Longtime Mayor Swears in Son to Mayfield Heights City Council

Since politics run through the DeJohn bloodline, the city had a built-in candidate to swear in Bob DeJohn to his seat on council — his father.

Ross DeJohn, who was mayor for nearly 30 years, swore in his son Wednesday during a special, organizational city council meeting. Members of the family took pictures as the elder DeJohn had his son repeat his words in front of current city officials.

"The kids were exposed to all of this, but Bob has always shown an interest in city government," Ross said of his family. "In the last two years, he's really paid attention to what's going on the city. He'd come to me and say, 'well, why are they doing this? Do you think this is right?

"He was was following that step, and that's good. That's how I got started."

Bob DeJohn will hold office through Dec. 31. He can choose to run for the remaining two years of the unexpired term or for a four year term.

"I'm just happy to have this opportunity to represent the citizens of Mayfield Heights," Bob said. "I think I can work well with the council, and at the end of the year the citizens can decide if they want to keep me or not."

DeJohn ran for city council two years ago, but lost by just eight votes to Nino Monaco. The closeness of that race is part of what gave Mayor Anthony DiCicco confidence in going outside of the final pool of six candidates to select DeJohn.

His father said he was appointed to city council under similar circumstances in 1960. Six years later he began a 28-year stint as mayor. He thinks his son will make an ideal councilman.

"I think he'll be excellent, I really do," Ross said. "He's a very conscientious individual.

"He works hard at what he does.