Why Place Matters: Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail ‘89’s Pursuit of Public Service and Community Building
By Charlie Woolsey ’19
This spring, members of the Kenyon class of 2019 will begin the confusing and often stressful task of answering the question: Where should I move after graduation? While east coast cities such as New York and Washington D.C. have consistently ranked among the top choices of Kenyon alumni, Cleveland is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative. Among young alumni, it is now the fifth most popular relocation destination. Kenyon alumna Kirsten Holzheimer Gail ‘89, mayor of Euclid, Ohio, an inner suburb of Cleveland, has her own theory about what makes the Cleveland area great; which has held true through her journey to help grow the area’s popularity.
As an English major walking Middle Path in the late 1980s, Gail dreamed of attending law school and building a career around social justice and policy. Becoming the mayor of her hometown was the last thing on her mind. Yet Gail’s constant pursuit of public service led her back to serve Euclid, the community she grew up in.
To Gail, Northeast Ohio offers the same community atmosphere found at Kenyon. “I remember walking down Middle Path, people would look up and say hello to each other. At other schools that doesn’t happen,” she said. “I think Northeast Ohio offers similar kinds of relationship-building experiences.”
By the time she graduated from Kenyon, Gail had changed her mind about law school, opting to pursue a Masters of Science in Social Administration (MSSA) at Case Western Reserve University in 1991. “After taking an Urban Studies course my senior year [at Kenyon], I felt the Social Administration degree with an emphasis on community development and planning better fit my goals,” she shared.
After receiving her MSSA, Gail worked in a number of local nonprofits in the Cleveland area before deciding to run for an open Euclid City Council seat in 1997. By the time Gail ran for Mayor in 2015, she had made a name for herself in City Council, especially after serving a term as city council president.
“I knew I had contributed while on City Council and felt that professionally and personally I wanted to take that to a new level,” Gail said. “I knew from the beginning that I wanted to take on a community building approach to the job.”
Situated on Lake Erie and nicknamed ‘The Lakefront City,’ Euclid is a good model for the benefits of life in Northeast Ohio. According to Gail, Euclid has “what most small cities are trying to replicate” with its close proximity to public parks, a wide range of local dining options, and easy access to downtown Cleveland.
“Northeast Ohio has many assets that make it a great place to live – world class museums and theatre district, professional sports teams, the Lakefront and MetroPark system, and it has an affordable cost of living with a variety of housing options and diverse neighborhoods from which to choose,” Gail said.
Cleveland Metroparks maintains eighteen reservations in the area--natural assets everyone can enjoy. Kenneth J. Sims Park in Euclid is the perfect spot to watch the Lake Erie sunset, and it hosts yearly summer festivals. Euclid Beach Park, once the site of Cleveland’s most beloved old-time amusement park, boasts both lakefront views and impressive structural remnants of early twentieth-century fun. Under Mayor Gail’s leadership plans are underway for a new multipurpose trail along Lake Erie, thanks to the cooperation of both private lakefront property owners and public partners.
Making an area attractive is more than capitalizing on its natural beauty. Small cities like Euclid have to leverage their close proximity to cultural institutions and economic opportunities offered by metropolitan areas while maintaining a vibrant yet peaceful residential community life. Mayor Gail’s recent accomplishments on these fronts include the addition of local restaurants and bars to Euclid’s downtown, as well as the growth of the city’s industrial corridor. One of the Mayor’s most notable accomplishments is her deal with Amazon to rebuild the abandoned Euclid Square Mall into a new fulfillment center, bringing 1,000 new jobs to a region which is experiencing growth after decades of economic decline. As Gail explained, she is proud of her work to “turn the path of Euclid back towards investment and growth.”
Experience working in the community before deciding to become involved in government was key to Mayor Gail’s success. What advice does she have for Kenyon students thinking about getting involved in politics?
“The best advice I could give [to a Kenyon student] is to get involved in your community. You should get experience [in community-building fields] and then see if that leads you to politics,” Gail said. “You have to do what you love and what’s meaningful to you.”
From Euclid to Kenyon, and back to Euclid again, Mayor Gail’s career has been rooted in Ohio, the state she is proud to call home. With the many attractions and opportunities in Northeast Ohio, it’s no surprise that an increasing number of Kenyon alumni are joining her in calling the Cleveland area home.