TRUMBULL COUNTY Prosecutor's office wants lawyer to be paid

The question of who will pay for mounting legal costs remains unanswered.
By STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Trumbull County Commissioners Joseph J. Angelo Jr. and James G. Tsagaris said they didn't want to waste taxpayers' money on an outside lawyer for the county board of elections.
Now, they face the possibility of having to pay a lawyer to defend that choice.
If push comes to shove, the county prosecutor's office will not defend the commissioners' decision in court, said James Misocky, an assistant county prosecutor who generally represents both the board of elections and the county commissioners.
Legal lecture: In a closed session Tuesday morning, Misocky lectured board members on legal options to make the commissioners pay the lawyer who is handling the elections board's complaint against sheriff Thomas Altiere before the Ohio Elections Commission.
The prosecutor's office, along with the elections board, asked for the outside lawyer because the prosecutor believed he had a conflict of interest. The board decided to hire the $125-an-hour Columbus law firm of Crabbe, Brown & amp; James, despite the commissioners' refusal to pay.
Last week, the lawyer racked up a $850 bill during a six-hour Elections Commission hearing in Columbus.
Rising bill: The board's legal bill will continue to rise as testimony about Altiere's campaign expenditures from 1993 to 2000 continue on Sept. 20, said Norma Williams, director of the elections board.
"Thank goodness the legal counsel was at the meeting," said Craig Bonar, a board member. "All the motions, dropping of motions -- I don't think we could have comprehended without our counsel."
Misocky said he hoped there would be "a meeting of the minds," and the commissioners would reverse their decision. Commissioner Michael O'Brien has been in favor of paying the legal bill.
Primary option: Otherwise, the board's primary legal option is to try to persuade a common pleas court judge that the commissioners have a duty to pay for the board's legal representation, Misocky said.
"The expectation today is that to defend your rights you have to be represented by an attorney," he said.
siff@vindy.com