Law enforcement officers from Northeast Ohio showed up at Cuyahoga County Council Tuesday to lobby in favor of a charter amendment that would make the sheriff an elected position, telling council it's time to move away from an appointed sheriff.
“You will simply continue to roll people in and out of that position, and they will not stay,” said Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree. “And the problems and the challenges that you face today and have faced in the past will continue to occur.”
Cuyahoga County switched to a sheriff appointed by the county executive in 2011.
Since then, there have been eight additional sheriffs, including the current one, Harold Pretel. Five people held the position between Clifford Pinkney’s departure in 2019 and Pretel’s appointment in 2023.
Councilmember Martin Sweeney told council the charter can be improved.
“The current structure of governance is fundamentally flawed,” Sweeney said. “This is something that the people want to make a decision on.”
Council will not take a final vote on whether to put a charter change on the ballot until next month, and the deadline for amendments on the November ballot is on September 4.
There's currently a battle between Pretel and County Executive Chris Ronayne over who holds certain powers in the law enforcement office, including authority over the budget and personnel.
Sweeney argued that the disputes over running the sheriff’s office are a direct result of its status as an appointed position, but that point was challenged.
“I think we can see the same types of issues when there’s an elected sheriff,” said Councilmember Sunny Simon, bringing up a dispute in Lorain County over a police dispatch contract.
Sheriffs from Ashtabula, Stark, Lorain, Ashland, Geauga and Carroll counties all spoke in favor of an elected sheriff.
Cuyahoga County is the lone county with an appointed sheriff in Ohio. Stark County Sheriff Eric Weisburn said elected sheriffs are more accountable to residents.
“Elections provide transparency, accountability and an opportunity for citizens to evaluate a candidates experience, vision and leadership,” Weisburn said.
