Michael D. Polensek (born November 16, 1949) is a City Council member in Cleveland, Ohio, representing Ward 8. He has served in Cleveland City Council since 1977. He lives in the North Shore Collinwood area of Cleveland with his wife, Kathy, and has five children: Lisa, Deana, Michael, Lauren and Andrew.[1]

Michael D. Polensek
Member of the Cleveland City Council
Assumed office
1982
Constituency8th Ward
In office
1977–1982
Constituency26th Ward
President of the Cleveland City Council
In office
2000–2001
Preceded byJay Westbrook
Succeeded byFrank G. Jackson
Personal details
Born (1949-11-16) November 16, 1949 (age 75)
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Alma materCuyahoga Community College

Political career

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Polensek was first elected to council in 1977 representing what was Ward 26 until 1982, then representing Ward 11 for ten terms, and is now in his second term representing Ward 8. All totaled he is serving in his 13th term in Council. He served as Council President from 1999 to 2002. He is also an Executive Board member of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, and the founder of the Collinwood Nottingham Villages and the Northeast Shores Development Corporations in Ward 11.[1] On November 5, 2013, Polensek won the election for the newly reconfigured Ward 8, uncontested. He was endorsed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.[2]

City Council positions

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Polensek is Vice-Chair of the Public Safety Committee and a member of the Health and Human Services, Public Parks, Property and Recreation, Public Service, Public Utilities, and Rules committees.[1]

Personal

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Polensek, a Slovene American, grew up in the Slovenian section of Collinwood, attending the Nottingham and Hannah Gibbons Elementary Schools and eventually graduated from Collinwood High School in January 1969, where he is a member of the Collinwood High School Hall of Fame.[3][1] His mother and two sisters also graduated from Collinwood. He played freshman, junior and varsity football at Collinwood and played on the 1967 unbeaten East Senate Championship Football Team in the Thanksgiving Day Charity Game at Cleveland Lakefront Stadium. Polensek attended Tri-C Community College at their Metro campus through the Cleveland Scholarship Program, where he studied Industrial Management.[4] He remains an active member of the congregation member at St. Mary of the Assumption Slovenian Catholic Church.[1]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Michael Polensek". Cleveland City Council.
  2. ^ Cleveland.com / Cleveland Plain Dealer Editorial Page: Michael D. Polensek for Cleveland City Council, Ward 8: Endorsement Editorial
  3. ^ Dan Hanson (20 June 2015). "Councilman Mike Polensek at Slovenia Statehood celebration". Archived from the original on 2021-12-21 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "Collinwood High School Alumni Association Website". Archived from the original on 2013-10-29.

References

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  • Bennett, David Council Puts Foot Down (8/14/2000) Crain's Cleveland Business Vol. 21 Issue 34, p1. 2p. [1]
  • Cleveland City Councilman's Letter Tells Teen 'Go to Jail or the Cemetery' Fox News, (July 19, 2007) Associated Press [2]
  • Dear Piece Of Trash: Cleveland Pol Sends Drug Suspect Profanity-Filled Letter (July 19, 2007) The Smoking Gun [3]
  • Berry, Jason Render Unto Rome: The Secret Life of Money in the Catholic Church (2011) Random House
  • Welsh, Thomas G. Closing Chapters: Urban Change, Religious Reform, and the Decline of Youngstown's Catholic Elementary Schools, 1960–2006 (2011) Lexington Books
  • Cleveland Borrows Big Bucks from the Browns to Fix Stadium (Feb 06, 2012) WOIO / WTOC [4]
  • Larkin, Brent New Ward Map Leads to Cleveland City Council Intrigue: Brent Larkin (May 25, 2013) The Plain Dealer [5]
  • Seaton, Jay Cleveland City Councilman Michael Polensek Offers Reward After Mentally Challenged Man Attacked (8/23/2013) ABC News Channel Five [6]
  • Bike Cleveland Cleveland City Council Candidate Questionnaire: Ward 8 – Michael Polensek Responses (Oct. 25th, 2013) Bike Cleveland [7]
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Political offices
Preceded by President of Cleveland City Council
2000–2001
Succeeded by