ELECTION WRAP-UP: Cervenik wins third mayoral term; Voters replace two council members

In a campaign that saw the main contenders punching and counter-punching in the final weeks, Euclid Mayor Bill Cervenik topped a four-candidate field to earn a third four-year term in office. But the victory didn’t come quite as easily as he expected earlier in the year.

            Cervenik, a lifelong Euclid resident and former City Council president, got 6,492 votes in the Nov. 8 election to outdraw runner-up Charlene Mancuso, a former councilwoman who was picked on 4,193 ballots. Mancuso, a registered nurse who has held executive positions at Cleveland MetroHealth, ran a hard and clearly well-financed campaign.

            Finishing third in the mayoral contest was Jack Johnson, the former city finance director who had hoped to become Euclid’s first black mayor. He won the support of 2,479 voters, while political neophyte Chris Litwinowicz garnered just 278 votes.

            “Considering all the challenges, I’m very pleased with our victory margin,” said Mayor Cervenik, who first won the mayor’s post in 2003. “The voters spoke loud and clear, saying that they support the policies of this administration as well as the direction we’re headed and the progress that we’ve made. They want to see it continue—and it will.”

            A certified public accountant, Cervenik has kept a close eye on the city budget to keep things in balance and minimize the need for new city taxes. He has said that he wants to continue pushing economic development initiatives, such as the effort to attract firms to the recently established Bluestone Business Park on the former Chase Brass/PMX property.

            In response to a question posed prior to the election, Mayor Cervenik stated: “We have created an atmosphere of trust and cooperation with the business community; formed partnerships with federal, state, and county development departments; and have used regional organizations such as Team N.E.O. to help our existing business expand and new business to locate here.”

            In the races for Euclid City Council seats, two incumbent council members were upset by challengers. In Ward 5, Patrick McLaughlin defeated incumbent Michael O’Neill, 908 votes to 746. And in Ward 4, Scott Lynch, the son of former Euclid Mayor David Lynch, edged incumbent Mary Jo Minarik, 808 votes to 714. Larry Germovsek, a retired Euclid police officer, finished third with 262 votes.

            McLaughlin, who last year ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the newly-created Cuyahoga County Council, said “tenacity” was a key factor in winning this time around. “I kept at it,” he explained. “I personally talked to a lot of people, walking house-to-house every night that I could. I might have gotten even more votes if it hadn’t rained so much.”

            A Kent State University graduate and sales engineer for a Cleveland manufacturing firm, McLaughlin has served on a Euclid City Advisory Committee that deals with block grants. He is also a member of an industry advisory board at Kent State’s College of Technology.

            Seven unopposed candidates were also elected to City Council posts: Council President Kirsten Holzheimer-Gail, David Gilliham (Ward 1), Madeline Scarniench (Ward 2), Kandace Jones (Ward 3), James O’Hare (Ward 6), Daryl Langman (Ward 7), and Greg Van Ho (Ward 8). All but O’Hare were running as incumbents.

            In his campaign, O’Hare cited “aggressive utilization of land bank techniques” as one of the keys to addressing the problem of abandoned homes and neglected properties. On the subject of lakefront development, he stated: “It can’t just be done, it has to be done well. Our lakefront has to have a signature different from Wickliffe, Cleveland, or anyone.”

            Deborah LeBarron, Euclid’s Municipal Court Judge for the past 13 years, won re-election with 7,587 votes. Challenger Barry Sweet finished with 4,662. One of LeBarron’s accomplishments as judge has been to fully computerize the court’s records.

            In the race for two Euclid Board of Education seats, incumbents Kay Van Ho and Kathy DeAngelis were returned to their posts. In a new twist—due to pressure from the U.S. Justice Department—voters were permitted to cast their ballots for only one of the four school board candidates.

            Van Ho, whose 24 years of service is the second-longest tenure in Euclid school board history, led the way with 4,770 votes, followed by DeAngelis (2,740), Evette Moton (2,394), and Dennis Johnson (1,847).

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(NOTE: You should have photos of Mancuso and McLaughlin in your system; they were on my chip the last time you downloaded. Mancuso is pictured campaigning at a Euclid YMCA event (seated at a table and talking to a prospective voter). McLaughlin is pictured holding a guitar; the photo was taken during an outdoor performance at Briardale's Sticks Pub & Grille. Also on my chip was a photo of one of the life-sized Jack Johnson cut-outs; a campaign worker was holding it up on a city street corner.... Also, a couple of months ago, I turned in a photo of Mayor Cervenik during an appearance at the Euclid Y. It was a print photo rather than a digital one. The photo, showing Cervenik standing next to YMCA Executive Director John Reid, was taken by Mark DeRubies....  IF YOU WANT ME TO BRING MY CHIP BACK IN TO HELP IDENTIFY THE PICTURES, LET ME KNOW. PHONE ME AT  216-486-0201-- J.S)