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Jim Petras (Mayor of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, candidate 2025)
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Jim Petras ran for election to the Mayor of Cleveland Heights in Ohio. He was on the ballot in the primary on September 9, 2025.[source]
Petras completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Jim Petras provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on August 8, 2025:
- Graduate: Case Western Reserve University, 2019
- Bachelor's: Case Western Reserve University, 2013
- Gender: Male
- Profession: Project Director
- Prior offices held:
- Cleveland Heights City Council (2024-Prsnt)
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign slogan: LET’S GET THE BASICS RIGHT, AND BUILD A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR CLEVELAND HEIGHTS!
- Campaign website
- Campaign endorsements
- Campaign Facebook
Elections
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Cleveland Heights
Deanna Bremer Fisher, Marty Gelfand, Laura Kingsley Hong, Jim Petras, and Davida Russell ran in the primary for Mayor of Cleveland Heights on September 9, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Deanna Bremer Fisher (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Marty Gelfand (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Laura Kingsley Hong (Nonpartisan) | ||
Jim Petras (Nonpartisan)  | ||
| Davida Russell (Nonpartisan) | ||
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Election results
Endorsements
To view Petras's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Petras in this election.
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jim Petras completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Petras' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I grew up just outside Pittsburgh and came to Cleveland to attend Case Western Reserve University, where I earned both a bachelor’s degree in Economics and an MBA. I now work at CWRU as a Project Director in IT, where I lead teams and deliver complex projects.
On Council, I’ve worked to improve basic city services, advocate for financial transparency, and support our most vulnerable residents. I led the creation of a temporary city budget when the mayor’s proposal was incomplete, helped pass legislation to increase awareness of tenant and landlord rights, and partnered with other elected officials to oppose harmful legislation targeting LGBTQ+ youth.
I live in the walkable and vibrant Cedar Fairmount neighborhood. I believe Cleveland Heights can be one of the most livable cities in Ohio, but that requires competent leadership, a clear vision, and someone willing to do the work. That’s why I’m running for mayor.- As a City Councilmember and project director at Case Western Reserve University, I have a track record of delivering results. When the mayor’s proposed budget was incomplete, I led the effort to pass a responsible temporary budget to keep city operations running. I’ve worked to strengthen tenant protections, improve financial transparency, and tackle long-standing service issues. I don’t just talk about problems, I solve them.
- Cleveland Heights deserves a City Hall that works. As mayor, I’ll modernize operations, improve response times, and use technology to deliver better city services. From snow removal to pothole repair, residents should see results. I’ll also build a culture of accountability and professionalism, where staff are supported, performance is measured, and residents are treated like with dignity and respect.
- To build a stronger future, we need to attract young people, new families, and small businesses. With an aging population and many homes set to change hands, we have a real opportunity to shape what’s next. I’ll focus on making Cleveland Heights more walkable, vibrant, and welcoming. With the right leadership, we can make our city one of the most livable in Ohio.
Second, the mayor’s core responsibility is to set a clear, forward-looking vision for the city and bring people together to achieve it. That means working closely with City Council, building strong relationships with regional, state, and federal partners, and collaborating with nonprofits, businesses, and community groups. A successful mayor connects the dots, aligning people, resources, and ideas to move the city toward a brighter future.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
