CORTLAND Mayor sues council over failure to OK law director

All five of the mayor's appointees over several months have been rejected.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
CORTLAND -- Mayor Melissa Long is taking city council to court.
She was to file a lawsuit in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court today.
"The mayor has decided to take this action because of council's refusal to approve any of her appointments for law director," said Marc Dann, Long's attorney.
Long could not be reached.
The mayor has made several attempts to replace Rob Platt, who resigned July 1. Council has rejected all of them and has hired Johnson and Angelo of Cleveland as temporary legal counsel.
Long thinks the city's legal work should go to an attorney who lives in the area.
Appointees: Dann, of Liberty, was one of five appointments the mayor tried to make. The others were James Franks of Cortland, Dan Letson of Warren, Dan Keating of Warren, and Ron Marks of Warren.
Council members have said Franks, Letson and Keating don't have enough municipal law experience and Dann and Marks aren't qualified.
"The charter clearly states that the mayor is to appoint the law director and council is to approve that appointment," Dann said.
Dann said council can reject an appointment if it knows the attorney would be a danger to the community in some way or the applicant does not meet the qualifications in the charter.
The charter states that the applicant must be an attorney in good standing in the state of Ohio.
"The mayor needed to do something because this council is opposing her for no reason and that is no good for the community," Dann said. "We need to put an end to this once and for all."
Reaction: Councilman Gerald Bayus said Wednesday he could not comment because he hasn't read the lawsuit.
He said only that it's council's job "to do what is best for the city, not [what is best] for the mayor."