Shaker Mayor Earl Leiken Accepts New Position, Will Resign Post

SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH — Mayor Earl Leiken will resign his post to become Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish's Chief of Staff. Leiken has been mayor of Shaker Heights since 2008.

“I am delighted to say that Earl Leiken has agreed to come on board as my new Chief of Staff,” said Budish in a press release. “Earl has a long and storied career here in Cleveland. His leadership as Mayor of Shaker Heights has been exemplary and visionary. I am looking forward to having Earl here as part of my leadership team as we take our strategic plan and bring it to life.”

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.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with Armond Budish to help him achieve his important goals as County Executive and am also extremely pleased to be working with members of County Council and the staff," Leiken said.

"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.”

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 on 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.

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