​ Mayor of Lakewood | The City of Lakewood, Ohio

Mayor of Lakewood


 

Contact the Mayor: mayor@lakewoodoh.net or by phone at
216-529-6600.

Meghan F. George was sworn in as Mayor of Lakewood on January 1, 2020.  Mayor George is a lifelong Lakewood resident whose family has a lengthy history of public service and community involvement. She is proud to carry on this tradition by serving the city she is proud to call home.

Mayor George’s priorities in office include enhancing public safety, providing high quality city services, and preserving and building on the historic and cultural heritage that make Lakewood a uniquely desirable place to live.

Prior to taking office,  Mayor George served as a city-wide, at-large member of Lakewood City Council. She is a past president of Lakewood City Academy and currently serves a member of several other local and regional boards, including: Westshore Council of Governments, Cuyahoga County Mayors & City Managers Association, Northeast Ohio Mayors and City Managers Association, Ohio Mayors Alliance, Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, and LakewoodAlive.

A graduate of The Ohio State University (BA) and Cleveland State University (PBACC), Mayor George’s professional experience outside the public realm includes work in education and serving as a human resources and employment consultant to large corporations.

Mayor George and her partner, Matt, reside in Lakewood with their young daughter, Maggie (Lakewood High School, class of 2039).

More on the Mayor's Office

  • Powers and duties of the mayor+-

    The Mayor of Lakewood is the chief elected official of the City and serves as its principal representative and spokesperson. The powers of the Mayor are established by charter, specifically by Article II of the Second Amended Charter (Sec. 1-10), approved by Lakewood voters on November 7, 2000. The position of Mayor is full-time (Art.II, Sec. 9), and the salary of the Mayor is established by ordinance adopted not less than thirty days prior to the final date for the filing of nominating petitions by candidates for the office of Mayor (Art.II, Sec. 5).

    In addition to serving as the chief executive officer, the Mayor also serves as the Public Safety Director, the chief conservator of the peace within the City. Article II, Section 6, which enumerates the “General Powers and Duties of Mayor,” establishes that the Mayor supervises the administration of the affairs of the City and sees that all ordinances of the City are enforced. The Mayor may recommend that City Council adopt “such measures as the Mayor may deem necessary or expedient,” and the Mayor is entitled to introduce ordinances and resolutions and take part in the discussion of all matters that come before City Council (Art.II, Sec. 10). Performance of the Mayor’s powers and duties are conferred or required by the Second Amended Charter, by ordinance or resolution of Council, or by general law.

    SELECTED SECTIONS, SECOND AMENDED CHARTER OF THE CITY OF LAKEWOOD (ADOPTED NOVEMBER 7, 2000)

    ARTICLE II. THE EXECUTIVE SECTION 1. EXECUTIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE POWERS The executive and administrative powers of the City shall be vested in the Mayor, directors of departments, and other administrative officers provided for in this Charter or by ordinance.

    SECTION 2. RESIDENCY, TERM AND QUALIFICATIONS OF MAYOR The Mayor shall be elected for a term of four (4) years, commencing on the first day of January next following his or her election, shall have been for at least one (1) year immediately prior to the date of taking office both a resident of the City and a qualified elector of the City, and shall continue as both a resident and qualified elector of the City during his or her term of office.

    SECTION 3. MAYOR EX-OFFICIO DIRECTOR The Mayor, subject to the provisions of this Charter, shall be ex officio the Director of Public Safety and, as such and to that extent, shall exercise all powers and perform all duties delegated to and conferred upon the Director of Public Safety by this Charter, by ordinance, and by general law.

    SECTION 4. MAYOR’S APPOINTMENT POWER The Mayor shall appoint, with approval of Council, and may remove, if and when the office is created, the Director of Public Safety, and shall appoint and may remove the Director of Public Works, the Director of Law, the Director of Finance, the Director of Planning and Development, the Director of Human Services and the Health Commissioner. The Mayor shall make all other appointments under the provisions of this Charter not herein otherwise provided for by general law or ordinance; such appointees shall serve until removed by the Mayor or until their respective successors are appointed and qualified.

  • History of the Mayor's Office+-

    According to local historian Margaret Manor Butler in her book, History of the City of Lakewood, what is now known as “Lakewood” roughly conforms to what was once known as Rockport Township, later organized into the Hamlet of Lakewood so that its citizens, “might make improvements and provide conveniences for all its citizens through the wishes of the majority.” The citizens’ request to incorporate and a charter were granted on August 31, 1889, and Mayor Ira E. Canfield held the title of Mayor from 1889 until 1891. His official title was president of the board of trustees and chief executive officer of the hamlet, in which capacity he served for three years.

    PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES (MAYOR), HAMLET OF LAKEWOOD:

    IRA E. CANFIELD 1889-1891

    CLAYTON L. TYLER 1892-1897

    OTTO C. BERCHTOLD 1898-1899

    JACAB H. TEGARDINE 1900-1901

    Under the control and supervision of hamlet officials, Mayor Clayton Tyler directed the installation of major improvements, including a water system, sewers and electric lights. During Mayor Tyler’s six years in office – 1892 through 1897 — he also established Lakewood’s boulevard system. On May 4, 1903, the Hamlet of Lakewood was organized into a village, boasting about 2,500 inhabitants. Mayor Joseph J. Rowe bridged the transition, serving as Mayor from 1902 until 1905

    OFFICE OF MAYOR, VILLAGE OF LAKEWOOD:

    JOSEPH J. ROWE 1902-1905

    BERNARD MILLER 1906-1909

    The Village of Lakewood grew to a citizenship of about 12,000 by Jan. 1, 1910, when it was organized into the City of Lakewood. The incorporation date was February 17, 1911. The first Mayor of the City of Lakewood was Nelson C. Cotabish, a large property holder in Lakewood and head of the sales department of the National Carbon Company. In 1910, Mayor Cotabish approved the acquisition of the first motor-driven fire equipment in northeast Ohio. An astute businessman, he also arranged for the City to buy a home at Warren Road and Detroit Avenue to serve as City Hall, selling 100 feet of this site a few years later for a profit of $40,500, almost three times the total purchase price of the property.

    OFFICE OF MAYOR, CITY OF LAKEWOOD:

    NELSON C. COTABISH 1910-1911

    JOHN B. COFFINBERRY 1912-1913

    CLAYTON W. TYLER 1914-1917

    BYRON M. COOK 1918-1919

    LOUIS E. HILL 1920-1923

    EDWARD A. WIEGAND 1924-1932

    AMOS I. KAUFFMAN 1932-1955

    FRANK P. CELESTE 1956-1963

    ROBERT M. LAWTHER 1964-1976

    WILLIAM E. BLACKIE 1977

    ANTHONY C. SINAGRA 1978-1990

    DAVID R. HARBARGER 1990-1995

    MADELINE A. CAIN 1996-2003

    THOMAS J. GEORGE 2004-2007

    EDWARD FITZGERALD 2008-2010

    MICHAEL P. SUMMERS 2011-2019

    MEGHAN F. GEORGE 2020-

  • Community E-Newsletters+-

    2024

    2023

    2022

    2021

  • State of the City Addresses+-

    2024 State of the City Address

    2024 State of the City PowerPoint Presentation

    2023 State of the City Address

    2023 State of the City PowerPoint Presentation

     

    2022 State of the City Address

    2022 State of the City PowerPoint Presentation

     

    Ward 4 Virtual State of the City Address 5-18-21

     

    Ward 3 Virtual State of the City Address 5-11-21

     

    Ward 2 Virtual State of the City Address 5-6-21

     

    Ward 1 Virtual State of the City Address 4-28-21

    2019 State of the City Address

    2019 State of the City PowerPoint Presentation

    2018 State of the City Address

    2018 State of the City PowerPoint Presentation

    2017 State of the City Address

    2016 State of the City Address

    2015 State of the City Address

    2013 State of the City Address

    2012 State of the City Address

    2011 State of the City Address

  • 2020 Chamber Update+-

    Click here to view Mayor George’s presentation to the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce on January 31, 2020.

  • Mayor’s Office FAQs+-

    Q:        What is the phone number to the Lakewood Board of Recreation?  

    A:          The Lakewood Board of Recreation can be reached at (216) 529-4081. Their website address is https://recreation.lakewoodcityschools.org/.  The Lakewood city pools are operated by the Lakewood Board of Recreation. All aquatic programming and facility questions should be directed to the Lakewood Board of Recreation.

    Q:        How do I rent the Woman’s Club Pavilion or the Kiwanis Pavilion at Lakewood Park?   

    A:        As of January 2018, the city went to an online pavilion rental system. Click here to rent a pavilion.  This website hosts a calendar so you can check the availability of the pavilions, photos of the pavilions and regulations about the rental including cancellation and deposit return procedures.  All rental fees must be paid up front by credit card. 

    Q:        Who do I tell about a street light that is out?  

    A:        First Energy’s website (http://www.firstenergycorp.com/service_requests.htm) is where all of the pertinent information may be entered. You will need a pole number (usually a five (5) or six (6) digit number on a tag on the pole), an address, or a very specific location. Sometimes it helps to mark the pole by tying a ribbon or string around the pole. Remember, they fix the lights in the daytime so the crews can’t always see which light is out. Typically reported outages are fixed within a few days. 

    Q:        How do I report a power outage?   

    A:        Call First Energy at (1-888) 544-4877 to report a power outage. You should continue to call every four (4) hours to make sure they know who is still without power. 

    Q:        Who is NOPEC? 

    A:        NOPEC is an aggregator that is able to negotiate better deals on energy and natural gas.  Lakewood is a NOPEC community pursuant to the vote of the residents. More information may be found by clicking here.   NOPEC’s can be contacted by visiting  http://www.nopecinfo.org/energy-solutions/electric-solutions/ or by phone at 855-639-8159.

    Q:        Is every Lakewood resident a member of NOPEC? 

    A:        Every Lakewood resident was at one time a member of NOPEC, however, every resident has an opportunity at any time to “opt out” of NOPEC and use a provider of their choice.  Right now, NOPEC has partnered with NextEra to provide low price electricity to Lakewood customers.  First Energy still distributes the energy to your home and is who you would still report power outages.

    Q:        When will my street be resurfaced?  

    A:        A major factor as to when you street will be resurfaced is the available funding, it is a collaborative decision with Public Works, Finance and City Council. Pavement Condition Rating is a rating system that was developed using Ohio Department of Transportation’s standards for measuring roadway deterioration, and has been adopted by the City of Lakewood as the basis for ranking our streets. We then consider the condition of the roadway base, sub-base, and underground utilities  (water mains, and sewers) to schedule any major repair.

    Q:        Who do I contact if I have a complaint about high grass?    

    A:        Call the Department of Building and Housing at 529-6270 or go to ‘Report a Problem on the city website at the following link:  http://www.lakewoodoh.gov/report-a-problem-concern/

    Q:        I would like to schedule an appointment for immunizations, obtain copies of my immunization records, etc. How can I do this?  

    A:        Contact the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) at (216) 201-2000. Nurses are in Lakewood once a month for clinics. To schedule an appointment, contact CCBH’s immunization line at 216-201-2041.

    Q:        Is there a snow parking ban?  

    A:        Parking ban streets are shown and listed on the map by click here and a map showing locations of parking lots that are available during a snow can be found by clicking here.

    Snow bans are in effect on these streets when there is four (4″) inches or more of snow on the street without the necessity of any notice by the City.

    If a city-wide snow parking ban is issued, the City will issue a notice to the media about the parking ban, it will be posted on the main page of the City’s website and it will be posted on the city’s Facebook and Twitter.