County shares records withheld by Ohio governor’s challenger

CLEVELAND (AP) — Records released after a legal battle show the former county executive in Cleveland rarely used his key cards to enter his office building and parking garage during his last 18 months on the job, while unsuccessfully campaigning for governor.

Democrat Ed FitzGerald refused to release the key-card data while in office, citing security concerns. Republicans took the issue to the Ohio Supreme Court, seeking the data’s release as public record.

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reports the records were released late Wednesday by FitzGerald’s successor as Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH’-guh) County executive. A county spokeswoman says releasing the data poses fewer security risks now.

It shows FitzGerald accessed the facilities with his key cards only on 53 days over 18 months.

The media group says FitzGerald didn’t return messages seeking comment.