Former Cleveland Heights Mayor Alan Rapoport enters race for Cuyahoga County Council Seat

Former Cleveland Heights Mayor Alan Rapoport is running for a seat on the new Cuyahoga County Council in the Democratic Primary on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 for a newly defined District 10 that will include the Collinwood area.

"This is an exciting opportunity to form a new government for the County and I want to make a positive difference again," Rapoport said, noting that the $1.4 billion general fund budget of the County makes it a more important agent for good in the community than most people realize.

"The productive years Alan spent in government service in an economically and racially diverse community give him the right credentials for this job, especially in a new County Council District that includes Collinwood," said Cleveland Heights Mayor Ed Kelley.

Rapoport identified his three goals for the new County government: maintenance of a social safety net for those in need; expansion of employment opportunities so fewer people have to use that safety net; and good financial management so that taxpayer money is spent on the best public benefits possible at the lowest reasonable cost.

Rapoport also expressed concern about restoring faith in County government by demonstrating that professionalism and compassion are not inconsistent with honesty and transparency.

Rapoport's community involvement began as President of Coventry Neighbors, one of Cleveland Heights' oldest neighborhood organizations, and as the founder of the original Coventry Street Fair in the mid-1970s. His political involvement began as a Democratic precinct committee member, as a member of the County Democratic Executive Committee, as President of the Cleveland Heights Democratic Club, and as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1976.

Rapoport was first elected to Cleveland Heights City Council in 1979 and then served three terms as Mayor. He left office in 1987 to devote more time preparing to pay for his daughter's education. This past year, his daughter, who recently joined the business operation behind Grammy Award winner Lady Gaga, graduated from the Wharton business program at the University of Pennsylvania. “Now that Allison is on her own, that goal has been met and I look forward to resuming public service,” said Rapoport.   

Rapoport was unanimously elected to the Cleveland Heights High School Hall of Fame. He graduated from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law and is an honors graduate of Kenyon College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.  Rapoport has been in the private practice of law for 35 years, and his areas of practice include probate law, real property law, and representation of small businesses. His peers honored him with the highest possible “AV” rating in the Martindale-Hubbell legal directory to signify their recognition of his legal ability and professional ethics.

He is a member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and the Ohio State Bar Association and has taught at seminars for both. He has also provided free legal services for people having problems with foreclosures, lack of health insurance, juvenile and family issues, and care of elderly relatives. He is also a Trustee of Heights Arts, a non-profit organization.

Rapoport will run in District 10, which is composed of Cleveland Heights, East Cleveland, Wards 10 and 11 in Cleveland, and Bratenahl. The term of office is two years.

"There will be eleven people on this new council from all different parts of the county. All eleven must cooperate to assure that the extensive powers of a newly-elected County Executive are subject to the proper checks and balances. Only one of those new council members will be looking out specifically for the needs of Collinwood residents.  I hope to be that one," said Rapoport.

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Bruce Hennes is a partner in Hennes-Paynter communications. He succeeded Alan Rapoport as President of Coventry Neighbors and Chairman of the Coventry Village Street Fair.