The President's Corner

As the elected leaders of the City of Parma begin a new term, following the November election, this month’s column is dedicated to educating residents about the makeup of their local executive and legislative branches of government.

The executive branch is headed up by the Mayor, the chief law enforcer and administrator for the city, as well as the Law Director, Auditor, and Treasurer, all of whom are separately elected. Winning reelection were Mayor Timothy DeGeeter and Law Director Timothy Dobeck. Brian Day will vacate his Ward 4 council seat to serve as our new Auditor, replacing the retiring Dennis Kish.  Finally, Thomas Mastroianni, who was not up for re-election this cycle, remains Treasurer.

Parma City Council, which represents the legislative or law-making branch of your local government, is headed up by its President, yours truly. I serve the city at-large and preside over the meetings of City Council, among many other duties. However, I may not introduce legislation and only vote when City Council is tied, which has yet to happen during my tenure. I also appoint ward councilmembers to committees, which I will outline below. The nine ward members of Council represent their respective districts and have the power to introduce and vote on legislation. Each member serves on five or six committees, as you will see.

Ward 1 will continue to be represented by Vito Dipierro as he begins his second term. Councilman Dipierro has once again been appointed to Chair the Public Housing Committee, which is a tradition for the Ward 1 seat. He will also serve on the Finance, Public Service, Planning, and Governmental Operations committees. 

Deborah Lime, who served on Council from 1991 to 2003, and returned to replace me in 2011 when I became President of Council, will continue serving the residents of Ward 2. Councilwoman Lime will head up the Safety Committee, while serving as Vice Chair of the Public Housing Committee. She will also serve on the Finance, Governmental Operations, and Environmental Standards committees.

Mark Casselberry was awarded a third term by the voters of Ward 3 and will lead the Public Service Committee. He will also serve as Council’s Majority Leader and has been appointed to the Finance, Public Safety, Planning, and Public Housing committees.

A new face was elected to the Ward 4 seat in Kristin Saban. Councilwoman Saban will serve as Vice Chair of the Environmental Standards Committee and has been placed on the Finance, Public Service, Governmental Operations, and Public Housing committees.

Ward 5 Councilman Allan Divis will begin his third term on City Council, serving as Chair of the Planning Committee. He has also been appointed to the Appointment Scanning committee, where he will serve as Vice Chair, as well as the Finance, Public Safety, Public Service, and Public Housing committees.

Ward 6 is served by veteran Councilman Larry Napoli. Mr. Napoli will once again head up the Environmental Standards Committee, act as Vice Chairman of the Public Service committee, and serve as a member of the Finance, Public Safety, Appointment Scanning, and Public Housing committees.

Ward 7 Councilman Brian Brochetti, also a veteran of Council, will continue as Chairman of the Governmental Operations Committee, but will serve in a new role as Vice Chair of the Finance Committee. He will also sit on the Public Safety, Appointment Scanning, and Public Housing committees.

Scott Tuma will continue to serve the residents of Ward 8 on Council. He will also continue to head up the Finance Committee and serve as Council’s Pro-Tempore, essentially Vice President. He will also sit on the following committees: Planning, Environmental Standards, Appointment Scanning, and Public Housing.

Finally, Ward 9 Councilman Jeffrey Crossman will begin his second term, serving as Chair of the Appointment Scanning Committee and Vice Chair of the Governmental Operations Committee. He will also serve on the Finance, Planning, Environmental Standards, and Public Housing Committees.

To find out the ward in which you live, simply call the Council office at 440-885-8091 or visit

http://cityofparma-oh.gov/en-US/City-Council.aspx

Besides a current map of all nine wards, the site also contains links to the minutes and agendas of Council meetings, meeting dates and times, the codified ordinances (laws) of the City of Parma, biographical information about the members of Council, and more. 

Meetings of Parma City Council are held at City Hall in Council Chambers. Members of the public are always invited and encouraged to attend and participate. Generally, City Council meets on the first and third Mondays of the month at 7:00 p.m., while committee meetings are held on the first and second Mondays of the month. Special meetings are also called when necessary. Contact the City Council office or visit our website to confirm.

In closing, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the voters of Parma for re-electing me as your Council President. I remind myself daily of the faith you have put in me and the duty I have to you, as I promised in my oath of office. It is an honor to serve our fine community. Together, let’s make 2016 one that we can all be proud of in Parma!

Sean Brennan

Parma City Council President Sean Brennan

Read More on News
Volume 8, Issue 1, Posted 11:50 PM, 01.03.2016