Mayor Bernie Hovey

Welcome to the website of the Village of Silver Lake.  Hopefully you will find this site to be helpful, informative and useful.  It will be used by Village officials to provide essential and timely information on things happening in the Village.  The site will be continually upgraded and improved, and will be linked to other sites which Village residents may find of interest.  Of course, your suggestions and comments are welcome as to what should be on our website.  Happy surfing!

Please also check out The Mayor’s Blog!

I was first sworn in as Mayor of the Village of Silver Lake on Monday, March 27, 2006.  Since then, I have three times been elected as mayor, first in 2007, then again in 2011, and most recently in 2015.  Prior to serving as Mayor, I was elected to Village Council as an at-large member in 1999, and then re-elected in 2003.  In January 2006, I was elected President of Council.

As Mayor, I promise to both represent you, the residents of the Village, and to be an advocate for you.  My goal is to maintain our status as a peaceful, quiet place in which to live and raise our families, to maintain adequate and appropriate services, and to exercise both responsibility and restraint when suggesting projects or programs requiring the expenditure of Village funds.

Following is a short biographical background of me, Bernie Hovey:

I graduated from the University of Michigan in 1969 with an A.B. in Economics, and from Cleveland State University in 1976 with a M.Ed. Administration.  Additionally, I have taken 120+ semester hours in various disciplines at Ohio University, Kent State University and Ashland University.  I retired as a teacher of mathematics at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent in 2004.  I then taught mathematics at Archbishop Hoban High School for 4 years, and served as an assistant athletic director for 3 additional years. At Roosevelt, I also coached both football and ice hockey, having once won a State championship in hockey.  I ended my 45 years as a teacher, coach and administrator in 2014; it was the right time to do so. Presently, I serve as vice-president of the Akron Touchdown Club, and on a citizens’ review committee for Summit County Juvenile Court.  I have also, in the past, served as a part-time instructor at Kent State University.  As a member of Crystal Lake, I served on the Board of Directors there, serving one term as president.  I have been fortunate to serve on many groups and committees that have helped hone my leadership skills, and have also done some motivational speaking.

My wife, Kathleen, and I have been married for almost 40 years, and have three children, two boys and a girl.  The boys live in the area, while our daughter lives and works in New York City.  We also have six very young grandchildren – four beautiful granddaughters, two of whom are identical twins, and two grandsons.  I am an avid bike rider, and because I believe in physical fitness, I work out daily, usually at 6:30 AM, in a local gym. Kathleen and I love the theater.  We love to take in shows at E.J. Thomas and Porthouse Theater.  We also like to go to shows in Cleveland, Toronto, New York and even Las Vegas.  Additionally, we enjoy going out to dinner and a movie, or even just dinner, with friends, and look forward to picnics at the lake on summer nights with a special group of close friends.

We have lived in Silver Lake since 1985.  What a great place in which to live!  How fortunate we were to be able to raise our children in such a close-knit and caring community!  It is my goal and mission to preserve this nurturing atmosphere for all the families living in Silver Lake, as well as for all those who will be moving into our Village in the future.  With your help and support, together we can attain this goal.