000 in state and Cuyahoga County grant funding for a sidewalk project and maintenance of the village website.

Council President Jennifer Mitchell Earley lost her seat by 20 votes. Councilwomen Lisa Brockwell and Glenda Todd Miller lost by 14 and nine votes, respectively.

The remaining three council members now have 40 days to interview and agree on new members. If an agreement cannot be reached by what’s left of the village council, the mayor will appoint new members.