New Mayor In Beachwood: It's Official

BEACHWOOD, OH — The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections released its official election results this week. For the first since 1995, Beachwood will have a new mayor.

Current Mayor Merle S. Gorden was defeated by City Council President Martin S. Horwitz in a tightly contested race on Nov. 7. The final tally has Horwitz beating Gorden by less than 100 votes.

The results released Tuesday morning are as follows:

• Merle S. Gorden . . . . . . . . 1,583 36.88
• Martin S. Horwitz. . . . . . . . 1,616 37.65
• Mitchel Luxenburg. . . . . . . . 1,093 25.47

The difference between winning and losing was less than 1 percent of the total vote. Based on the Board of Election's final tally, Horwitz received 37.65 percent of the vote. Gorden received 36.88 percent of the vote.

A recount would have been triggered if the difference between the two voting counts was more than .5 percent.

Pending certification of the results, Horwitz will take office as mayor on Jan. 1, 2018. That means he will vacate his current position as city council president.

During his campaign, Horwitz reportedly cited traffic congestion on Beachwood's main streets and the mayor's salary as major issues, according to the Cleveland Jewish News. Horwitz helped reduce the mayoral salary by $20,000.

Gorden had been the longest serving mayor in Beachwood history. He was one of three long-serving Northeast Ohio mayors that lost elections Nov. 7. Brook Park Mayor Tom Coyne and University Heights Mayor Susan Infeld also lost their contests.

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