Heart problem forces Eastlake mayor to quit

EASTLAKE, Ohio (AP) -- Mayor Dan DiLiberto, best known for bringing minor league baseball to this Cleveland suburb, said a heart condition is forcing him to resign at the end of this week.
"I don't want to do this right now, but I don't have any choice," DiLiberto said Friday. "My doctor has made this decision for me."
DiLiberto, in his third four-year term, said he's been hospitalized three times in six months because of the heart condition.
The 7,200-seat stadium for the Lake County Captains opened one year ago. DiLiberto also formed the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council, a group of 100 Northeast Ohio communities that fight utility price increases for electricity and natural gas.
Money problems
Eastlake ended 2003 with a $3.2 million deficit, about one-fourth of its budget, and voters rejected a $1.2 million property tax last month. An additional $1.3 million levy is on the ballot in August.
Under the city charter, the council president would become mayor for the rest of the year, but Chuck Hillier said he doesn't want to serve. The council will select a new president. Candidates would run in the November election to serve the final year of DiLiberto's term.
The next four-year term is up for election in November 2005 -- creating a possibility that the city of about 22,500 people could go through four mayors in less than two years.