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FitzGerald Prepares to Leave Office after Four Years as Cuyahoga County Executive

ideastream file photo by Nick Castele
ideastream file photo by Nick Castele

On FitzGerald's watch, the county built downtown Cleveland's new convention center and Medical Mart, as well as a new government headquarters. And a publicly financed Hilton Hotel is now beginning to rise downtown, too.

FitzGerald declined an offer to talk about his time in office, but released a 100-page illustrated report touting his accomplishments -- along with a video farewell address.

"Over the last four years, we've turned the page on decades of corruption and mismanagement, and established a county government that is smart, effective and knows how to get things done for the people that it serves," he says in the video.

FitzGerald set up $100 college savings accounts for kindergartners, and a $100 million loan fund for economic development. He also helped craft a $50 million plan to demolish vacant and abandoned homes.

FitzGerald lost a bruising gubernatorial fight that saw incumbent Gov. John Kasich carry nearly 64 percent of the vote.

FitzGerald's successor, Armond Budish, has scheduled an inaugural ceremony for Jan. 4.

Nick Castele was a senior reporter covering politics and government for Ideastream Public Media. He worked as a reporter for Ideastream from 2012-2022.