CUYAHOGA COUNTY — “For Cuyahoga County taxpayers, it may be difficult to decide which is the greater injustice:

• Questionably constituted and inadequately supervised county boards of revision that cut $400 million off the tax rolls by ruling on thousands of challenged property values without giving property owners a hearing. After Plain Dealer reporters Gabriel Baird and Mark Puente brought this travesty to light, County Prosecutor Bill Mason belatedly came up with an opinion that such administrative reviews were contrary to state law — including, evidently, the review in which Mason’s own property values were reduced.

• Or County Auditor Frank Russo continuing to thumb his nose at voters and federal prosecutors by perpetuating the cronyism, conflicts of interest and patronage at the heart of the biggest public corruption probe in local history. Russo still operates on the government-by-friends-and-family model. Why else would he appoint the sister of his longtime housemate, Michael Calabrese, to help restore “credibility” to the property-tax appeal boards? Especially when one of the boards that Cindy Bialowas now oversees sliced $10,000 off the value of her home via administrative review.

It was exactly such shenanigans that prompted voters last November to reject the entire edifice of Cuyahoga County government and institute something new in its place. Partisan primaries for a new county executive and council are Tuesday, with new leaders to be elected Nov. 2 and to take office in January.” Cleveland Plain Dealer.

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CLEVELAND — “An ethics code proposed for Cuyahoga County’s new charter government would forbid employees from accepting gifts that could influence their official duties….

Catherine Turcer, who heads the Money and Politics project for the watchdog group, Ohio Citizen Action, said the probe is the best argument for why the new county government needs an ethics officer.

‘Cuyahoga County is suffering the cost of corruption right now,’ she said. ‘It makes sense to spend some money to get the train back on track.’

Turcer praised the code in general, especially the posting of financial disclosures on a website so citizens could search for any potential conflicts of interest.

‘How do you stop pay-to-play?’ she said. ‘Putting a big shining light on it makes great sense.’

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Cuyahoga County bargains down price of corruption paperwork

CLEVELAND — “Political watchdog Catherine Turcer, who runs the Columbus-based Ohio Citizen Action, said taxpayers and school districts are being cheated out of money with the closed-door decisions by the boards of revision.

‘We need to have trust and faith in the valuations,’ Turcer said. ‘You have to wonder if special favors are given out. It’s horrifying to know that the hearings have been behind closed doors.’

Why board members chose administrative reviews is not clear, but officials overseeing the office suggest one reason was expedience. The county has a backlog of thousands of taxpayer appeals, forcing some people to wait a year or more to get decisions. Nothing suggests the majority of taxpayers asked for special treatment.” Mark Puente, Cleveland Plain Dealer.

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CLEVELAND — “Attorney General Richard Cordray advised the state’s pension funds not to provide records to Ohio’s newspapers last month. Neither he nor his opponent in November’s election want to talk about that advice….

All five of the state’s public employee pension funds denied a request from the Ohio News Organization, a collaboration of the state’s largest newspapers, to provide details about service time, pay and benefits for each of their 400,000 recipients. Identifying names would have been excluded.

The newspapers argued that removing the names would avoid privacy restrictions on the information, but lawyers for all five funds said the restrictions remained. The newspapers, which have produced joint reports on the pension funds, sought the data to look for possible waste and abuse. Two of the funds are seeking more money from taxpayers.” Patrick O’Donnell, Cleveland Plain Dealer.

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CLEVELAND — “A small group of citizens led by the Green Party candidate for Cuyahoga County executive waved signs Wednesday beneath the office windows of Frank Russo and demanded the embattled county auditor’s resignation…. Russo and Commissioner Jimmy Dimora are at the center of an ongoing federal probe of corruption in county government. Neither Democrat has been charged, and each maintains his innocence. More than 30 others have pleaded guilty to corruption-related crimes.

Ellison said he decided Tuesday evening to organize the Russo protest after reading The Plain Dealer’s coverage of two employees who left the county’s boards of revision amid controversy. The employees kept their salaries and now work exclusively for the auditor.” Henry Gomez, Cleveland Plain Dealer.

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COLUMBUS — “Advocates of government transparency might have shuddered at John Kasich’s proposal to put the Ohio Department of Development out of business by privatizing its duties and handing them to a government-funded nonprofit.

The plan of the Republican gubernatorial candidate to create an entity known as JobsOhio raises questions about ongoing access to state records and financial information that now are a matter of public record.

A nonprofit organization performing a public purpose with a funding hybrid of tax dollars and private donations is a much tougher and murkier creature to explore when it comes to obtaining records under state law.” Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch.

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Kasich wants nonprofit take over state’s economic-development work

Joe Hallett & Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch.

COLUMBUS — “Columbus City Council members already have closed minds and shouldn’t also be allowed to have discussion behind closed doors, opponents of a city charter change said yesterday.

Keep Council Open, a nonpartisan group of community activists, will conduct a grass-roots campaign against Issue 12, said James Moore, one of the founders…. The Nov. 2 ballot issue would allow the council to meet privately to discuss matters exempted by Ohio’s open-meetings law. For example, the council could hold closed-door interviews of potential midterm appointees, conduct legal negotiations and discuss personnel issues.” Barbara Carmen, The Columbus Dispatch.

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CLEVELAND — “The shameless shenanigans continue in the three-ring circus known as Cuyahoga County government. On Wednesday, Parma City Council member Brian Day resigned a county Board of Revision job he should never have had — and was immediately reassigned to another job in County Auditor Frank Russo’s office.

You’d think that Cuyahoga County were a private club for insiders instead of a taxpayer-funded public entity. Russo appointed Day, who is also a member of the executive committee of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, to the $58,000-a-year board-of-review job in January 2009. An Ohio attorney general’s opinion ‘bars elected officeholders and party officials from serving on such boards.” Cleveland Plain Dealer.

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CLEVELAND –” Cuyahoga County’s new Democratic Party boss is calling on his two highest-profile Democrats – Commissioner Jimmy Dimora and Auditor Frank Russo — to resign immediately.

Stuart Garson, who was elected chairman in June, said the appearance of impropriety surrounding their offices continues to grow, ‘which has compromised the public’s trust in these officeholders and their effectiveness to carry out the duties of these offices.’… The party, which controls every countywide executive office, is trying to hold its power under a new form of government spelled out in Issue 6, which voters overwhelmingly supported last November. The plan replaces most county offices with a single executive and an 11-member county council.” Mark Naymik, Cleveland Plain Dealer.

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Brunner to rule on proposal

COLUMBUS — “Republicans and Democrats on the Franklin County Board of Elections deadlocked yesterday on how to word a Nov. 2 ballot question that would allow the Columbus City Council to meet privately for some of its business.

The decision now will be made by Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat…. No matter how it’s worded, Issue 2 would allow the council, now required to always meet in public, to have closed-door meetings for reasons exempted under Ohio’s open-meetings law: in matters dealing with employment, land purchases, lawsuits, security or other legally sensitive issues.” Barbara Carmen, The Columbus Dispatch.

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In this July 28, 2008, photo, FBI agents load boxes into a U-Haul truck confiscated from offices in the Cuyahoga County Administration Building.

CLEVELAND — “Here’s a news flash: The office of Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo is rife with cronyism, malfeasance, patronage and taxpayer fraud.

Well, OK, it’s not a news flash to those who’ve read the earlier expos s of county hiring-hall practices and payroll padding.

But a damning report on Russo’s office from State Auditor Mary Taylor points to a Pandora’s box of shady practices — no written hiring guidelines, no formal process for setting salaries, noncompetitive purchasing procedures.

They again highlight why 234,349 voters demanded a new, more accountable form of county government last November, and they underscore the need for radical change in the way Cuyahoga County does business.”

— Editorial, Cleveland Plain Dealer

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State audit criticizes Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo’s lack of accountability

— Laura Johnston, Cleveland Plain Dealer

State audit shows Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo could save $2.3 million in efficiencies

— Laura Johnston, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Public gets chance to vote on proposal Nov. 2

COLUMBUS — “After weeks of indecision, Mayor Michael B. Coleman issued a tepid endorsement last night of the Columbus City Council’s desire to conduct some of its business in private.

Council members voted unanimously to place the issue on the Nov. 2 ballot, which will give voters final say on whether to scale back the city charter’s demand that all council deliberations take place in public…. The mayor had spoken of never-specified “concerns” since Council President Michael C. Mentel appointed a five-member advisory panel last month to study closed council meetings.” Robert Vitale, The Columbus Dispatch.

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CUYAHOGA COUNTY — “Cuyahoga County public corruption investigation has been going on for over two years. Even though there tens of individuals who have pleaded guilty of corruption charges, the two main targets, Dimora and Russo, are not  indicted yet. However, it looks like the FBI is getting close to Frank Russo. The United States Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Ohio,Cleveland Division of the FBI, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, announced on July 14, 2010 that a federal grand jury indicted Vincent Russo, age 31, of Willoughby Hills, Ohio, in connection with the Cuyahoga County public corruption investigation…. Residents of Cuyahoga County have mixed feelings about this corruption probe. Some notice the slow process  while others praise the FBI  for  not rushing the investigation.  Jimmy Dimora and Frank Russo deny any wrong doing and are frustrated. A few weeks ago, Jimmy Dimora challenged the government prosecutors to charge him with a crime or buzz off.  It remains to be seen if these two political figures of Cuyahoga County  will be indicted for any illegal activity.” Examiner.com.

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Cuyahoga County in crisis

Continuing Coverage of the FBI’s Public Corruption Investigation

Executive sessions serve public interest when used according to lawful limits

COLUMBUS –  “Columbus City Council President Michael C. Mentel would like to amend the City Charter so that it mirrors state law on executive sessions. Such an amendment would allow the council to use executive sessions to discuss, for example, possible or pending legal actions, potential purchases or sales of property, contract negotiations and certain employment issues. Many of Ohio’s cities have charter provisions that allow executive sessions as provided by state law.

Since its adoption in 1914, the Columbus City Charter has required that all council sessions be conducted in public. Despite that provision, some issues, such as those listed above, almost never have been discussed in open council session….

If Columbus voters ultimately decide to allow executive sessions for the Columbus City Council, those sessions should come with strict limitations on their purpose and an enforceable penalty clause for violations of those limitations.” The Columbus Dispatch.

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CUYAHOGA COUNTY — “Lame-duck Cuyahoga County commissioners are determined to cement their legacy as indifferent custodians of the public trust — ho-humming last week about paying a law firm more than three times what they originally agreed.

The extra $166,000 Bricker & Eckler got to review questionable public contracts may have been merited: Since the law firm was hired in 2009 at $75,000, the number of implicated firms has grown along with the scope of what is now the largest government corruption probe in county history. 

But the public has no way of knowing whether that money was inflated because of the opaque way the contract was let and expanded.” Cleveland Plain Dealer.

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City Council will decide whether question is on fall ballot

COLUMBUS — “Columbus voters likely will decide whether the City Council can do business behind closed doors.

The city’s current charter prohibits the council from meeting in private, but a panel appointed by the council’s president recommended yesterday that Columbus adopt state laws that offer exceptions for closed-door ‘executive sessions.’… Under Ohio law, public bodies are required to make all decisions during meetings that anyone in the public can witness, but they can close the door for limited discussions about certain exceptions, such as hiring an employee or buying and selling property.” Collin Binkley, The Columbus Dispatch.

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