Cuyahoga County Council appears to be getting three new councilmembers, after two open seats were won by Democrats and one Democrat holds a narrow lead over a Republican incumbent, with that contest headed to an automatic recount if the slim margin holds after remaining ballots are counted.
Chagrin Falls School Board member and former teacher Robert Schleper has a 17-vote lead — according to unofficial results — over incumbent Jack Schron in the 6th District, which includes Chagrin Falls, Hunting Valley, Independence, Mayfield, Valley View and Brooklyn Heights.
Schron has served on council since the new county government was first seated in 2011. He was an opponent of a recent sales tax extension to fund construction of a new county jail, arguing the extension should go up for a public vote first.
Any election with a margin of less than 0.5% of the total votes cast gets an automatic recount, according to state law. Close to 61,000 votes were cast in the District 6 race.
Certified results, including all provisional and vote-by-mail ballots, are expected on November 20.
If the result holds and Schron loses his seat, Michael Gallagher will be the only Republican among council’s 11 members.
Mark Casselberry, a Democrat from Parma City Council, will take the District 4 seat recently vacated by Scott Tuma and temporarily held by his appointed replacement, Michael Byrne.
Tuma left council earlier this year after winning an election as law director for the city of Parma.
And in District 10, which includes Cleveland Heights, University Heights, East Cleveland and Bratenahl, Michael Houser easily defeated his Republican opponent. Houser is taking over the seat held by Cheryl Stephens, who did not seek reelection.
Houser previously ran against Stephens for the seat and lost and was later critical of council for the way it divided American Rescue Plan Act dollars among members to largely choose on their own how to spend.
