Gollinger throws hat in ring for mayor
By Ben Saylor
Rocky River
Published July 4, 2007

Longtime Ward 3 City Councilman Frank Gollinger told West Life he intends to run for Mayor this fall.

Frank Gollinger

Gollinger, a Republican, said he will more than likely run as an independent. He announced in May that he would not run again for City Council after his term ends this year. Gollinger has been the Ward 3 councilman for 14 years, making him the longest serving member currently on council.

The veteran councilman said he decided to run after receiving lots of feedback encouraging him to enter the race.

Gollinger will face Mayor Pamela Bobst as well as resident Fred Sokol. While he has not filed officially, Sokol pulled petitions and is currently collecting the necessary signatures to get on the ballot. The requirement is 200, and Sokol told West Life he has more than that and plans on collecting even more before the July 20 filing deadline.

Bobst has served as mayor for a little over a year. She was appointed to the position last summer after Mayor William Knoble resigned.

Bobst previously served as council president and before that as a councilwoman-at-large.

Knoble was charged with two misdemeanors for hiring two relatives at the Rocky River Wastewater Treatment plant. He agreed to a plea deal which required him to resign.

Sokol welcomed Gollinger’s candidacy, saying “what we need are more candidates and more ideas.” He added that Gollinger has always been concerned with issues related to his residents. “Frank has been a councilman that always seems to talk at council meetings about what his residents are concerned about.”

Council President Brian Hagan said he could not comment on Gollinger’s intent to run because he is a judicial candidate. Hagan is running for judge on the Rocky River Municipal Court.

Bobst, when told of Gollinger’s plans, said she would not comment until after he was officially a candidate. Councilman-at-large Thomas Long, the only at-large member of council running for re-election this fall, also declined to comment.

Councilman-at-large Brian Hurtuk told West Life that while he did not consider it appropriate to comment on Gollinger’s intent, he did say he thought Bobst was the best choice to replace Knoble. He will be supporting Bobst in the fall, he said.

Ward 2 Councilman James Moran said that when Knoble had to be replaced, the choice was between Bobst, Gollinger and Hagan.

“I would say that the person who had the most support and the most knowledge of the position [of mayor] is now in that position,” Moran said. He added, “She proved herself worthy of being the candidate, and now over the last year has proved herself to be the best mayor for the city of Rocky River.”

Moran said that while Gollinger has been a “great councilperson,” he feels that “the mayor is a person who deserves to be running our city right now.”