Ohio’s Bay Village — Gerald Horning, a retired lawyer and lifelong city resident, was appointed by the City Council in a special session on August 14 by a vote of 6-0 to serve out the remaining term of the newly vacant Ward 1 council seat.
Horning has spent nearly 39 years residing in the ward.
According to Council President Dwight Clark, “his prior dedication to local government was one of the things we thought was very important in his selection.”
We believed that his legal experience and his skills in case management, mediation, and arbitration would be highly complementary.
He is a sensible, balanced thinker.
Thousands of personal injury claims have been handled by Horning since he began practicing law in 1984.
He formerly served on the Bay Village Board of Zoning Appeals and took part in multiple levy elections for the Bay Village City School District.
He was a deputy clerk for the Cleveland Clerk of Courts after earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from Miami University.
He served as the assistant director of Cleveland’s Department of Public Health and Welfare from 1977 until 1979.
After that, he enrolled in Cleveland State University’s law school and concurrently obtained an MBA, finishing both programs in December 1983.
According to Horning, he had previously thought about seeking for a position on the Bay Village City Council.
After Ward 1 Councilman Dave Long resigned on July 14 due to moving out of the ward, he made the decision to apply for the position.
After hearing last night that he had been chosen to serve out the balance of Long’s tenure, which ends at the end of December, Horning stated, “A lot of people suggested that I should apply for it.”
Over the years, I have collaborated with most of the members of City Council in a variety of roles.
Horning’s term will be just over four months long. A new ward council member will be chosen by voters in November and will begin serving in January 2026.
The race’s application deadline was in June. Stephen Swidarski, who works in marketing for Eaton Corp., will run against David Tadych, a former longtime Ward 1 Councilman. Next year, the seat will be occupied by one of those men.
Although he will only be on the council for a short time, Horning stated that he wants to contribute positively and carry on the excellent work being done by the council and the local government.
Horning claimed that his 40-year legal career, prior government experience, and lengthy residence would all be beneficial in his new position on the City Council.
“I believed that I could contribute some experience to a role where I can quickly become up to speed in a part-time role for a limited period of time,” he added.
The council will discuss a number of significant matters during Horning’s brief four-month term, such as funding fire station upgrades, the city budget for 2026, and several sewer projects.
According to Clark, the council believed that people of Ward 1 should have representation on such matters.
To finish Long’s tenure, seven people submitted letters of application or resumes. Four of them were interviewed by the City Council.
According to the council members, selecting one of the candidates from the November election for the position would hurt the other contender.
Additionally, according to Clark, the appointment of a third candidate might have been against the city charter because they were officially Cuyahoga County employees.
According to Clark, the applicants were requested to revoke their applications.
The West Shore Sun has further information.
