Cleveland official has home that faces foreclosure

CLEVELAND (AP) — Like thousands of other homeowners in hard hit Cleveland, a city council leader has come face to face with foreclosure.

Her lender filed a foreclosure lawsuit Monday against Councilwoman Phyllis Cleveland, who has the council’s No. 2 job as majority leader.

Before her election to council in 2005, Cleveland served as an assistant county prosecutor in the tax foreclosure department and was a foreclosure magistrate in court. Her council salary is about $71,000.

The councilwoman tells The Plain Dealer newspaper she has run into a “temporary financial situation” and is working it out. She declined further comment.

The sheriff’s office has overseen nearly 33,000 auctions of foreclosed homes in the past five years in Cleveland and the surrounding county.