Mayor Norton's Bio

Gary Norton, Jr. was elected Mayor of the City of East Cleveland, Ohio in November 2009. As Mayor, he is the city’s Chief Executive Officer responsible for police, fire, safety, streets, facilities, finance and economic development. Prior to becoming Mayor, he served as the President of East Cleveland City Council since January 2006.

Mayor Norton holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (1997) and a Master of Public Administration (1998) from Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio. Before becoming mayor, he was a Program Administrator with the Cuyahoga County Department of Development’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program, a $12.5 million initiative to help cities deal with vacant and abandoned properties. He has also served as Executive Assistant to Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones, Special Assistant to the CEO of the Cleveland Municipal School District and Analyst with the Office of Management and Budget in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Gary has been a Big Brother, elementary school tutor and dedicated public school volunteer. He also coaches Boot Camp for New Dads, a program which prepares men for first-time fatherhood.

Gary is a former Chairman of the Murtis H. Taylor Service Center Board of Directors and has served on the boards of the Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland (CEOGC), Antioch Baptist Church, Antioch Development Corporation and Northeast Ohio City Council Association. His affiliations include Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Cleveland Bridge Builders, NAACP and the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party.

Gary is married to Shalom, who is a Cleveland Public School principal and his college sweetheart. Gary and Shalom have three daughters, Kendall, Cameron and Courtney. The Nortons are members of Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland.

To contact the Mayor's Office please call: 216.681.2208