Panel probes hiring of relative

The city manager paid back $2,200, and the mowing contract was canceled.
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- The Ohio Ethics Commission is investigating the city manager's hiring of a relative to mow lawns for the city.
City Manager Charles Tieche confirmed he had hired a grandson to mow lawns where high grass was in violation of the city's property maintenance code. Homeowners are billed for that work.
Council President Andrew Skrobola said the teenager was part of a group of youths who have a lawn service.
Tieche said that last week the city attorney indicated the hiring was improper after consulting with the ethics commission. The contract for the mowing was canceled, he said, and the money paid for the service, $2,200, was refunded to the city "out of my own pocket."
He said Wednesday he did not realize he might be violating ethics law when he did the hiring, but he was more concerned with whether council would be upset.
Skrobola said Tieche told council he might hire his grandson.
"In April or May, there was a discussion about getting youngsters to mow the grass, and he mentioned he might hire his relative to do that. He didn't get any feeling [from council members] he shouldn't do it," Skrobola said.
Skrobola said that about three weeks ago, council member Daniel Frazzini brought up the issue. That prompted city attorney Mark Fortunato to consult with the ethics commission, and council discussed the commission's opinion Aug. 16 in a closed session.
The lawn-mowing contract was canceled and the money was refunded Aug. 17, Skrobola added.
Fortunato was unavailable to comment.
Council's decision
Skrobola said the commission required a written explanation from council of what occurred and is now investigating. He said that four out of five council members believe the issue is minor.
"Last Wednesday in the executive session, we talked about the whole situation and our legal counsel was there, and we decided that if the contract is terminated and the funds returned, we would be satisfied," he said.
But Frazzini was not satisfied, Skrobola said, and acting on his own, he contacted the commission.
Frazzini said he gave the commission additional information the rest of council did not want to include in its explanation. He said the information included copies of correspondence between Tieche and the city attorney from December, when Tieche asked about laws concerning hiring relatives. He said he's not sure why Tieche wanted the information, but Tieche shared it with council members.
"Then he turns around and hires his grandson at $75 an hour," Frazzini said. He said only three council members knew back in the spring that Tieche was considering the hire, and he was not one of them. "I would have stopped it," he added.
Frazzini said he found out about the situation weeks ago after a resident questioned when a nearby lawn with high grass would be mowed. He asked Tieche, who responded that his grandson was doing the mowing, he said.
Skrobola said the rest of council did not see a reason to tell the commission about Tieche's December inquiry because it had nothing to do with the lawn-mowing contract.
About Frazzini's relatives
Tieche had asked about the laws after Frazzini was elected to council in the November election, Skrobola said, because Frazzini's father, Ted, is zoning inspector; his wife runs a city program for children for three weeks in the summer; and his sister is a part-time dispatcher.
Skrobola said Tieche was only concerned with Frazzini's situation and wasn't doing broader research on the laws.
Skrobola said that even though most council members are satisfied that the issue is resolved, the commission could decide more action is needed.
An ethics commission spokeswoman could not say how long an investigation would take. She said it depends on the complexity of the case.