Councilman Doug Bletcher Is Leaving Gates Mills

Gates Mills Councilman Doug Bletcher and his wife, Barbara, are moving from Gates Mills to Russell Township, according to Sun News.

Consequently, Bletcher will be leaving the Village Council.

According to the newspaper, the move to a one-floor home is necessary because Barbara has knee problems.

Bletcher has been a resident of the village for 32 year. He was a councilman from 1990 to 1994 and 2010 to present. Were he not resigning, his term would have ended in 2014.

Bletcher came within about 50 votes of being mayor of Gates Mills. However, Shawn M. Riley ultimately won in a close mayoral race in 2012.

During the Council meeting on April 9, officials had not yet made a plan to replace Bletcher. They likely will begin accepting applications to fill the vacancy later this month, according to the Sun.