Cuyahoga County Council picked a new president and held a swearing-in ceremony, with three new council members taking their seats on the 11-member body.
Outgoing Council President Pernel Jones nominated Dale Miller who received unanimous support from the ten other council members on the first vote. Jones was reelected in November and will retain his seat for another four years.
Miller, who represents Lakewood, Brook Park and parts of Cleveland’s West Side, is just the fourth council president since the body’s creation 14 years ago.
“Our success going forward will be in maximizing the capability of all 11 of us, with the help of our excellent staff,” Miller said. “Our focus will be on making lives better in our community.”
Miller laid out a long list of priorities for his two-year term: improving call center service; protecting children; making housing and mental health care more affordable; increasing economic opportunity; improving health care and education; eliminating disparities; and reducing violence, opiate fatalities and lead poisoning.
Miller was previously the chair of council’s finance committee, which has authority over the county’s budget. Councilmember Yvonne Conwell was named vice president, also by a unanimous vote. Miller said appointments to committee chairs will be made at a later date.
Miller is one of the original members of council from when it was created in 2011.
The three new council members sworn in Thursday are Michael Houser in District 10, which includes Cleveland Heights and East Cleveland; Mark Casselberry in District 4, which includes Parma and Middleburg Heights; and Robert Schleper in District 6, which covers several suburbs on the county’s eastern and southern edges, including Solon and Independence.
Schleper was the only new member who ran against an incumbent, defeating Republican Jack Schron in a close race. The only Republican remaining on council is District 5 Councilmember Michael Gallagher.
Later this year, council will have to consider a detailed plan and price tag for the new jail that will be built in Garfield Heights, in Councilmember Jones’ district. It may also be formally asked, through the introduction of legislation, to support the construction of a new stadium for the Cleveland Browns in Brook Park, which is located in part of Council President Miller’s district.
