Lorain City Council is on the right path to amend rules to add workplace training and defining proper places for good conduct after a Council member behaved badly in October by calling a colleague an inappropriate name while doing the people’s work.
On Jan. 10, Lorain City Council’s Police, Fire & Legislative Committee, with nearly all of Council members, spent almost an hour discussing the rules of conduct for the city’s governing board.
Council was unanimous in requesting Clerk Nancy Greer prepare language to amend its rules.
There should be zero-tolerance for any Council member or city staff acting inappropriately toward one another or in public when representing Lorain.
During the meeting, Council members did not mention by name Ward 7 Councilman Cory Shawver, who has pleaded not guilty to a domestic violence charge regarding an incident in December with his wife.
That case remains pending at Lorain Municipal Court.
Shawver was not at the Jan. 10 meeting.
The discussions, however, were prompted by an Oct. 4 incident involving Shawver, who used harsh language toward Ward 6 Councilwoman JoAnne Moon during a closed-door executive session.
That night, Council voted for the closed-door session and moved to the city Law Department conference room on the third floor of City Hall.
In that part of the meeting, Shawver used a derogatory term directed at Moon, who was visibly upset and left the meeting, but returned to Council’s first-floor chamber, followed by Mayor Jack Bradley.
Bradley and Greer consoled Moon, who was in Council chambers only long enough to collect her papers and personal items.
To Shawver’s credit, he apologized to Moon and his Council colleagues for the incident.
He had hoped to mend his friendship with Moon and actually visited her the following day.
But, his punishment was just a slap on the wrist.
On Oct. 18, Council voted 10-0 to have Council President Joel Arredondo issue a verbal warning to Shawver for his conduct two weeks earlier.
During the Oct. 18 meeting, Moon wanted her colleagues to enforce Council’s disciplinary rule for violating the board’s rules of conduct that require all members to “conduct themselves with decorum at all times while in the confines of the Council Chamber.”
She deserved it because she was attacked, demeaned and disrespected in front of her fellow Council members.
After the meeting, Moon said she believed Shawver deserved a suspension, but that he basically got away with the conduct.
She said the voters would decide.
Indeed, they will.
Hopefully, under new Council rules, such behavior will be dealt with more severely to deter any public official from displaying similar conduct.
In discussion, Councilman-at-Large Tony Dimacchia wanted all members to weigh in on Rule 41, governing proceedings of Council, and Rule 42, regarding Council members’ conduct, or any other rules for the board.
Ward 3 Councilwoman Pamela Carter suggested additions to improve understanding of diversity and sensitivity so Lorain’s leaders can create a welcome and safe space for open and respectful dialogues.
But, Council members must complete an Ohio Attorney General’s Office refresher on Ohio’s sunshine laws dealing with openness for public meetings and records.
Generally, they were unanimous that the training would be helpful.
The two newest members, Ward 2 Councilwoman Victoria Kempton and Ward 4 Councilman Dan Nutt, said they already were signed up for such training.
Dimacchia hit the nail on the head when he said people would like to see a little more teeth to Council rules that hold elected officials and leaders accountable.
Assistant Law Director Don Zaleski indicated Council members may regulate their conduct inside their meetings but may not take official action against each other based on conduct outside of meetings.
Zaleski added that Ohio law governs things such as illegal payments, illegal interests in public contracts or allegations of misfeasance and malfeasance of public officials, but those do not relate to Council’s meetings.
Council members cannot censure each other for telling an off-color joke at a party.
But in four terms in office, Ward 8 Councilman Joshua Thornsberry said it seems there has been at least one time per term that Council encounters an incident of potentially bad conduct by a member.
Councilwoman-at-Large Mary Springowski correctly suggested defining Council’s conduct rule to include regular meetings, closed-door executive sessions, work sessions and committee meetings.
Beyond that, Council could consider a resolution asking state lawmakers to consider changing Ohio law regarding officials’ conduct.
Residents expect all people representing any type of government to have civility and respect for each other, and the public.
Hopefully, the amended rules in Lorain will help.
