Kloss coming to Port Clinton

PORT CLINTON — On Friday, Port Clinton's government announced Bryan Kloss, of Strongsville, as its new safety service director. Mayor Mike Snider hired Kloss, now responsible for providing "effective and efficient city services that improve the lives and experiences of the residents of and visitors to the city of Port Clinton," according to a city statement. This position oversees all activity in the fire and police departments and all public works project undertakings of all city departments. This person also manages "personnel to ensure adequate work performance and the provisions of services comply with the city's organizational standards, through effective planning, teamwork, empowerment and collaboration," the statement read. Kloss, who will earn $100,000 annually, expressed his excitement about the opportunity presented to him. "My family has had a second home in the area for quite some time," Kloss said. "I'm quite familiar with the area and have always looked forward to visiting as often as possible. Now, I get to live here, enjoy the region daily and help influence many of the positives in the community that I've been witnessing over the past decade." For the past 17 years, Kloss has served as director of Cuyahoga County's emergency operations center, charged with planning, training, organizing, overseeing and developing a wide range of action plans, exercises and strategies related to response, prevention and collaboration of multiple jurisdictions associated with emergency and disaster response in Ohio's second largest county. "It was just the right opportunity at the right time," Kloss said. "When I saw the job posting, I knew it was a perfect fit for my family and me: My commute goes from 45 minutes to 8 minutes. My kids will be enrolled in some of the finest public schools in the state. I get to make my second home my first home. And I'm confident we can continue moving Port Clinton in the right direction. When I met the department supervisors and other staff during the final round of interviews, I knew I had found my new home. These are some great people." In February, city officials undertook a nationwide search to find a full-time replacement for Jim Sass, who "has worked tirelessly since his acceptance of this role after the unexpected passing of longtime safety service director Tracy Colston in November 2025." "I was honored when Mayor (Mike) Snider asked me to step in," Sass said. "It's been an eye-opening experience. The citizens of this community should be proud of the workforce at all levels." Snider then talked about the search process, which ultimately ended with him choosing Kloss. "Yes, we would have loved to have someone like Tracy who was born and raised here with a great blend of knowledge, experience and understanding of governmental working, however, Tracy was a unicorn," Snider said. "Our search committee was laser-focused on several key background components, and we found them with Bryan. His understanding of the unique aspects of governmental operations, his connection to the area and his enthusiasm about the challenges of the job were impressive." Snider continued, "The best response I've ever heard when calling a reference was Bryan's current boss. He said Bryan is 'a sweetheart and a bull.' For the committee, that seemed to be the icing on the cake. This position requires such a wide range of skill sets, and that comment seemed to cover each side of that spectrum." Kloss is expected to start his new job on July 20 with a brief swearing-in ceremony at City Hall. A meet-and-greet event should happen in August. Details on the event will be released once made available.