TWINSBURG, Ohio — The city of Twinsburg will soon have a new chief executive.
Mayor Ted Yates announced Saturday he will be resigning from the position to become Village Manager of Islamorada, Florida. He and his wife had apparently been discussing such a move for a period of time, recalling fond memories of his late father's home in the Keys.
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"Many may think this is an easy decision, but pursuing a manager position away from Twinsburg has been extremely difficult both personally and professionally," Yates wrote on Facebook. "I can not express enough how much Sharon and I love the Twinsburg community and the many people we have been so fortunate to meet and get to know over the past 30 years."
A native of Solon, Yates was first elected as Twinsburg's fourth mayor in 2015 and is currently in his second term. His tenure saw the community experience some of the same economic growth it did under his immediate predecessors James Karabec and Katherine Procop, but also produced some tensions and clashes with his colleagues other certain spending issues, something he appeared to acknowledge in his statement.
"Being your Mayor the past seven years has been one of the most rewarding and yet challenging journeys of my life," he said. "As difficult as certain times have been, I would do it all over again without hesitation."
Yates will be replaced on an acting basis by City Council President Sam Scaffide, who has served on the legislative body for 20 years along with stints as a service director in Glenwillow, Reminderville, and Brunswick. Though he admitted council sometimes had "disagreements" with Yates, he stressed his belief that the mayor had "done the best as he could" during his time in office and spoke glowingly about their personal relationship.
"I'm very happy for him," Scaffide stated, adding that Yates personally called him last Monday to inform him of the impending departure.
Under the terms of Twinsburg's charter, Scaffide will serve as acting mayor until likely November, when a special election would be held to choose who will serve the remainder of Yates' term on a full-time basis. The current council president says he plans to run in that mayoral election as well as 2023, when residents will vote for a four-year mayoral term.
"Selfishly, I was happy for me, too," Scaffide told 3News, while also giving praise to his fellow councilmembers and relishing the opportunity to work more with them. "I am thoroughly excited."
Yates has not yet informed anyone when his last day as mayor will be, noting he will be back in his City Hall office on Monday to answer more questions and "make sure that my transition will have Twinsburg's best interest in mind." Once Scaffide becomes acting mayor, he will retain his seat as Ward 1's councilman, but will relinquish his position as president.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this story stated Yates and his wife would be moving into his father's old home in the Florida Keys. In fact, the couple sold the home years ago and will find a new location closer to Islamorada. This information has been corrected.
