Lakewood City Council is soliciting applicants for the seat to be vacated by Ward 4 councilman Dan O’Malley, who also serves as the body’s president.
In a letter to council’s clerk earlier this week, O’Malley formalized his resignation from the suburb’s seven-member legislature. His resignation will take effect May 1. His replacement will serve the remainder of his term, which expires on Dec. 31, 2023.
O’Malley serves by day as the Executive Secretary of the North Shore AFL-CIO. He had announced previously that he intended to resign from council in order to accept a board seat on the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, where he had been appointed by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb. That board’s bylaws stipulate that its members may not hold public office, a stipulation now complicating the re-appointment of former board member Dave Wondolowski.
Applicants for O’Malley’s seat must be registered voters in the City of Lakewood and have lived in the city for at least a year to qualify. The council is broken up into four ward-based and three at-large members. O’Malley represented Ward 4, the city’s eastern flank. Applicants must be Ward 4 residents to apply. Those interested should submit a cover letter and resume to the council clerk at council@lakewoodoh.net.
O’Malley’s replacement as Council President has not yet been decided, but it is presumed that the body’s Vice President, John Litten, will take over after a vote among his colleagues.
This article appears in Apr 20 – May 3, 2022.