Edward Kraus was named the first Jewish mayor in Solon’s history in the 2017 Election. Prior to running for mayor, Kraus was a Ward 6 councilman in Solon for 16 years.

Mayor Kraus said that back in 2017 he believed Solon was not developing efficiently and that he could make a change.

“I’m a big believer in progress, and I felt that the city was kind of maintaining and not progressing,” Kraus said. “I felt that it had to start from the mayor.”

Mayor Kraus has achieved a variety of things for Solon in his time in office such as expanding businesses and enabling Swagelok to build their global headquarters by authorizing a grant to fund it. Yet, Mayor Kraus said there is still more he wants to do.

“We have done a lot in terms of what I call economic development,” Kraus said. “ We have about 900 companies, and we continue to grow and have a lot of new businesses, but I wanted to work on community development. We are doing Rails to Trails, for instance, taking the old rail lines and converting them into walking and biking trails.”

This plan, if executed correctly, would effectively repurpose abandoned train rails into walking and biking trails that would connect Solon to the neighboring town of Chagrin. Thomas Jewell outlined Kraus’s plan to execute the Rails to Trails project in an article on Cleveland.com.

The city has applied “for [a] grant through the reactivated Clean Ohio Trails Fund, which in previous years provided up to $500,000 for qualifying projects,” Jewell said.

Solon resident Gustavo Narvaez created the Of Trees, Parks, and Urban Greenery program, a series of community events that raised awareness about the benefits and importance of trees. Narvaez has recently shut down the program.

“I have suspended this program because the City of Solon is not serious about trees or sustainability,” Narvaez said. “In fact, the City of Solon is the main source of tree canopy destruction in Solon.”

Despite his strong feelings regarding the destruction of the environment, Narvaez said that Mayor Kraus’s renovation plans have both pros and cons.

“I am all in favor of having a community that is physically active– simply because that gives [us] a community that has less stress, and gives [us] a community that is healthier,” Narvaez said. “When a community is healthier, then you have many other benefits [such as] reduced healthcare costs and healthspan versus life span.”

Still, there have been some potential concerns from Solon citizens regarding the placement of these trails.

“The problem is that this trail is being invasive to some residents,” Narvaez said. “It ends next to a bar in Bainbridge. Why would we want to bike to a bar?”

Still, Mayor Kraus said that the repurposing of train rails into walking/biking trails would be great for the community.

“It’s really important to me because I want to make Solon a walkable community,” Kraus said. “It’s better than just doing it on the street where you are having conflicts with cars. I think trails are much better.”

While the trails are an important goal for Solon, Mayor Kraus’s most well-known plan for Solon is the renovation of the Solon Community Park.

In the first phase of the Solon Community Park renovation plan, the Solon Comet’s varsity baseball field and its stands were renewed and fixed. Next, the playground was demolished, redone and renamed, Sebastian’s Playground, to honor a four-year-old Solon resident who passed away from a rare disease a few years ago.

“Part of our goal with the playground is so that kids of any ability can play,” Kraus said. “If you have autism or if you have any disability, you’ll still be welcome to play on the playground.”

Solon resident Neha Patel has two young kids that attend Solon Schools and frequently utilizes the community park.

“My kids love going to the park, especially in summer,” Patel said. “As they get older and start developing more interest, I think these updates will definitely give them an avenue to channel these interests.”

While citizens tend to agree with Mayor Kraus’s plan, the main issue seems to come with the execution of the plans to add more pickleball courts and the cutting down of mature trees to do so. Senior Alexandru McElhaney said that it is not necessary to cut down the trees.

“We need to look past just seeing them as trees,” McElhaney said. “We need to see them as more than just space where we can establish more infrastructure.”

Solon is home to many mature trees that citizens believe need to be preserved.

“The mortality rate of [trees] is huge because there is the cold, the ice, the snow and humans playing around,” Narvaez said. “So, the best way to preserve the environment is to do exactly that. Do nothing, just leave it alone. Find another place. Yet, the city continues with this plan because they are failing to see that there are alternatives.”

Narvaez said that one alternative would be repurposing some of the tennis courts in order to make more pickleball courts. Others believe this would limit the space for tennis players.

Some citizens view the addition of new pickleball courts as beneficial.

“I think the addition of the pickleball courts will greatly benefit the community overall,” Patel said. “With pickleball growing as fast as it is, the additional space to play is appreciated.”

Regardless of the negative and positive feelings about the renovations, many citizens claim to agree with Mayor Kraus’s belief in the importance of a strong sense of community.

“There are so many great additions [that] will give members of our community a way to connect together sharing common interest[s],” Patel said. “I truly feel these upgrades will be great for the community at large and will allow young kids and families a space to bond and develop old and new friendships.”

Kraus said that with the growing diversity of Solon, keeping the community together and connected is necessary.

“We’re all just people,” Kraus said. “We are all just trying to get through this life together, and the more we can get along and learn from each other, the better off we’re all going to be in the end.”