Editing Garfield Heights, Ohio (section)

==Government==
Garfield Heights has seven wards and a [[Mayor–council government|mayor-council]] form of government. The city's charter went into effect in 1956. The city also has a municipal court that serves several jurisdictions.
The council president is selected by members of city council. If the mayor's seat is vacated, the council president would assume the duties, according to the city charter.

===Mayors of Garfield Heights===
{| class="wikitable"
! Term of service !! Name !! Life dates !! Party
|-
|  1920–1929 ||   Oliver D. Jackson || 1874-1953 || &nbsp;
|-
|  1930–1931  ||  Raymond Ring || &nbsp; || &nbsp;
|-
|  1932–1937  ||  Martin O'Donnell || &nbsp; || &nbsp;
|-
|  1937–1939  ||  Don Cameron || &nbsp; || &nbsp;
|-
|  1940–1947  ||  Raymond Ring || &nbsp; || &nbsp;
|-
| 1947–1949 || Grant Weber || 1884–1949 || &nbsp;
|-
| 1950–1955 || Charles F. Wing || &nbsp; || &nbsp;
|-
| 1956–1961 || Neil E. Bowler || 1902–1995 || Republican
|-
| 1962–1964 || Jack Donovan || 1922-1988 || &nbsp;
|-
| 1965–1969 || Frank Petrancek || &nbsp; || &nbsp;
|-
| 1970–1979 || Ray Stachewicz || &nbsp; || &nbsp;
|-
| 1979–1983 || Theodore S. Holtz || &nbsp; || &nbsp;
|-
| 1983–2009 || Thomas J. Longo || &nbsp; || [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]
|-
| 2009-2021|| Vic Collova || 1947- || Democrat
|-
| 2021-|| Matt Burke|| &nbsp; || Democrat
|}

===Public safety===
The city maintains its own police and fire departments.
The city has a network of emergency warning sirens. The sirens are routinely tested at noon on the first Saturday of every month. A [[Community Emergency Response Team]] is in place. Garfield Heights uses [[traffic signal preemption]].

In 2021, at the direction of Mayor Matt Burke and newly appointed Chief Mark Kaye, the city began a comprehensive Crime Reduction Plan.  Ohio Governor Mike DeWine awarded $1.3 Million to the Garfield Heights Police Department through the Ohio Violent Crime Grant Reduction Program.  The Garfield Heights Police Department installed a city-wide camera surveillance system, the Flock system, a comprehensive Drone Unit and most effectively, a Target Enforcement Unit.  By 2023, the Garfield Heights Police Department reported a reduction of 33%.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dave |first=DeNatale |date=October 10, 2023 |title=Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine visits Garfield Heights police for update on crime reduction |url=https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/cuyahoga-county/gov-mike-dewine-garfield-heights-crime-reduction-update/95-07c8d6c0-c38e-4213-bb16-6c3d3c3f398c |access-date=April 8, 2025 |website=WKYC.com}}</ref>