Lakewood Official Leaving the City to Join County Administration

The Lakewood official who helped to launch and enforce the city’s initiative to curb nuisance properties is leaving for a part-time job at the county.

Andrea Rocco, the assistant to the mayor, will serve as special counsel to former mayor and current county executive Ed FitzGerald. Her last day with Lakewood is this Friday.

“I am excited to work with Ed FitzGerald and to contribute the success he’s had so far,” said Rocco. “I am looking forward to working with the county." 

She is the third Lakewood employee to to work for county since FitzGerald took the post in January. , the former director of planning and development, and , the former law director, both took positions with the county in January.

Rocco will keep her position in the city of .

FitzGerald said he knew Rocco’s skills well — he’s the guy who hired her in 2008.

“She did a great job in ,” FitzGerald said, adding that she’ll be working on similar special projects for the county. “It’s her work ethic and determination — these are the qualities that a government needs. We’re trying to bring that to Cuyahoga County government.”

Rocco will earn approximately $48,000 in her new part-time post at the county.

In 2008, Lakewood City Council passed a nuisance law aimed at cleaning up neighborhoods by handing out penalties and fines to property owners with “chronic nuisance behaviors originating at their properties." 

Rocco was tasked with working with owners of nuisance properties. However the final determination whether a property is a nuisance is left to the mayor.

She also worked on other issues, including serving as a mediator on the pit bull ban and parking ticket violation appeals.

Mayor Michael Summers, trying to balance an , said the $30,000-per-year, part-time position will not be filled.

“We’ve got to reduce costs where we can,” he said. “We’ve got to use attrition in situations like this. We have no choice but to shrink our government.”

Summers said that Rocco's duties will be split up and shared within several departments at city hall.

“I think we’ve made important progress creating a culture that says we’re not going to mess around when somebody is disrupting a neighborhood,” he added.

Rocco said, as a Lakewood native, she’s proud of the work she’s accomplished.

“Lakewood has always been very important to me,” she said. “Lakewood itself is full of wonderful neighborhoods and wonderful residents. It’s been a great experience working there.”