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NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio — Elected last fall, Keegan Radeff recently took office as the new North Olmsted finance director.
“It’s going good,” said Sheffield Lake native Radeff, who with wife, Amanda, are raising 5-year-old daughter, Delilah, in North Olmsted.
“What I’ve been really happy with is that I inherited a really great, seasoned team with a lot of institutional knowledge. I’m really happy to have the team I have. They’re definitely crucial to my transition here.”
Radeff comes to North Olmsted after most recently serving as an accountant III for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD).
Not long after moving to North Olmsted, Radeff said he discovered the city is only one of a handful of Cuyahoga County communities where the finance director is an elected position.
“That was definitely something that went on my radar, but it wasn’t something I was thinking about the moment I moved in,” he said.
“I’ve wanted to get involved at the city more and I felt this was a really good opportunity, especially with my background.”
After earning a bachelor’s of business administration in accounting from Kent State University, Radeff completed his MBA at the University of Findlay.
His career also reflects a commitment to public service and financial stewardship.
In addition to previously serving as a staff sergeant in the Air National Guard with the 179th Air Wing in Mansfield, he professionally spent time as an IRS Revenue Agent.
“I’ve just always been passionate about public service,” he said.
As far as finances in North Olmsted, Radeff reported the city is stable and in “pretty good shape” compared to other communities.
“I don’t see any red flags or concerns at this point,” he said.
However, one of the main goals for his first year in office is increasing transparency by creating a resident-friendly state of the city finances report.
“Right now, the city puts out 200 to 300-page financial reports that have a lot of financial data,” he said.
“You may need to be an accountant to really grasp it all.”
His plan is to condense that data down into roughly nine pages of consumable information that not only shows city finance trends but also highlights substantial purchases.
“It would be something that anyone could go to the city website, open up and be able to understand with minimal background as far as finance goes,” he said.
The finance director hopes to release the new report in the next few months.
“I really value transparency,” he said.
“Because we have some higher taxes among surrounding communities, I feel what may help people at least be more comfortable with that concept is if they understand where money is being spent.”
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