Beachwood City Council Election 2011: Mark Mintz

Editor's Note: As part of Patch's local election coverage, we will provide profiles of each of the candidates running for office. These profiles will offer biographical and issue-oriented details about each of the candidates to help you, the voters, make more informed decisions at the ballot box. Stay tuned for more coverage of the election, and for full election coverage, visit  and "like" our Beachwood Elections Facebook Page.

Name: Mark A. Mintz

Age: 61

Occupation: Vice President, Cleveland Mobile Radio

Education: B.S. in Education, The Ohio State University

Political Affiliation: Democrat

Office Sought: Beachwood City Council

Previous Office Sought or Held: Beachwood School Board Member, elected 1994 to 1999; Elected to Beachwood City Council in 2000

Candidate Statement: As life-long residents and Beachwood graduates, my wife Nancy (Gilbert) and I decided to raise our family, Joshua, Kelly and Lindsay in Beachwood. This year we had the pleasure of watching our granddaughter, Izzie, start kindergarten in Beachwood.

I have spent the last 12 years on City Council, the past two of which I served as Council President. Prior to running for Council, I spent 6 years as a member of the Beachwood City School Board. I have been involved in two businesses that were started in Beachwood, Sage-quest, a nationwide GPS vehicle tracking company and Ohio Commerce Bank.

One of the early lessons my father instilled in me was that it is better to give than receive. How true and rewarding that statement has been in my life. I am a member of the Montefiore Foundation Board, Shoes and Clothes for Kids, and ""The 250"" which raises money for Big Brothers and Big Sisters. And I hope to continue to give back to Beachwood, and work together with the council members and mayor to make our city stable and vibrant for many years to come.

This coming year we hope to institute a new plan for economic development. We recently hired SZD Whiteboard to do an economic study for the city. It is important that we continue to support our fruitful, mutually beneficial partnerships with the Chamber of Commerce, business community and our schools.

Our Council and Mayor work closely together with the same goals in mind. Relocating the Service Department, for example, has been part of our master plan for many years. We explored many locations and plans in the past 12 years and finally found the perfect solution. We purchased a building in the Mercantile Commerce Park area and moved our Service Department. This creates a way for us to better serve the community and allows us to move forward in the future.

Over the last 18 years as a School Board Member and Councilman, I have had the privilege of working with many wonderful and caring leaders who all shared the same goal: Keeping the City of Beachwood the best place to live! It would be an honor to continue serving this community if I am re-elected.