Lakewood Hires Familiar Face as New City Architect

The former chairman of the city’s architectural board of review has been hired as the new city architect.

Michael Molisnki, who most-recently worked as an architect at Vocon in Cleveland, began his new post July 8.

The city of Lakewood created the new position in the building department, to oversee the building department and serve as the city’s architect. The new City Architect post will replace a vacancy created in the department with the retirement of assistant building commissioner Bob Apanasewicz.

The new position is the same pay grade as the city engineer — Molinski will earn a $75,000 annual salary.

“I really enjoyed the work that I did on the board, and this is really an extension of that,” he said. “It’s a way to make Lakewood a better place.”

Molinski wasted no time in his new role, as he outlined the city code and design preferences at the city’s architectural board of review on Thursday.

He also stopped into the new Campbell’s Sweets Factory on Wednesday, and on Friday he was already executing warrants on delinquent property owners.

There were a total of four applicants for the new position.

“Mike is a very talented architect with a great range of experience,” said Dru Siley, the city’s director of planning and development.

“He’s the right guy for the job." 

The city is looking to have a replacement for Molinski on the ABR by September, and vice-chairman Carl Orban will fill in as chairman.