Mayfield Heights City Council recently welcomed its newest member, Matthew Metyk, who is taking the seat left vacant when Robert DeJohn retired earlier this year. Metyk, who’s day job is vice president of Labella Associates, an architecture and engineering firm based in Mayfield Heights, has already been involved in the city serving as a member on multiple city committees including the beautification committee and trails committee. Because DeJohn retired in between elections, Metyk will be serving the remainder of his term which will end on Dec. 31, 2025, after which he plans to seek election to a full term. “I’m a resident, been here about seven years, and on the board of zoning for five years and going to be vice chair for that committee,” Metyk said after a Nov. 11 city council meeting. “…I’m on the steering and selection committee for the Aquatic Center that we completed so I was involved with that since it passed its vote. Newly appointed council member Matthew Metyk prepares for a city council meeting. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald) “My background is really in buildings, so I’ve been involved in the city as much as I can. I really enjoy it here, I have two kids in the school system here, so we love being residents.” He said that he made the jump from being a committee member to city council member after his many experiences over the years of interacting with government agencies and forming relationships with existing council members. “I thought I could offer value to push certain ordinances and legislation through, especially, when it comes to buildings and things like that because it’s kind of in my background,” Metyk said on why he applied for the city council position. “Being involved in the Aquatic Center and attending city council meetings, I felt that I could help get decisions made, and push things through so that was part of the reason. And I enjoyed and have met everyone on the city council over the years, so I wanted to be part of that team.” When asked what changes he would want to see made in the way council works, he said that he feels many of the codes in regard to planning are outdated and could be streamlined. “Sometimes I see (ordinances) that are wasteful for our residents,” Metyk said. “At the board of zoning we see a lot of things come through that we usually pass just because it’s an outdated ordinance so I would like to make some changes there to improve efficiency and streamline the day-to-day operations… we see a lot. It’s usually the same cases that we approve so there needs to be some change there.” He said now that he is on council and settled in for a month that he feels like he made the right choice in applying for the job. “It’s great, I’m really enjoying it, the people are great,” Metyk added. “I’ve known a number of people here for many years but not closely, so I feel at home.”