Kahlil Seren
First Elected Mayor, Cleveland Heights, OH
Assumed office
January 1, 2022
Personal details
Born (1978-10-17) October 17, 1978
Cleveland, Ohio
Political partyDemocratic
EducationCleveland State University, BA
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, MS
WebsiteMayor Kahlil Seren | City of Cleveland Heights, OH

Kahlil Seren (born October 17, 1978) is an American politician, former local government advisor, and the first directly elected Mayor of Cleveland Heights, Ohio.[1] Before becoming Mayor, Seren served for ten years as a Policy Advisor for Cuyahoga County Council and six years as a Cleveland Heights City Council member.[2]

Seren took office as Cleveland Heights' first directly elected strong mayor on January 1, 2022.[3]

Early life and education

Seren was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio but spent his childhood in East Cleveland, Ohio. He attended several elementary schools, including the Lillian Ratner Montessori Day School (Lyndhurst, OH), Gilmour Academy (Gates Mills, OH), Prospect Elementary School (East Cleveland, OH), and FOCAS/SCOPE Elementary (East Cleveland, OH). Seren relocated to Beachwood, Ohio, in 1991, attending Beachwood Middle School and Beachwood High School, where he graduated in 1997.[4]

After high school, Seren studied at Eastern Michigan University (Ypsilanti, MI) before transferring to Cleveland State University (Cleveland, OH), where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Political Science. After completing his undergraduate degree, Seren continued at Cleveland State University's Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, earning a Master of Science degree in Urban Studies.[2]

Career

Seren began his career in the area of public policy in 2007 as the Communications Coordinator for Policy Matters Ohio, a non-profit policy research institute. After a massive public corruption scandal in Cuyahoga County government[5][6] and subsequent restructuring of County Government,[7][8][9] Seren entered public service in 2011 as a Policy Advisor to the newly established Cuyahoga County Council, the legislative authority of the county government. Seren primarily advised on matters related to economic development, community development, workforce development, and education, serving as a Policy Advisor to County Council until 2022.[2]

Cleveland Heights City Council

Seren entered elective office in February 2015, appointed to an unexpired term on Cleveland Heights City Council,[10] filling a vacancy when former Council member Janine Boyd won a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives.[11] Seren ran to keep the seat in November 2015,[12] winning his first four-year term. In November 2019, Seren successfully sought reelection to Cleveland Heights City Council, winning a second term beginning January 2020, at which time the Council selected him to be Vice Mayor and Vice President of Council.[13]

Mayor of Cleveland Heights

Election

On January 25, 2021, Seren announced his candidacy in the City of Cleveland Heights' first mayoral election,[14][15] which was to be held later that year. Seren was one of three candidates on the September 14, 2021, mayoral primary ballot, finishing second with 38% of the vote and advancing as one of two candidates in the general election.[16][17] On November 2, 2021, Seren won the general election for Mayor of Cleveland Heights with more than 60% of the vote.[1]

Tenure

2022

Seren took office as Cleveland Heights' first directly elected, strong Mayor on January 1, 2022.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Kahlil Seren elected as first mayor in history of Cleveland Heights". wkyc.com. November 3, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Kahlil Seren - Mayor - City of Cleveland Heights, OH | LinkedIn". LinkedIn.com. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Thomas, Jewell (January 4, 2022). "Seren sworn in as Cleveland Heights' first elected mayor". cleveland.com. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Kahlil Seren". Ohio Mayors Alliance. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Crain's Cleveland Look Back: Cuyahoga County copes with corruption". Crain's Cleveland Business. September 25, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  6. ↑ Rachel Dissell, The Plain Dealer (September 15, 2010). "The Cuyahoga County corruption case: a who's who". cleveland. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Cuyahoga County Government Reform Initiative (2009)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Cuyahoga County residents push for government reform". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  9. ↑ Laura Johnston, cleveland com (October 24, 2009). "Issues 5 and 6: Experts sort out competing proposals for Cuyahoga County government reform". cleveland. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  10. ↑ Bremer Fisher, Deanna (February 18, 2015). "Kahlil Seren appointed to CH City Council - The Heights Observer". heightsobserver.org. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  11. ↑ Chanda Neely, cleveland com (November 6, 2014). "Cleveland Heights City Council to replace Janine Boyd, who won seat in Ohio House". cleveland. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  12. ↑ Bob, Sandrick (September 11, 2015). "Six will run for three Cleveland Heights Council seats". cleveland.com. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  13. ↑ Thomas, Jewell (January 7, 2020). "Cleveland Hts. council appoints its final mayor". cleveland.com. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  14. ↑ Allard, Sam. "Kahlil Seren Announces Candidacy for Mayor of Cleveland Heights". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  15. ↑ Thomas, Jewell (January 25, 2021). "Seren announces bid to become Cleveland Hts.' first elected mayor". cleveland.com. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  16. ↑ Colin, Toke (September 15, 2021). "Cuyahoga County primary election results for September 14, 2021". cleveland.com. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  17. ↑ Conn, Jennifer. "Danforth, Seren to face off in Cleveland Heights' mayoral race in November". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
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