Meet 4 Finalists For Vacant Cleveland Heights City Council Seat

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — Cleveland Heights City Council has selected four finalists for a vacant position on the council. Melissa Yasinow resigned her position on March 2, opening the spot.

The four finalists are Craig Cobb, Anthony Cuda, Anthony Mattox, Jr. and Robert Koonce. Each candidate will have take part in a virtual interview with city council in the next two weeks. The interviews will take place in executive session, meaning they will not be viewable by the public.

After the interviews are complete, city council will select Yasinow's replacement and then make plans for a swearing-in ceremony, according to Mayor Jason Stein.

The applications and initial interviews with each candidate, including the four finalists, have been shared on the city's website. Here are more details on each finalist:

• Craig Cobb — A longtime Cleveland Heights resident, lawyer and frequent member of various city boards and commissions, including the Charter Review Commission, the Planning Commission, and the board of Future Heights. Cobb briefly served as a city councilperson in 2019 and was once an assistant law director for the city of Cleveland. He wants to improve infrastructure and redevelop Severance Center.
• Anthony Cuda — Another longtime resident, Heights High graduate and activist and campaign chair with the Citizens for an Elected Mayor campaign. Cuda is a history teacher with Fuchs Mizrachi School and once worked for Cleveland Council President Jay Westbrook. He has also campaigned for Cleveland Heights City Council members. He wants to redevelop Severance Center and recruit additional business to the city and modernize Cleveland Heights' waste management.
• Robert Koonce — The chief development officer for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio and a longtime resident of Cleveland Heights. Koonce has served on the boards of Lake Erie Ink, Home Repair Resource Center and the Ko K Yo Foundation. He wants to recruit 10,000 new residents to the city.
• Anthony Mattox, Jr. — The founder and senior pastor of the Empowerment Church in East Cleveland, Mattox has lived in Cleveland Heights for nearly four decades. He has lived in both the Noble and Coventry neighborhoods and currently oversees a staff of 35. He is a member of the Cleveland Heights Planning Commission and is a board member for Future Heights. He wants to strengthen and develop the Noble neighborhood and bolster other neighborhoods in the city.

"Every member of the Council reviewed all applicants and their videos, and we spent time deliberating on which candidates we felt would bring the most to the position. I want to be clear that everyone who applied has demonstrated a strong commitment to our city and the willingness to volunteer their time for the betterment of our city. I’d like to personally thank each of them," Stein said in an open letter to the community.