Welcome to the website of Councilman Pete Draganic, Ward 4, Seven Hills, Ohio.

For the past two years I have been elected by my fellow council members as Council President, Pro Tem.

I also serve as the chairman of the Safety Committee, overseeing the Seven Hills Police and Fire departments.

I hope my site is useful and informative. Feel free to call me if you ever need assistance or wish to discuss city business. My home number is 216-328-1351. You can also send me an email by following the contact link above.

No city has been immune from the effects of the current economy. These economic times certainly create a number of difficulties for Seven Hills but rest assured that I am working hard with the rest of council to find and implement solutions while maintaining services and the quality of life expected in our fine city.

Be careful as you read the campaign literature you receive from new (and some old) faces in our city's politics. They are misreporting facts and skewing numbers to paint a picture that is not accurate, all in their attempts to gain office but without regard for the good of the city.

Here are some facts about our progress and current situation:

• Since I took office, I have worked with my colleagues to reduce our budget by more than a million dollars from roughly 10.5 million in 2007 to 7.2 million in 2013. Seven Hills has always had a very modest operating budget for a city of our size and therefore, reductions have taken a great amount of work and sacrifice. City departments are operating with less support personnel and we have reduced our service department by nearly half through buyouts. We have had some success in negotiating union contracts and thanks to Mayor Dell'Aquila, have improved recreation center operations and found new sources of revenue that have not involved an increase of resident taxes.

• I, on request of council and in cooperation with the Mayor, personally negotiated with the city's trash contractor for a $146,000.00 savings.

• The city continues to improve infrastructure such as sewers and roadways with many of these projects visible throughout Seven Hills. For these projects we have been able to obtain millions of dollars of funding through grants and arrangements with state and county governments.

• Many people do not realize that the Seven Hills collects very little of it's revenue from property taxes. Only about 12 cents of every property tax dollar comes back to our city. Income taxes are the primary source of revenue for our city.

Aside from the difficulties of the economy, additional challenges arise from increased costs of products and services that are necessary for the city's operation, such as increased insurance costs, unfunded and costly EPA mandates and increased costs of trash collection and other contractual services. Furthermore, we are anticipating cuts from state and other funding but I and the rest of your city officials are dedicated to representing your interests in all of these matters while maintaining quality services and fiscal responsibility.