Silver Lake hires former Akron legal department mainstay after longtime solicitor dies

When longtime Silver Lake Solicitor Robert Heydorn died in April, the village moved quickly to find a successor with extensive municipal law experience to carry forward the legacy of a man whose impact on the commmunity was widely appreciated.

Mayor Bernie Hovey said while Silver Lake mourns the loss of Heydorn, it was fortunate to be able to hire Patricia Ambrose Rubright, a private practice attorney who previously led the city of Akron's legal department. 

"We are so happy, so lucky, to have found her," Hovey said.

Silver Lake Council President William Church agreed, calling Ambrose Rubright "eminently qualified."

Ambrose Rubright, who lives in Akron, worked in Akron's legal department for more than 30 years in various roles, including a stint as its director. She left the city about six years ago to work for Mazanec, Raskin & Ryder, a private law office that works with municipalities.

Most of her work for Silver Lake is similar to what she has done in the past, Ambrose Rubright said, although now she chiefly deals with property issues.

"It's not as litigious as the environment I came from," she said.

When she was younger, Ambrose Rubright said she initially wanted to go into medicine.

"My uncle was a doctor," she said. "I always thought I would be a medical doctor. But as I approached graduation, I wasn't sure I wanted to spend that much time in medical school. So I decided to go into law school.

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Ambrose Rubright said when she attended law school, "there were very, very few women in my school."

"So I hung out with several of the guys," she said.

One encouraged her to apply to become an intern with the prosecutor's office in Akron. She applied and was given the position. Because of her experience there, she was hired shortly after graduation in the late 1970s by Akron chief prosecutor Peter Oldham.

One of the more difficult times during her work with Akron was during the Great Recession in 2008, where she not only was assistant law director but donned the hats of personnel director and labor relations director after a round of layoffs and budget cuts.

"That was a painful time for the city," Ambrose Rubright said.

Another challenging time was "the longest, most intense litigation" involving the city fire department. There had been charges of discrimination against the fire captain and lieutenant in regard to promotional testing.

"That case lasted a decade," she said.

"We were working 15-plus hours a week and on weekends," she said. "We had hearings on the weekends, much to the chagrin of the federal marshal."

Ambrose Rubright said she has enjoyed working for Silver Lake so far.

"I only hope I can live up to the respect that Bob had from every person I've met in the village," she said.

Robert Heydorn remembered

Church, a friend of Heydorn's since their days together at Cuyahoga Falls High School, said the late solitor was a "Renaissance man,"

Heydorn, 75, who had served as the village's solicitor since 1999, died April 19 after a brief illness. He was a lifelong resident of Silver Lake and Cuyahoga Falls and served as a Silver Lake councilman before becoming the village's solicitor. In addition, he was a practicing attorney in the Falls for 46 years.

Church said Heydorn was among a group of friends who formed a fishing club. "There were nine of us, mostly high school buddies, we've fished for about 38 years."

Church said Heydorn "was always willing to help people, especially his friends."

"He did a lot of work gratis for people," Church said. "He had a deep love of nature. He graduated first in a class of 700 students in 1964. He enjoyed sports as well."

Hovey said  Heydorn "was a diligent worker for the village for many years."

"He never once charged us a billable hour, ever," Hovey said. "This is a huge loss. His reputation was legendary. He was a hard worker. He was also a local historian. We will miss him forever."

Hovey said the Council chambers will be named in Heydorn's honor sometime during the summer.

Heydorn took his position as solicitor of Silver Lake seriously, Church said.

"He probably knew more about municipal law than anyone else I personally know," he said.

Church also said Heydorn will be remembered for his love for his wife, Louise, and  family.

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Along with his position as Silver Lake's legal advisor, Heydorn was a member of the Cuyahoga Falls Rotary for more than 40 year and served as Rotary Youth Exchange chairman for all of Northeast Ohio. He also was a life member of the Taylor Memorial Library Board of Directors.

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Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Former Akron law director hired in Silver Lake after solicitor's death