The President's Corner: An Interview With Former Parma Mayor Dean DePiero

Mayor DePiero and I hard at work in 2006.

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I received a lot of positive feedback regarding last month’s column in which I interviewed former Parma mayor John Petruska. As a result, I was prompted this month to interview and write about our most recent former mayor, Dean DePiero. In fact, rarely a week goes by that someone does not ask me what “Dean” is up to these days and whether or not he is planning to get back into public service.

When asked why he entered public service, Mayor DePiero stated that “As a lifelong resident whose family was active in the business community and civic projects, I was encouraged to get involved and give back to the community. I felt serving …was a good way to give back.”  In fact, Mayor DePiero entered public service as councilman for Parma’s ward 4 in 1995, serving two terms in that office. He was then elected state representative for the 20th Ohio House of Representatives district in 1999 and was reelected in 2001. He was later elected in November 2003, to serve as Parma’s 17th chief executive. He won reelection in 2007, deciding not to seek a third term in 2011.

Mayor DePiero mentioned that his biggest influences on making the decision to get involved politically were his family and friends. In fact, he pointed out that “My parents encouraged me to get involved, although no one in our family had ever been active in local or state politics. I also was coached and encouraged early on by then Law Director Bill Mason and Clerk of Courts Marty Vittardi who have become good friends of me and my family.”

As one can imagine, serving as mayor of Ohio’s 7th largest city is no easy task.  When asked what kept him motivated through the eight years he served, Mayor DePiero stated, “Knowing the people were relying on me to get the job done, making decisions, pulling the city through the tough times and creating a vision for the future. It was not that long ago so it is similar to how it is now. We got through the Great Recession without layoffs and keeping services at a premium level. That was not easy.”

When asked about what he is most proud of accomplishing as mayor, Mr. DePiero shared many successes, including improving the image of city government, hiring professional people in his administration, reforming the Parma Police Department, balancing eight city budgets during tough economic times, helping to see through the creation of the Cleveland Metroparks West Creek Reservation and new library projects, neighborhood outreach initiatives, and improved safety ratings, among many others.

Mayor DePiero will tell you that he enjoyed his years as mayor, but that he treasures having more time for his beloved family and is glad he has moved onto new, exciting career opportunities. He wishes the community to know that his wife, Kathleen, and their children, Blake (4) who now attending pre-school and Hadley (almost 2), are doing well. He remains very busy professionally with an active law practice, serving as law director for the City of Aurora, Assistant Law Director for Broadview Heights and is Of Counsel for the Law Firm of McDonald Hopkins. He also continues to be involved in a number of local civic organizations, as well as local politics and has not ruled out running for office again one day.

Mayor DePiero and his wife continue to reside in Parma and enjoy meals at Corleone’s, the Parma Tavern, Antonio’s, Stancato’s, Anthony’s, and Vivo, among other community favorites. They can also be seen frequenting Chuppa’s Market, Rito’s Bakery, State Meats, Ukranian Village, and Thayer’s. Further, they continue to enjoy the Fourth of July parade, Rib ‘n Rock, Parma Area Chamber of Commerce events, and ice cream socials. He misses the interaction with residents that being mayor entailed.

Always one to understand that “All politics is local” and that you are elected to serve the people, Mayor DePiero advises current officials to “Be honest with the public.  Work hard. Return the phone calls. Make decisions.”

I was elected to represent Parma’s ward 2 in 2003 – the same year Mr. DePiero was elected mayor. I, subsequently, served with him during his entire tenure as mayor.  The eight years we served our community together were filled with both challenges and successes for our community. I always found him to be a consummate professional who was always accessible, hard-working and result-oriented. He remains in close contact with me and our other city leaders and continues to be committed to Parma’s success. I am proud to call him my colleague and my friend.

In closing, I want to thank Mayor Dean DePiero for agreeing to our interview and for his years of distinguished service to our fine community.