08/05/03

Strongsville- Ray Haseley - acting mayor, council president and ward councilman all rolled into one - is a busy man these days.

Not only does he wear three governmental hats, but he's also running for re-election to City Council in the November election.

How does the 70-year-old retired businessman do it?

"That's a good question," Haseley said. "It's a little unwieldy. You just can't do it all, so you do your best."

The Ward 2 councilman, who also serves as council president, took on the role of acting mayor in May when longtime Mayor Walter Ehrnfelt died with seven months left on his term.

Following Ehrnfelt's sudden death, Haseley declared his candidacy for mayor, but last week changed his mind, saying he will seek re-election to council instead.

Meanwhile, his triple duty will continue until the end of the year.

Holding all three jobs complies with the city charter, says the city's law director, Ken Kraus. But others say it defies the fundamental principle of separation of powers.

Camilla Stivers, professor of public administration at Cleveland State University's Levin College of Urban Affairs, said that having a mayor also serving as council president for seven months raises a troubling question:

"Is it in the best interest of the citizens of Strongsville to have someone with that much power for so long?" she asked.

Stivers noted that the speaker of the House is second in line to succeed the president, and if that should happen, the speaker would have to resign from the House.

"The framers of our Constitution explicitly said you couldn't be both a legislator and an executive at the same time," she said.

As it stands, Haseley as acting mayor could veto legislation that he had opposed as a councilman. And as a councilman, he could then vote against overriding his own veto.

Councilman Mark Roth worries about that very scenario.

During a recent council meeting, he called on the acting mayor to give up his legislative seat and council presidency, saying the workload is too taxing for one person and it could affect his health.

Haseley, sitting in the center of the council dais, curtly responded, "There's nothing wrong with my health."

Aside from Roth, the acting mayor enjoys strong support from the seven-member council. In fact, his council colleagues are considering boosting Haseley's pay.

At the moment he is paid only his council and council president salaries, which total $16,704 a year. Councilman Jim Kaminski has introduced legislation to pay Haseley an additional $7,400 a month, retroactive to June. That would boost his salary to $105,504 a year.

"It's the right thing to do," Kaminski said during an interview. "The gentleman's putting in 12 to 18 hours a day."

Haseley's workload, however, is not what concerns Catherine Turcer, legislative director for the Columbus-based government watchdog Ohio Citizen Action.

"When one person takes three roles, you're losing a diversity of opinion, which, in a democracy, is needed for good law-making," she said.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

momalley@plaind.com, 216-999-4893