Mayor Leiken Comments on Approval of Issue One

Editor's Note: Following is the bulletin Shaker Heights Mayor Earl Leiken sent to residents and community members immediately following Tuesday's election, when 64 percent of voters passed a half-percent tax increase.

Dear Resident,

Today's vote makes me very proud to be a resident of Shaker Heights. In the face of reductions imposed by Columbus which have been devastating to our community, our citizens have stood up and fought successfully to preserve their quality of life. In this our Centennial year, it is good to know that Shaker citizens continue to be as resilient and courageous in overcoming challenges as they have been in the past. This campaign represented an enormous effort by hundreds of people who worked to pass Issue One and City Council and I are grateful to every one of them. We are deeply appreciative as well to all those who voted for the increase. 

We also want to reach out to those who opposed the tax increase. You are our neighbors and friends and are a critical part of our community. You share with us an interest in preserving the quality of life in Shaker Heights and we want you to know that we share with you a concern about the cost of living in the community. We pledge to work with you in the coming months and years to achieve our mutual goals. 

There's a wonderful future ahead for Shaker Heights for us, for our children and for our grandchildren. It's been difficult for our community to adjust to the severe loss of a critical funding source on which we have always depended. However, we've successfully gone through the first step in that process and recognize that we now need to come together with respect and understanding for everyone's position and in a search for common solutions to the challenges that lie ahead.

Sincerely, 
Earl M. Leiken
Mayor, City of Shaker Heights

email: mayor@shakeronline.com
phone: 216.491.1410
web: http://www.shakeronline.com
ohio relay service: 800.750.0750