Salem official questions hiring of law firm

SALEM — City council’s traffic and safety committee this week will look into who authorized spending $90,095 in an unsuccessful attempt to dump the city fire department.

Councilman and mayoral candidate Justin Palmer said he’s pressing the issue because he wants “to get down to the bottom of what went on.”

Palmer said he is looking into the payments because he is a supporter of Ohio’s open meeting laws.

But James Armeni, the city auditor, said it was council that voted June 1, 2004, to hire the Akron office of the law firm Roetzel & Andress to handle the fire district issue.

For the complete story, see Sunday's Vindicator and Vindy.com.