RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Voters, this fall, are being asked to select their four ward City Council representatives. Of those running, two are incumbents.
Ward 1
In Ward 1, Councilwoman Tracy Justice, who was appointed to the position in August following the resignation of former councilwoman Dr. Erron Bell. Justice was selected for the position by Mayor Kim Thomas.
Although she has been out campaigning, Justice will run unopposed to keep her seat.
“I have a true passion for the youth and children,” she said on the night of Aug. 22, when she was approved by council for the appointment. “I would like to see more recreation available for them, the pools open more, more activities for children. That’s my strongest area of interest.”
Justice owns and operates a childcare center, Children’s Choice, in East Cleveland.
Ward 2
Those facing challenges from first time candidates are Ward 2 Councilman Frank Lentine, and Ward 3 Councilwoman Cassandra Nelson.
Lentine is council’s second-longest serving member and, if re-elected, will become its longest serving member. A 66-year resident, Lentine is a 1968 graduate of Richmond Heights High School and, for more than 50 years, has owned and operated a barbershop, Lentine’s Styling Den, in what is now the 444 Park Apartments, off Highland Road.
Because of his work in the city largest apartment complex, Lentine’s time on council as frequently been spent s[peaking for the rights of those residents.
Lentine, who serves as City Council Safety Committee chairman and is a member of all four of council’s committees, is a longtime member and past president of the Richmond Hts. Kiwanis club, and of the Richmond Heights Booster Club.
A former high school and college wrestling official for 25 years, Lentine is a member of Saint Paschal Baylon Parish. He first served on City Council from 1978-90, and then again from 2014 to the present. He is a member of all four committees of council and chairman of the safety committee of council.
Lentine and wife, Kathy, have been married 49 years.
He is being opposed by another man who works in the barber profession. Asu Mook Robinson owns the Diamond Cut Barbershop on Superior Road and East 52nd Street in Cleveland.
When asked in late summer what inspired him to run, Robinson, of Claymore Boulevard, said, “I’ve been living in the city for 18 years, and in those 18 years I’ve seen kind of a disconnect from Richmond Heights council, so I spoke with a few residents around me and they thought we might need a new voice and maybe somebody that can give us a little more sound from where we’re at.
“My points of focus are, of course, infrastructure, public safety and education,” he said. “What I’m focusing on, with any city, it’s all about the board of education. It’s not only children being in a strong school system, (quality education) actually sustains and improves the values of our community.
If elected, Robinson said he will work as hard as possible with the city’s schools.
“Because what we now have is a two-time, back-to-back basketball (state champion) program. That’s great, but it’s a start. We need a superstar academic program. Once we get that going, then we’re going to have a community, a great community,” he said.
“Richmond Heights is a beautiful place to live, and we need to stand that ground and keep it that way. I feel some of our representation has gotten a little out of touch with the community. I just think we need some new blood, somebody to take the torch,” Robinson said.
“I’m not knocking Mr. Lentine. He’s been a great political figure for this community, but it may be time for a change.”
Ward 3
In Ward 3, Cassandra Nelson, completing her first term on council, is facing a challenge from first-time candidate Cherita Shaw.
“I am running for re-election to continue helping our city move forward,” said Nelson. “I am doing the job now and would like a second term to finish what I have started.
“I have the wisdom as well as the energy to get the job done. I am an effective communicator and understand that I am here to serve, not be served. I am a fierce advocate for Ward 3 residents. As a 22-year resident and current councilwoman, I have institutional knowledge about the city’s condition and governance.
“Since being elected, I’ve engaged the community more than any council person by hosting consistent meetings to make sure council decisions are transparent and known,” said Nelson, who has been known during her time on council for close attention to city spending. “I have experience reading and enacting legislation, and the proven professional and leadership skills to collaborate across racial, educational, political and socioeconomic lines.”
Nelson said she will keep up her communication with constituents by holding a Ward 3 meeting from 3-6 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 29) at the Richmond Heights Community Center/Kiwanis Lodge, 27285 Highland Road.
Cherita Shaw, when interviewed in August, stated, “I don’t have anything personal against Cassandra; I just want to get out there and do what I plan to do.
“I really want to get into public service, community service. I’m married, I have a family (husband, Angelo, two adult children, a son,14, and three grandchildren), so I really want to represent families like mine in the community -- growing families, young families, people who are new to the community.
“I like the direction the city is going and I want to contribute to that,” said Shaw, of Queensboro Drive. “I want to be part of the decision-making process. What better way to do that than be involved with City Council?”
Shaw works as a client finance manager for a relocation company, a job she has had for 20 years.
“I’m excited to get in there (on council) and work,” Shaw said. “I don’t have a problem getting my hands dirty, rolling my sleeves up and helping the citizens in our community, Ward 3 especially, and I want to support them in any way that I can.
“I want to make sure they want the same things I want as a resident of this community. I want to be able to help them.”
Ward 4
Ward 4 Councilman Mark Alexander, council’s longest-serving member at 26 years, has decided not to seek re-election.
Competing for the Ward 4 seat this fall are first-time candidates Shirley McMillan and Brian Silver.
McMillan, of Harris Road, when asked why she is seeking a council seat, said, ”I’ve always been interested in politics and been active in them in some form. I looked around my neighborhood and saw there was an issue with the councilman they had, that he wasn’t available.”
She is a counselor for Key Counseling who is raising a granddaughter, and who has concerns for the children in the community.
“I do a volunteer program called Save a Teenager,” McMillan said. “I thought our schools would benefit from this program, or at least some aspect of it. I thought I would see how I could connect this politically. I then I started becoming more involved in my community.”
McMillan, the mother of three adopted children, said she is now working toward a doctorate degree in leadership, and has a master’s degree in addiction counseling and a bachelor’s degree in social work.
If elected, McMillan said, “I’d like to see a case management program developed for seniors in the area who are going through transition as caregivers. I’ve noticed that a lot of people, and I’ve gone through it myself, they’re retired and their husbands or significant others have health issues. They transition from an equal partner to a caregiver, and that’s a big transition.
“That involves a lot of things -- physical therapy, occupational therapy, having the proper health insurance, access to health facilities in the area. We just lost a hospital (UH Richmond Medical Center in August, 2022) that had excellent programs through University Hospitals. We need to bring in services in that area (including) transportation and help with being able to maintain a home.”
She said she also also wants to work to ensure that children have proper homes and upbringing.
“I also want to look at property taxes and community development and how it affects the seniors,” McMillan said.
As for Highland Road resident Silver, he said, “I just want to represent our city, our ward.”
“Numerous issues have been going on with our ward. Airbnb’s are one issue, we have trash issues and water main breaks, and communication with our current representative was not there. So it involved us coming to council meetings and getting the information to respective parties.”
Silver attended council meetings and spoke on behalf his neighborhood’s residents about the issue of needed regulations for Airbnb rental homes.
A 13-year resident, Silver and his wife, Lakisha, are parents to two children who attend Richmond Heights City Schools: a daughter, 11, and a son, 9.
“One of my goals is communication with our ward -- keeping our ward representatives informed with what’s going on with our city,” Silver said.
“And another is the use of Desan Park, to see whether we can get more usage out of it. And Jeannette (Drive) had an issue with the street lights. We need to get a citywide ordinance so we can actually review what needs to be replaced or updated with our infrastructure.”
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