Richard Mack (Ohio)

Richard Mack

Berea City School District school board At-large

Tenure

2022 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

3

Predecessor: Steve Dockman (Nonpartisan)

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 4, 2025

Appointed

March 7, 2022

Education

High school

Independence High School

Associates

Cuyahoga Community College, 1979

Bachelor's

Cleveland State University, 1981

Graduate

Cleveland State University, 1987

Personal

Birthplace

Cleveland, OH

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Educator

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Richard Mack (also known as Rick) is an at-large member of the Berea City School District school board in Ohio. He assumed office on March 7, 2022. His current term ends on December 31, 2029.

Mack ran for re-election for an at-large seat of the Berea City School District school board in Ohio. He won in the general election on November 4, 2025.

Mack completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Richard Mack was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned a high school diploma from Independence High School, an associate degree from Cuyahoga Community College in 1979, a bachelor's degree from Cleveland State University in 1981, and a graduate degree from Cleveland State University in 1987. Mack's career experience includes working as an educator, intervention specialist, XC and track coach, and BMHS Solidarity Group leader. As of 2025, Mack was affiliated with Bountiful Basement Food Pantry, Blessed Trinity Community Gardens, and Epilogos.

Elections

2025

See also: Berea City School District, Ohio, elections (2025)

General election

General election for Berea City School District school board At-large (3 seats)

Maggie Campbell, incumbent Ana Chapman, and incumbent Richard Mack defeated Trevor Koenig in the general election for Berea City School District school board At-large on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Maggie Campbell (Nonpartisan)	29.5	5,372
✔		Ana Chapman (Nonpartisan)	28.7	5,217
✔	Submit photo	Richard Mack (Nonpartisan)	26.8	4,878
	Submit photo	Trevor Koenig (Nonpartisan)	14.9	2,714

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,181
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Mack received the following endorsements.

• Ohio AFL-CIO
• United Auto Workers

2023

See also: Berea City School District, Ohio, elections (2023)

General election

Special general election for Berea City School District school board At-large

Incumbent Richard Mack defeated Keith Simmons in the special general election for Berea City School District school board At-large on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Richard Mack (Nonpartisan)	58.6	7,921
	Submit photo	Keith Simmons (Nonpartisan)	41.4	5,597

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,518
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Mack received the following endorsements.

• Ohio Federation of Teachers
• Red Wine and Blue

2021

See also: Berea City School District, Ohio, elections (2021)

General election

General election for Berea City School District school board At-large (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Berea City School District school board At-large on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ana Chapman (Nonpartisan)	19.9	4,922
✔	Submit photo	Heather Zirke (Nonpartisan)	18.2	4,512
✔	Submit photo	Steve Dockman (Nonpartisan)	15.7	3,896
	Submit photo	Richard Mack (Nonpartisan)	15.7	3,894
	Submit photo	Rachel McDonnell (Nonpartisan)	10.6	2,618
	Submit photo	Douglas Schwind (Nonpartisan)	8.2	2,021
	Submit photo	Larry Gabbard (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)	5.8	1,446
		Other/Write-in votes	6.0	1,484

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 24,793
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Richard Mack completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mack's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Rick Mack. My wife(Shelley) and I met at CSU, were married, & raised our 2 children(daughter, Claire & son, Phil) in the starter home we bought in Berea in 1984(still there!). Our children attended our schools, went off to college, and now are happily married and living out of the greater Cleveland area. My wife and I have 2 wonderful granddaughters; one who is 7 and one who is soon to be 7.

  I am a retired educator/coach who spent my entire career working for the BCSD. After starting in March of 1982, I taught at every level, in 6 schools, and in all 3 communities. As an intervention specialist, I worked with students who had learning and behavioral difficulties, helping prepare them for independence as adults. As a coach, my goal was to help each individual maximize his/her abilities and compete at the highest level possible. As a department head, I tried to encourage the effective inclusion of IEP students into classrooms, helping to create a culture where all students felt comfortable taking the risks that lead to greater understanding.

In retirement, I still felt passionately about our students, staff, and schools, so I decided to run for the school board in 2021. After losing a close race (by 2 votes!!!!), I ended up being appointed when the incumbent who defeated me suddenly resigned after the February 2022 meeting. My goal has been to ensure that our students receive a quality education that prepares them for the challenges of the future.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Clarity of purpose: I want voters to know that my desire to be on the BoE is to ensure that all students have access to the best education possible, so they will have options for their future. As a BoE member, I look to ensure the wise usage of our funds & resources, to respect the needs of students, families, and staff, and to always be looking toward the future, so we are never caught off-guard. The BCSD has a long history of creating leaders and being innovators in education. I promise to maintain that tradition of excellence.
• Civility toward all: Throughout my life, I have strived to be kind and honest. It can be difficult to have honest, open discussions about topics that elicit strong emotions. Dealing with students, parents, and other professionals was a great proving ground for how to develop such skills. We are in a period of history in which civility and honesty seem to have taken a back seat to hyperbole and bluster...and constant conflict. There are many issues that come before the BoE that have many layers and much emotion. I promise to listen to all sides while discerning what path to follow on important topics.
• To operate with Integrity: My goal is to be transparent through all stages of my decision making, with the ability to articulate and justify how I came to my decision. There are many issues facing school boards across Ohio-from the State cutting resources and funding to how different curricular topics are discussed and taught. The BoE will probably be involved in many intense discussions in the next term. The fiber of what we stand for will be challenged. I promise to act upon and reflect the values this District has stood for, since 1882. As a BoE, we must model integrity in all that we do.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

1) School Safety: As a member of the Safety & Security Committee, I feel the BCSD has shown a commitment to the safety of our students/staff and continue to be leaders in the development of strategies to have the safest schools possible.

2) Fair Funding: Our residents are good, "salt of the earth" folks. Their tax dollars should support their public schools. We must continue to actively work toward fair funding...even if it involves litigation,

3) Accountability for ALL SCHOOLS, not just public schools. Private schools & charter schools are receiving tax dollars, can reject students they don't want, & are not held to anywhere near the measurable standards of public schools. Accountability for all!

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

There are many folks who have had an impact on my life. My Grandpa Tucker was a kind and funny man whose example I probably most closely follow. Oscar Romero, the martyred Bishop of El Salvador...as well as the 4 churchwomen who were martyred shortly after him, have helped shaped who I am. Ralph Delaney, who devoted his life to working with disenfranchised & homeless folks in Cleveland, certainly affected how I view everything. As I age, Mike & Susie Jenkins, founders of Epilogos Charities(https://epilogos.org/), who in RETIREMENT moved to El Salvador to facilitate projects and solidarity, have illustrated that working for justice never ends.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, integrity, empathy, and openness. We are examples for young people.

-We must be honest in all things, at all times. In +40 years of working with students, I know that they are watching & listening ALL THE TIME. We must display honesty in all things.
-Integrity must be the theme of our lives, personally & professionally. As we approach decisions, key interactions, and long term policy making, we must strive to do the right thing even when it is difficult. Short term convenience does not often equal long term success.
-We must model empathy always. Understanding that each student is experiencing a different set of circumstances-every day-than each other child is important. Creating an educational culture that respects every person's journey is the key to having a thriving, successful school district.

-Openness: We must be open to new thoughts & ideas. As a slightly older(66) person, I fight crotchetiness daily by trying to make sure I am not framing everything based on MY experiences. We must keep in mind differences in experiences, generations, and culture(s) when making decisions that affect others.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I hope folks will remember me as kind of a competitive Mr. Rogers figure...Kind, a bit more sarcastic, but one who tried to invite everyone to sit at the table and break bread together.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked as a custodian from my junior year of high school through ,y senior year of college in order to pay my tuition & expenses (1976-81)

What is your favorite book? Why?

Too many to choose... Here are a few:

-Grapes of Wrath
-To Kill a Mockingbird
-Something Wicked This Way Comes
-Caste

-Silas Marner

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

There are a few key jobs:

1) Hire & oversee the Superintendent & Treasurer
2) Make good policy, establishing the rules/guidelines for the District.
3) To act as a liaison between the community and the school district, communicating community attitudes to the Superintendent.

4) Oversee the resources of the District, making sure to utilize our constituents tax dollars effectively.

Who are your constituents?

The good people of Berea, Brook Park, & Middleburg Hts (& a little part of Olmsted Falls).

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Berea Federation of Teachers

North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor

UAW Northeast Ohio Community Action Council

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

I am proud of the 7 student solidarity trips that I led, taking BCSD students & staff to San Jose Villanueva, El Salvador, from 2009 - 2015. We built 6 homes, added a stage onto a school, delivered food and supplies, and developed a deep and beautiful solidarity with the families in that town.

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.

2023

Richard Mack did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

Other survey responses

Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Mack completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

• Cleveland.com

2021

Richard Mack did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

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Berea City School District school board At-large

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