After Miles Heights Mayor Dennis H. Von Benken died in office in late 1928, he was succeeded by the incumbent president of the Miles Heights Village Council, Arthur R. Johnston. Johnston, a Jamaican immigrant, was the first African-American to serve as mayor in the state of Ohio. In the election held in fall 1929, Johnston was elected to serve a full two-year term. On July 12, 2017, his house on 4585 East 147th Street was designated a Cleveland Landmark by the Cleveland City Council.
