Voters Dump Brook Park Mayor Coyne, A Trump Supporter

BROOK PARK, OH – In what may be considered a case of political gamesmanship gone wrong, two-time Mayor Tom Coyne was defeated by Michael Gammella, a former council president and longtime councilman, in the Nov. 7 election.

Coyne, who was first mayor from 1982 to 2001, was re-elected in 2013, switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican last year, and backed Donald Trump in his bid for the presidency. During the run-up to the 2016 election, Trump even visited Brook Park and did a round-table discussion featuring Coyne and soon-to-be Vice President Mike Pence.

This was the second time Gammella ran against Coyne. The two squared off first in 2013, after incumbent Mayor Mark Elliott announced he would not seek another term. Coyne beat a field of contenders for the vacant seat that included the UAW leader.

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The results was different four years later. Gammella received 2,213 votes (42.92 percent) to Coyne's 1,935 (37.59 percent), according to unofficial results from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

Coyne did not respond to a request for comment from Patch.

Gammella, an international representative with the United Auto Workers Union at Ford, a cornerstone of the Brook Park business community, was a Ward 1 councilman from 1986 to 1991. He was elected council president in 1991 and served in that capacity until 2000. He was again elected council president in 2006 and served until 2013. Gammella, 63, ran as an independent.

"The residents of Brook Park took a major step in bringing our city back and propelling it into the future," Gammella said. "We're a community of great potential, and that potential will be realized over the next four years. I sincerely thank my fellow residents for their support."

Photo by Evan Vucci/Associated Press