Mayor Kahlil Seren fell short of the necessary signature threshold by 39, leading to five candidates vying to succeed him in the September primary election.
In Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Mayor Kahlil Seren disclosed on Monday that he could not seek reelection due to insufficient signatures for ballot access.
The development came after months of controversy that included an attempt to recall him from his seat.
With all the tension surrounding Cleveland Heights, you might forget that having a mayor at all is a very new concept for the city.
The city charter was revised by Cleveland Heights voters in 2019, transitioning from a city manager to a directly elected mayor. Subsequently, Seren made history as the city’s first elected mayor after securing 60% of the votes in the election that followed two years later.
But over the course of his four-year term, public opinion of Seren changed dramatically amid allegations his wife created a hostile work environment in City Hall and made antisemitic comments against city employees.
Now, he won’t be on the September ballot.
Seren spoke at a town hall event on Monday night, visibly emotional after he missed the required number of signatures to get on the ballot by just 39.
With Seren out of the mix, these will be five candidates for Cleveland Heights voters to pick from in the September primary:
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Deanna Bremer Fisher — former executive director of Future Heights, a community development group in the area.
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Marty Gelfand — an attorney and former South Euclid City Councilman.
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Laura Kingsley Hong — a Cleveland Heights trial attorney.
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And two current Cleveland Heights city councilmembers — Jim Petras and Davida Russell.
Russell’s term on city council will expire at the end of this year, while Petras’ term goes through the end of 2027.
The mayoral primary will take place on September 9. The two candidates with the most votes from the primary will move on to the November 4 general election.
Meanwhile, as the five candidates lean into their campaigns, a group of Cleveland Heights residents are still working to recall Seren. We asked one of those organizers whether he regretted opting in for the mayoral form of government back in 2019.
He said no, adding that the city just needs someone different.
