The Observation Deck

Jane and Tom


Mickey Krivosh(Vosh, Arouund the Corner, Georgetown) with Mayor Tom George at his birthday party in 2007.



Mayor Tom George Mayor of Lakewood 2004 - 2007 has passed away. He had been out on a literature drop with his daughter Meghan George, who is running for council. A neighbor noticed him slumped over in his car, and he was dead.


Tom at 2007 Car Kulture Show he helped to start, talking with Jill and John Cirino of Taco Tontos. photo by David Lay, property LO

To his wife Jane, and daughter Meghan, and son Tim, we miss him already.

Bio...

Thomas George was sworn into the office of Mayor of Lakewood on January 1, 2004 after sixteen years on Lakewood City Councilman.

Tom grew up in Lakewood Public Schools graduating from Lakewood High School in 1969. He attended Ohio State University in Columbus, where he was a reporter for the “the Lantern,” the OSU student paper. He graduated with a B.A. in Journalism in 1973.

Government positions; Senior Planner for the Cuyahoga County Office of Employment and Training;
Deputy Director, Ohio Department of Highway Safety;
Deputy Director of the Ohio Attorney General's Cleveland Office
Assistant to the Director/Deputy Director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

Tom served on the Finance Committee where he very active in helping to develop investors from Wall Street, making more presentation for Lakewood Bonds, than any other elected official. He also worked to protect city workers health and safety. His pet project was tracking down absentee landlords, where he worked hard to make banks, and other entities pay for upkeep, or lose the property. Due to his expertise involving issues concerning inner ring suburbs such as Lakewood, in April, 2004 he was named to the First Tier Suburbs Council of the National League of Cities.

He has sponsored and passed numerous laws including Lakewood's Prevailing Wage Law, laws to protect city workers, laws to address distressed properties owned by absentee landlords and laws to combat excessive residential street speeding.

Hw as not just a member of the Lakewood Kiwanis, but Lakewood/Rocky River Rotary, Board of Directors of the Ohio Municipal League, was recently named Vice-President, and the Board of Trustees of Lakewood Hospital. a member of the Ohio State University Alumni Association and Advocates, the National League of Cities Committee for Energy, Natural Resources and Environment.

He is survived by wife Jane, daughter Meghan, and son Tim.

Service will be posted when confirmed.

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May his soul know eternal peace ... and may his family and friends soon find peace in their aching hearts.

I always enjoyed Mayor George's historical writings in the Observer and here on the Deck.

Jane, Meghan, and Tim, I'm so sorry for your loss.

Wow, this is very sad news.
In addition to serving as mayor, he was also a longtime Ward 2 Council Rep.
Condolences to the family....he will be greatly missed.

That is really, really tough news. Please keep us posted on arrangements, where to send sympathies, etc.

Very sad news.

Tom was a great guy - remembered names and faces and always had a big hug for you and time to talk.

Condolences to the family.

To the George family, I am so sorry for your loss. Mayor George was a great Mayor.

Lakewood has lost a truly benevolent figure in Tom George.

He stands out in my memory as a bright spot in my limited dealings with city hall.

It seems to me that he showed a civic mindedness that one can only hope to find in both a public official and private citizen.

What's clear is that his love of Lakewood saw him take matters of stewardship in public affairs quite seriously. Lakewoodites were in good hands when Tom George worked on their behalf.

He will be missed.

The biographies of Tom and his career in elected office are good and point out his exemplary achievements as a Councilman and Mayor. I would like to point out particularly to some of you or your kids who are now in high school or college that these years of elective office achievement were preceded by 20 years of apprenticeship.
While at Ohio State, Tom was an intern for St. Rep. Richard Celeste. From the best, he learned how an aggressive intellect can be applied to government. Tom added his own smooth irony as he was developing his political being.
Then it was many years toiling in the different government agencies. Some cynics would view this as being a hack. Tom George used these years as training as to how government works. Most importantly, he learned that government is people. In his first days as Mayor he would take coffee to the street crews digging water mains and sewers because he knew instinctively that this was government at its basic level. (I have to say that certain individuals at the national level should have learned this and that Tom would have chuckled at my pointing this out).
So, as the next few days bring out many memories and reflections about our friend Tom George lets all keep in mind what it takes to make a truly great public servant.
Tom's friend-- Stan

I too was Tom's friend and fellow LHS graduate from the same class.

Heartfelt condolences to his family and many, many friends.

He died as he lived; helping others.

My banjo is silent today.

Looks like the arrangements are as follows:

Funeral Mass Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church (West) 6928 Detroit Ave. Wednesday September 20 at 11:00am. Interment Private.

Friends may call in the MCGORRAY-HANNA FUNERAL HOME OF LAKEWOOD 14133 DETROIT AVE TUESDAY 3-8PM.

Tom was a member of the Ohio State Alumni Club of Greater Cleveland, so memorial contributions are suggested to their scholarship fund: The Greater Cleveland Alumni Scholars Endowment Fund, PO Box 202196, Shaker Hts, OH 44120 https://www.giveto.osu.edu/makeagift/

http://obits.cleveland.com/obituaries/c ... fhid=15566

I just ran across a song that I wrote for Tom, back in the day...

I remember Lakewood back then too...

We had just gone through a very difficult time with something called the West End issue, when Tom was elected to the office of Mayor. I well remember that Tom helped us to get past all of that. His effective leadership and consensus-building work helped us to go forward.

He left Lakewood a better place.

To my mind, Lakewood has always been always a dichotomy; in so many ways changed, and yet in so many ways, unchangeable...

Farewell, dear friend.

Here's the song, in lyrics and downloadable soundfile:

Mayor Tom George Song
by Gary Rice
recorded by Gary and the late Gary Cavano and his wife Linda

Lakewood is a'risin' like a phoenix from a dream.
In Cuyahoga County, there's a place about to gleam.
Where people everywhere see what a future we will forge,
When we stand with our Mayor, Tom George!

That old city council had a rough and tumble time.
Some say that old-style politics were squeezin' every dime,
But over the horizon, a bright future we will forge,
When we stand with our Mayor, Tom George!

refrain:

Come along and join us, make new friends along the way!
Come along and join us, make them hear us when we say:
Come along and join us, be the change we want today,
When we walk with Tom George along the way!

Now we all are looking at a future comin' on,
And a Lakewood full of hopes and dreams and old ideas gone.
When people work together what a future we will forge,
When we stand with our Mayor Tom George!

To refrain..