My wife Kersti Riehl and I currently live full time on Seabrook Island Road. We have two children, a son who lives with his wife in a Cleveland suburb, and a daughter, who with her husband and two children, lives in Winston Salem N.C.
I was born in Akron Ohio. My father was an executive with a rubber company. I graduated from Colgate University in 1966. Upon graduation served in the Marine Corps, in Vietnam. Upon being discharged from the Marine Corp, I returned to Cleveland, Ohio and attended Case Western Reserve University Law School. After graduating from CWRU, I commenced a career practicing law in Cleveland and is currently semi-retired with the firm.
My Law Services have included: Economic Development, Eminent Domain Litigation, Environmental Regulation & Litigation Land Use & Zoning, Law Director Services, Litigation Services, Public Law Services, Public Records & Open Meetings Litigation, Real Estate Services Telecommunications & Right-of-Way.
I have divided my practice between private client representation for my firm’s Litigation Group and municipal representation for its Public Law Group. I have served as the Law Director of the municipalities of Hudson, Shaker Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, Richfield, Gates Mills and Solon. As part of my public law practice, I have managed a wide variety of zoning, telecommunications, employment, civil service, environmental and construction issues.
Recognition:
AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
2007-2020 – Selected for inclusion in the 2007-2020 editions of The Best Lawyers in America. Listed in the current edition for Environmental Law; Litigation-Land Use and Zoning; Municipal Law; Real Estate Law.
2008-2018 – Selected to Ohio Super Lawyers list. Areas of practice: Land Use/Zoning; State/Local/Municipal; Environmental.
I have lectured on numerous zoning and governmental issues, am a member of various bar associations and is a past board member and president of the Board of a community-based hospital and on the Board of the Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) Board of health. Additional association involvement includes the Ohio Municipal Attorneys Association and the International Municipal Lawyers Association.
In discussing my position on why I want to be a Board member of SIPOA, I’ve stated: ”my position is really embodied in the SIPOA Vision Statement and Mission Statement, both of which documents I wholeheartedly endorse. I think that both documents embody the idea that Seabrook Island is a community where residents and visitors care about the environment, care about the quality of life, care about their fellow citizens and want to preserve these amenities for future residents and visitors. I would hope to carry out these ideas if I would be fortunate enough to serve on the SIPOA Board.”
-Submitted by the SIPOA Nominating Committee