Beachwood Without a Mayor, Temporarily

The space on the Beachwood website that should have a picture of the top borough official is now blank. Democratic Mayor Ronald W. Jones has resigned from office, effective Friday.

Council President Ronald Roma -- who ran unopposed in this week's primary -- has taken over temporarily, but does not have the title of acting mayor, longtime Borough Clerk Elizabeth Mastropasqua said.

"Mr. Roma is the council president," she said.  "Under all circumstances in the absence of the mayor, he takes over."

Jones sent a one-paragraph letter to Mastropasqua earlier this week, announcing his intent to resign on Friday.

"Please be advised due to business and personal commitments that are ever increasing I will be resigning my position as Mayor of Beachwood effective Friday, June 10, 2011," the letter states.

The local Democratic organization has 15 days from Friday to submit three names to the Borough Council for Jones' replacement. Council members then have 15 days to pick one of the three to serve as mayor until Jones' term expires at the end of December, Mastropasqua said.

Jones' departure caps several years of stormy Borough Council meetings and disputes with several council members.

"By March 2008, things started to get very bad," Mastropasqua said.

Two former council members filed tort claims against Jones.

"I think the residents will have an easier time," Mastropasqua said of the resignation. "They won't have the bad publicity."

Mastropasqua said she could not recall any mayoral resignations during her many years as borough clerk.

"I've only had a vacancy due to a death," she said, referring to longtime Republican Mayor William T. Hornidge, who died several years ago.

"We fondly think of him during these times," Mastropasqua said.

Jones could not be reached for comment.

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