Bay Village is Ranked #3 of Best Places to Live

Press Release
June 2, 2025

The results are in! Bay Village is ranked #3 for “Best Places to Live” in the annual Cleveland Magazine Rating the Suburbs poll.

The City of Bay Village has been featured in the top 10 “Best Places to Live” since the inception of the annual Rating the Suburbs poll, which provides the data behind Greater Cleveland’s “Best Places to Live”. Three major factors evaluated are: safety, education and housing.

Featured as a “West Side suburb, known for its top-10 school system” with “much to do within its own city limits, bursting with lakeside parks, charming houses and eclectic shops and vendor markets” with “walkability”.

Helping to position Bay Village in the top 3, the city was ranked at:

• #9 for safety (#1 among the Westshore communities)
• #6 in school districts (#2 in the Westshore, behind Rocky River)
• #1 (tied with Westlake and six other communities) for highest % of roads with sidewalks
• #11 for 10-year Median Home Sale Price % Increase (#2 in the Westshore, behind Lakewood)

View the comprehensive list of vital stats for each community and the full Cleveland Magazine article Cleveland’s Top 20 Suburbs of 2025: Best Places to Live, in the June 2025 edition.

Mayor Koomar Interview with Cleveland.com

Bay Village Mayor Paul Koomar was recently interviewed by Cleveland.com.  The resulting wide-ranging article describes his vast experience and deep-rooted love for the community he lives in and serves.  His vision for Bay Village includes not only maintaining its charm, but also fostering growth and development that aligns with the community’s values.  Read the full article here.

Campaign Committee Announced

Mayor Koomar is pleased to announce the following individuals have joined his campaign as committee members:

Pat and Mary Breslin
Rick and Debbie Chelko
Dave and Suzanne Dannemiller
Elaine and Scott Dwyer
John Engelbrecht 
Jim and Laura Geuther
Jim and Patty Gutierrez
Barb and Jeff Harrell
Tom and Molly Mack
Scott and Allison Pohlkamp
Jon and Heather Ransom 
Tricia and Alan Rhea
Joey and Alexa Stark
Mindy Stroh and David Root
Robyn and Matt Tenerowicz
David and Mindy Thomas
Rick and Mary Ellen Voiers
Jeff and Stacy Windahl

Mayor Koomar Elected Vice Chairman of DOPWIC

At the May 22, 2025 District One Public Works Integrating Committee (DOPWIC) meeting at the Cuyahoga County Administration Building, Mayor Koomar was elected Vice Chairman of DOPWIC and Chairman of the Small Government Committee. DOPWIC oversees the state capital improvement program in Cuyahoga County.  These funds are awarded to local communities to support road, bridge, water supply, and wastewater treatment plant projects.  The committee consists of two representatives each from the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, two mayors or township trustees and one member representing the community.

Projects approved by the DOPWIC committee help address critical infrastructure needs in the region.  Collaboration occurs most frequently between municipalities and Cuyahoga County on road and bridge projects where pooling of resources allows for larger projects to be constructed to better serve communities. 

Mayor Koomar advocated for changes to the scoring criteria to ensure that suburban municipalities would have the ability to successfully compete in this process. Scoring changes were implemented over two years and a Bay Village submission was awarded $2,918,688 in zero interest loans for construction of the Equalization Tank project across from the Bay Middle School. This project will place the city in full compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act.  In May 2025 voters in the state approved an extension of this funding mechanism ensuring that investment continues in our infrastructure.    

Mayor Koomar Featured in Baldwin Wallace Article

Paul Koomar, a 1983 Baldwin Wallace business graduate, was recently honored in an article by the university's news department.  The article describes how his BW education provided a foundation for his successful career in public accounting and business administration, eventually leading to being sworn in as the 22nd Mayor of the City of Bay Village.

The article references many of Koomar's accomplishments and the advancements Bay Village has enjoyed under his guidance.  
Read the full article here