Sam O'Leary on the campaign trail.
Council spent a lot of time on this decision, and through my contacts with many council
people the choice was a tough one with so many good people sending in their resumes.
Many standouts, and many deserving people stepping up to serve in Ward 2.
A couple days ago I ran into City Council President, Mary Louise Madigan speaking with
Ward 1 Councilman David Anderson at Black Bird Bakery. I asked her, who they were
picking. She said there was no consensus at that point, and she had not seen all the
resumes and the interviews had not even started.
Two days I called the Council President and she still maintained, a lot of it was hinging on
the interviews and then the vote and discussion and revote.
Last night as midnight approached council sat down and took their vote and Sam O'Leary
the political phenom that had damn near got voted in on his own was chosen. While I
had a couple favorites on the list, it is hard to argue with this choice. Sam is a young
smart political machine, that came up through the Young Lakewood Democrats at LHS,
and was always looking for for a way to server the city of Lakewood in government.
When I sat down and spoke with then Candidate O'Leary he made it clear he was going
to be on City Council someday. He has spent most of his life dreaming of that and working
towards that. Sam is a lawyer with a B.A. Political Science with Public Policy
Concentration, cum laude, from George Washington University and currently works with
MCGown/Markling Law Firm that specializes in government law.. He has worked in
Cleveland's Legendary Councilman's Joe Cimperman's office, and now will be a councilman
that I am sure can pull from his youth, his experience and his knowledge to help guide
this city.
Good work council, and thank you to all that applied for stepping up and going through the process.
The portraits of Sam I did while talking with him.
From the McGown/Markling website:
In addition to practicing law, Mr. O’Leary currently serves as a member of both the City of Lakewood Board of Zoning Appeals and the City of Lakewood Tax Incentive Review Council.
Educational Background:
• The George Washington University
• B.A. Political Science with Public Policy Concentration, cum laude
• Trustee Scholarship Recipient
• Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
• Barrister Scholarship Recipient
• Urban Development Law Clinic
• Transactional Law Clinic
• Student Public Interest Law Organization
• The Gavel, Senior Writer
Professional & Civic Memberships:
• Ohio State Bar Association
• Ohio Council of School Board Attorneys
• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
• City of Lakewood Board of Zoning Appeals
• City of Lakewood Tax Incentive Review Council
Bar Admissions:
• The Ohio Supreme Court
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