The Grove.jpg
Bruce Rinker will not seek re-election this year after 22 years as Mayfield Mayor. The Grove amphitheater was one of his final projects, many of which involved improving and creating outdoor public spaces in the village.
(Mayfield Village)
MAYFIELD, Ohio -- Mayfield Mayor Bruce Rinker will not seek re-election in November after 22 years at the helm, he announced in a statement Friday.
Rinker cited his commitment to his role as a Cleveland Metroparks commissioner, a job he was appointed to in 2010, and the need for fresh leadership in the village.
That was one of the Hillcrest stories you might have missed last week. Here are more:
Rinker to retire: Progressive Insurance's Mayfield headquarters ballooned and the village's tax base quintupled during Rinker's tenure, he wrote in the statement.
The cash flow afforded Rinker the ability to focus on the village's public lands. His administration replenished wetlands, built paths and pedestrian access under SOM Center Road, and most recently completed a long-anticipated outdoor amphitheater and multi-use trail.
Rinker, 64, was council president when he stepped in to fill a mayoral vacancy in February 1993, and has run unopposed since at least 2003. Rinker said he plans to continue living in the village and working as a lawyer for Mansour, Gavin, Gerlack & Manos in Cleveland.
Kosher grocery proposed for Mayfield Road: A New York businessman wants to open an upscale kosher grocery store on the empty lot next to Tesla Motors on Mayfield Road.
The lot was a car dealership for more than a quarter-century and has sat empty since Tesla electric car company began leasing the space next door in November.
A representative for the developer said he couldn't give many details, but the store would be "not unlike a Heinen's," with prepared foods, a bakery, "fish, meats, everything.
The Lyndhurst planning commission approved a lot split for the project Thursday. The decision is subject to council approval. Council, the planning commission and architectural review board will also have to sign off on final site plans.
South Euclid Democrats want to make early endorsements: South Euclid Democrats want to endorse candidates for council and mayor before the deadline to enter the race, but Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Chairman Stuart Garson is reluctant to grant permission.
South Euclid is the only Democratic party in the county with an August filing deadline to request an early meeting, Garson said. Candidates who declare after the meeting won't have the chance to win the party's support and campaign with the Democrats' seal of approval.
"At this point we pretty much know who is running for the various offices, so it's time to endorse," South Euclid Democratic Party Leader Councilman Marty Gelfand said. "It's not unfair to someone who might just be thinking of this midyear. A serious candidate would have pulled petitions when the petitions were available."
South Euclid OKs backyard chickens: South Euclid is the latest Northeast Ohio community to allow residents to keep backyard chickens.
City Council voted Monday to allow residents to keep up to four chickens a minimum of five feet from the closest dwelling.
Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Ruth Gray was the only council member to vote against fowl.
"Residents have said I do not want a chicken coop, because it will diminish the value of my property," Gray said at a May meeting. "I've invested thousands of dollars in landscape and I do not want a chicken coop next to me."
Residents who want chickens must obtain a conditional use permit from the planning commission and City Council. Neighbors will be notified and entitled to object.
School administrator resignations, new hires, rehires: Three Richmond Heights schools leaders will resign at the end of July, while South Euclid-Lyndhurst schools recently hired three new assistant principals and renewed Superintendent Linda Reid's contract.
Richmond Heights High School Principal Jason Tidmore is resigning to become a pastor, and elementary school Principal Martha Hasselbusch will quit to become superintendent of South Central schools in Huron County.
Director of Operations Russell White, who has been with the district 21 years as a security guard, transportation and maintenance director, is resigning to run his own business.
At nearby South Euclid-Lyndhurst schools, the board of education renewed Reid's contract last week for five years with a $13,200 salary increase and an additional $9,820 annual annuity payment.
The district also hired three new assistant principals at Brush High School and Rowland Elementary with experience mentoring troubled youth.