Mayor's Page

Keith Ari Benjamin is the 12th Mayor of Bratenahl. Mr. Benjamin was first elected to Bratenahl Village Council in 2017, re-elected in 2021and served as Council President Pro-Tem from January 2021 to July 2023. Prior to being elected to Village Council, Benjamin served on the Village’s Recreation Commission, Public Records Commission and Master Plan Committee. 

 Keith has over 31 years of experience as a public administrator and government official in communities throughout Cuyahoga County including Lakewood, Cleveland Heights, and South Euclid. In his work for Northeast Ohio communities, he has directed and managed major community and neighborhood planning and revitalization efforts, including economic development and park improvement projects. He has also led public communications efforts and raised millions of dollars in grant funding for various programs and projects.

 He served as the founding coordinator of the First Suburbs Consortium (FSC), a nationally recognized council-of-governments comprised of 19 inner-ring suburbs surrounding Cleveland, Ohio. The FSC was the first organization in the country formed to fight issues affecting older, built-out communities, including urban sprawl and continuing disinvestment of our diverse, built-out communities. More recently he was the co-founder of a cultural competency training program at Cleveland State University for first responders that has trained hundreds of Police Officers throughout Ohio and Michigan.

 Mr. Benjamin holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications/journalism from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in psychology with certification in diversity management from Cleveland State University. He has served on several boards and advisory councils including the Cleveland Mediation Center, Cleveland Tenants Organization, Emerald Cities Sustainability Council, Ensemble Theatre, Dobama Theatre, Organize Ohio’s Fair Lending and Vital Communities Committee, and Building One America, a national bipartisan organization formed to address challenges confronting older inner-ring communities. In February 2023, Benjamin was appointed to the National League of Cities’ Race, Equity and Leadership Council.