EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one in a series looking at what Cuyahoga County communities, agencies and school districts experienced in 2025 and what is facing them in 2026. Mayfield Heights is seeing many changes to their government,including three new council members and a new mayor with former City Co uncil President Diane Snider replacing Mayor Anthony DiCicco who spent 12 years in office. Diane Marzano Snider (Submitted) Mayor-elect Snider was asked how she planned on starting her term and what her initial focus would be. “I think my vision is to spend time with each department head and see their needs, how they run, and get more in depth in what they do so I can be more aware of how those departments are run and how to carry out their needs or desires, I think that’s important,” Snider said. “I want to make sure that I’m in touch with our city engineer and our economic developer to see what they would like to see for the 2026 year, if it’s something we haven’t already discussed or plans for the future.” Mayfield Heights Mayor Anthony DiCicco talks with members of the police department and other city officials at the soft-opening of the Mayfield Heights Aquatic Center. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald.) One of milestones for outgoing mayor DiCicco was opening the city’s new Aquatic and Community Center which was part of his overall plan of expanding recreational opportunities within the city. Snider said that she would continue to see how they could either expand or improve parks and other areas within the city and that she would work to develop a master plan alongside other departments. “I know our economic developer is looking at a master plan so I would like to delve into that a little bit more and see his direction and how he wants to see that through,” she said. “Maybe look at putting a committee together for that.” Snider said that during her campaign, she met many people that were able to share their viewpoints with her and during that time she developed some ideas on how to get the community more involved with the daily operations of government, including forming a committee to advise the administration on community engagement. “I would like to carry out some of the things that I said in my literature,” Snider said. “I would like to expand on our safety program, the neighborhood Block Watch Program, to get more people in the community involved. “I would also like to get some of the people that I met over the course of my campaign together to see if they would be on some type of advisory committee, but I would like to start getting more people involved,” she added. “I also want to visit some businesses and get to meet the owners and see what their wants and desires and needs are as well.” Members of a police sniper team wait to teach Mayfield Heights residents about their equipment. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald.) Mayfield Heights residents learn about police operations during a citizens police academy. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald.) She said that another goal would be to see if there were ways to incorporate more walkable areas for both pedestrians and cyclists as the Mayfield Road corridor has seen an increase in traffic leading to congestion and accidents. “I would love to look into that, definitely,” Snider said. “I think that was something that over the past few years was talked about heavily, was kind of controversial in certain areas of the city. “But that was one thing during my campaign I heard a lot of people talk about — to have more accessibility for walking and biking and that there being so much traffic a lot of times they don’t even want to go down Mayfield Road,” she continued. “I don’t even like crossing Mayfield Road myself, so I understand that and that’s another desire of a lot of the residents that I spoke to when I did my meet and greets. “Once I have a meeting with our economic developer and our city engineer, I think that might be something we have to look at.” Snider has spent 22 years on council and previously served as the interim mayor in 2021 when DiCicco was recovering from an illness. She said that although the new role will be different than what she has experienced before, she is ready to put some of her policy ideas in place. “I am a little bit nervous, I think it’s a whole new role, but it’s something that I’m familiar with,” Snider said. “It’s exciting. I’m feeling a lot of different emotions right now but I’m excited to get in there and do what I need to do, and I hope that I carry this out… I was excited about my win, and I want to do well for the residents and the businesses for the city.” ...read more read less