Politics & Government

Cleveland Heights City Council Honors Ezekiel Burrows

Family and council members spoke about the longtime member of the city's Planning Commission who died in December

Cleveland Heights City Council dedicated the beginning of its meeting Monday night to honor Ezekiel Burrows, who served on the city’s Planning Commission for 12 years.

Members of council shared their memories of Burrows, who died Dec. 3, with his family members. 

“I always could count on one thing when I came to the Planning Commission meeting … a firm handshake, a smile and a kind word. And that was every time, too,” Council Member Dennis Wilcox recalled. “He was one-of-a-kind, and he loved this city, and it showed in everything he did here.”

Find out what's happening in Cleveland Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Several echoed this sentiment. Burrows was positive, warm, personable and rarely missed a meeting, as he was passionate about contributing to the city he had lived in since 1971.  

“His favorite expression was, 'let’s get to the win-win situation,' and he always did,” said Council Member Kenneth Montlack, describing Burrows' efforts to make sure decisions were good for all involved, especially the community.

Find out what's happening in Cleveland Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Burrows’ wife, Gloria, and son, Grady, thanked the city for recognizing Burrows, or "Zeke" as he was known to most, and for the support they’ve received during the past few months. Other members of his family also attended the council meeting. 

“My heart is still very, very heavy, but the outpouring of love and appreciation — I’m still doing cards, people are still coming forward,” Gloria Burrows said. “Just a young man, 20-some-years-old the other day, he says, ‘He wasn’t just your best friend, Mrs. Burrows. Mr. Burrows was everybody’s best friend.’”

After the tribute to Burrows, the council took care of items on the agenda.

Council passed a resolution to authorize the city to tear down a home on 3997 Bluestone Road/1110 Hillstone Road (a corner property) because the house has deteriorated and can’t be saved. Council member Cheryl Stephens was absent.

After citing the owner, Home Solutions Partners III REO, a limited liability company based in Texas, for three years numerous times for code violations, no effort was made to restore the home, Montlack said. 

The property, declared to be a nuisance, had defaulted to previous owner Deutsche Bank, he said.

“What usually happens in this situation is that (the bank) will make every attempt to sell off the property for next to nothing, and they usually bundle these properties and sell them to so-called 'investors,'" he said. "Because they are not subject to ... criminal procedures, basically they are free to walk away from the property and essentially that is exactly what appears to have happened."

The city will have to eat the cost to demolish the home, which is estimated at $11,000, he said, calling the company and others like it "out-of-state, economic muggers." 

City Council also authorized City Manager Robert Downey to apply for money to complete the first phase of an environmental site assessment of the city-owned parking lot on 3230 Silsby Road, just off of Lee Road.

The Cuyahoga County Department of Development has a fund to provide this type of financial assistance, according to the ordinance, and Wilcox said it would be in the best interest of the city to apply for it now. 

Mayor Ed Kelley and Wilcox both said there were no specific plans for the site, but the city wants to see what the options are for future development.

Kelley also announced that the application process to take over for Council Member Mark Tumeo, , would begin April 18.

Applicants will be asked to submit a resume and complete a brief application, he said, and more details will be available in two weeks.

Rep. Barbara Boyd, D-Cleveland Heights, was the most recent council member to end her term early in 1993, Kelley said. When she was elected state representative in November 1992, current Vice Mayor Phyllis Evans was nominated by council to fill her seat.

The next City Council meeting will be Wednesday, April 20, as Passover begins at sunset on April 18. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Cleveland Heights