In 1998, FitzGerald returned to the Cleveland area and later joined the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's office. In 1999, he was appointed to the city council in
Lakewood, Ohio, a position he held for nine years. In 2007, he was elected mayor of Lakewood. FitzGerald's administration focused on a community-policing initiative and recession-based financial issues similar to those faced by local governments throughout the country. On November 3, 2009, the voters of Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland and 59 surrounding suburbs, authorized a new form of county government, in large part because of widespread scandal. During the criminal investigation, FitzGerald was identified by the F.B.I. as P.O. 14 (Public Official number 14), but charges were never brought against FitzGerald. Under the new system, in 2010 FitzGerald defeated ten other candidates to become the first county executive of Cuyahoga County. Upon assuming office, FitzGerald spearheaded a long list of reforms under the general rubric of "The Western Reserve Plan." Key components were a strict code of ethics monitored by an inspector general, shrinking the size of government, a sheriff community policing unit, the largest college savings program in the nation, the promotion of regional economic and service cooperation strategies, and a significant economic development fund to promote job creation.
2014 Gubernatorial candidacy FitzGerald, a Democrat, was frequently mentioned as a potential gubernatorial nominee for 2014. In 2012, he gave a videotaped response to Governor
John Kasich's speech at the
Republican National Committee. In March 2013, he formed an exploratory committee to consider a campaign for governor of Ohio. On April 24, 2013, he announced his
candidacy for Governor of Ohio. Senator Sherrod Brown and former
Governor Ted Strickland endorsed FitzGerald's candidacy. On May 6, 2014, FitzGerald won the Democratic primary with 83% of the vote. FitzGerald released a plan for state-funded universal preschool in addition to announcing his support for gay marriage. He criticized Kasich for signing into law income tax cuts that save larger sums of money for wealthier Ohioans than poorer ones, while increasing sales taxes, which tax a larger percentage of income from poorer Ohioans than from wealthier ones. FitzGerald also chided Kasich for a lack of transparency at JobsOhio, the privatized economic development agency that Kasich formed, and for signing into law bills that cut early voting days and limit the distribution of absentee ballot applications. On November 20, 2013, FitzGerald picked
Eric Kearney to be his running mate. On December 10, Kearney stepped down from the ticket due to increasing controversy surrounding back taxes he and his wife owed. FitzGerald later selected Sharen Swartz Neuhardt, an attorney from the Dayton area, to be his running mate. On August 1, 2014, FitzGerald was asked to explain an October 13, 2012 incident in which he was found in a parking lot at about 4:30 am in a car with a woman, who was not his wife. FitzGerald dismissed the allegations as baseless and "disgusting." It was later verified with the Westlake Police Department that it was indeed Fitzgerald in the vehicle with the woman. It was also learned that FitzGerald did not have a valid driver's license at the time of this incident, and had not had one for approximately ten years. In November 2012, FitzGerald did obtain a permanent driver's license in Ohio. FitzGerald was defeated by incumbent Republican Gov.
John Kasich in the November 4, 2014 election losing 86 of Ohio's 88 counties including his own home county of Cuyahoga. He only received a majority in Athens and Monroe counties.
Endorsements 2026 Congressional candidacy After stepping away from politics for over a decade, FitzGerald announced that he would challenge incumbent
Max Miller in Ohio's
7th congressional district in the 2026 midterms. ==Electoral history==