Small group protests official’s replacement

CLEVELAND (AP) — A city councilman convicted of taking a bribe shouldn’t be replaced by his top aide, a small group of protesters said Monday in denouncing the latest appointment in a city marred by a federal corruption investigation.

Nate Wilkes, a top aide to disgraced former Councilman Robert J. White III, was appointed by the council’s Democratic Party caucus and sworn in at a special meeting.

White, who resigned earlier this month, took a $500 bribe from a Cleveland businessman who was cooperating with the FBI, federal prosecutors said.

Michael Ruff, a local activist and entrepreneur, also was critical of the appointment.

“How do you put his [White’s] right-hand man in there?” said Ruff, who had put his name forward as a replacement candidate.