City Council

The City Charter, adopted in 1931 and revised in 1974, 1986 and 1999, provides for a Mayor and seven members of Council, elected on a non-partisan, at-large basis for four years. Terms are staggered, with the Mayor and four Council members selected at one election and three Council members at the next. The most recent Mayoral election was in 2011. The most recent Council election was in 2011. See Contact Us for emails and phone numbers. See also: Directory of Officials and Organizations

James Brady
Term expires December 31, 2015

Chair, Finance Committee; member, Communications & Outreach and Human Relations Commission, Economic Development Task Force.

James Brady was re-elected to his second term beginning in 2012. Brady is a decorated combat veteran of the Persian Gulf War. He returned to the Middle East subsequently as a U.S. Army Infantry officer with the 3rd Infantry Division, honorably discharged in 1996. He also serves as a commissioner for the Ohio Lottery and is vice chairman of the Board for E-Prep School. He holds a bachelor's degree and MBA from the University of Toledo. He is currently the Midwest regional sales director for Nautilus Neurosciences Inc. He lives in the Boulevard neighborhood with his wife and three children.

Brian Gleisser
Term expires December 31, 2013

Chair, Community Life & Health Committee; vice chair, Economic Development Task Force; member, Communications & Outreach and Human Relations Commission.

Brian S. Gleisser is City Council's senior member, having been appointed to Council in April, 1999. He was later elected in 1999 to fill an unexpired term and re-elected in 2001, 2005, and 2009 to full terms on City Council. He is Senior Vice President at the Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland. Mr. Gleisser holds a B.A. from Northwestern University, a Master in City and Regional Planning from Harvard University, and a J.D. from Cleveland State University. He has been involved in community and economic development activities in Northeast Ohio for more than 25 years through his prior work with University Circle Inc. and the Cleveland City Planning Department. Mr. Gleisser has been Vice Mayor, a citizen member of the City Planning Commission, and is a graduate of both Leadership Shaker and Leadership Cleveland.

Nancy Moore
Term expires December 31, 2015

Chair, Landmark Commission, Neighborhood Revitalization Committee; member, Finance Committee, Safety and Public Works Committee, Tree Advisory Board.

Nancy Moore was re-elected to her third four-year term to begin in 2012. Previous to serving on Council, she was a member of the Shaker Heights Board of Education and served as its president. She has been actively involved in our schools and community for more than two decades. She has worked as a freelance writer and educator. After completing her B.A. at Vassar College and George Washington University in French and German, she earned a master's degree in language and linguistics from Georgetown University. She has served on the boards of the Shaker Family Center, the Shaker Heights PTO, the Sussex Community Association, the Shaker Heights Youth Center, and the Shaker Heights Democratic Club. Moore has served as chair of the Landmark Commission and Neighborhood Revitalization Committee, as a member of the Community Life & Health and Finance committees, the City Planning Commission, the Tree Advisory Board, and as an alternate on the Board of Housing Appeals. She also has served as president of the Doan Brook Watershed Partnership.

Lynn Ruffner
Term expires December 31, 2013

Vice Mayor; Member, Community Life & Health Committee, Fair Housing Review Board, Neighborhood Revitalization Committee.

Lynn Ruffner was re-elected to her second four-year term in 2009. She is a licensed professional counselor and provides training services in disability related issues, customer services, and personal/career development. She has been an instructor with both Cuyahoga and Lakeland Community colleges and does consulting and training for clients in the public and private sectors. She has served on City and Shaker School District committees, Parent Teacher Organizations, and was a founding Board Member of Shaker Family Center. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters in Education from Cleveland State University and is currently a doctoral student at Walden University.

Julianna Johnston Senturia
Term expires December 31, 2015

Chair, Communications & Outreach and Human Relations Commission; member, Community Life & Health Committee, Neighborhood Revitalization Committee.

Julianna Johnston Senturia was elected to a four-year term beginning in 2012. Senturia is currently the program director for Fairmount Temple in Beachwood where she is also an award-winning Hebrew educator. She has been active in Shaker organizations for several years, including the League of Women Voters where she previously served as president and trustee for several years, Parent Teacher Organizations, and the Boulevard Community Association. She currently serves on the board of the Cleveland Jewish News Foundation. Senturia received a B.A. in political science and a M.A. in American politics and policy, both from Ohio University. She lives in the Boulevard neighborhood with her husband and three school-age children.

Earl Williams, Jr.
Term expires December 31, 2015

Chair, Board of Appeals, Safety and Public Works Committee; member Economic Development Task Force, Finance Committee, Tax Incentive Review Council.

Earl Williams was re-elected to his third four-year term beginning in 2012. He has served as vice mayor and a former member of the Public Works Committee, a member of the Shaker Heights Citizens Committee, and a member and former officer of the Shaker Schools PTO. He is also Council representative to the Shaker Heights Development Corporation, and serves on the City's Economic Development Task Force. He holds a bachelor's degree in Communication from Ohio University, and a law degree from the Cleveland State University Cleveland Marshall College of Law.

Rob Zimmerman
Term expires December 31, 2013

Member, City Income Tax Board of Review, City Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals, Finance Committee, Safety and Public Works Committee.

Rob Zimmerman was elected to a four-year term in 2005. He served as a citizen member of the Safety & Public Works Committee and the Human Relations Commission. He is a partner at Benesch Friedlander, where he specializes in litigation and government relations law. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federation, where he previously served as Chairperson of the Government Relations Committee and Vice Chairperson of the Community Relations Committee. He and his wife Lisa and daughters Talia and Lilli live on Shelburne in the Mercer neighborhood.