Mayor's Last Shaker State Of The City Address Set For March 15

SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH — Mayor Earl Leiken will deliver his final state of the city address for Shaker Heights on March 15. In an event held at the Stephanie Tubbs Community Center, residents will be able to ask the departing mayor questions and even bid him adieu.

The event will last about 90 minutes, starting at 7 p.m. The Greater Cleveland Shaker Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters is sponsoring the event.

Leiken is expected to discuss the city's current state of affairs and projects that are in motion to further boost Shaker Height's profile. Questions for the event will be moderated by Steven Litt of the Plain Dealer.

More information on the event can be found by clicking here. The event is free and open to the public.

Leiken announced in early February that he would resign his post to become Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish's Chief of Staff. Leiken has been mayor of Shaker Heights since 2008. Leiken will begin his new position on April 1. Shaker Heights City Council will need to vote on an interim mayor. For now, the city's Vice Mayor, Anne Williams, will serve in the role.

"As a mayor, I am keenly aware of the fact that many of the most important challenges to our area's future can be addressed most effectively at the regional and county level. I am deeply grateful to the residents of Shaker Heights for the opportunity to serve them as mayor for over 10 years and want to assure them of a smooth and successful transition to my successor," Leiken said in a statement.

With Leiken departing, the changing of the east side suburbs mayoral guard continues. In November 2016, Beachwood ousted long-serving Mayor Merle Gorden, in favor of City Council President Martin Horwitz. In the same election, University Heights elected Michael Brennan to Mayor, replacing Susan Infeld.

While neighboring Cleveland Heights also replaced its mayor, Cheryl Stephens, that city runs a different form of government, with Tanisha Briley serving as City Manager.

Still, with Leiken's pending departure, nearly every major near east Cleveland suburb has replaced its mayor, including Cleveland Heights, University Heights, Beachwood and now Shaker Heights. Even Solon got a new mayor during the 2016 election.

Photo from Google Earth