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Poland village councilman resigns over residency issue
POLAND
A village council member who came under scrutiny from Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul Gains for remaining on council after moving outside the community has resigned.
Reached by The Vindicator Monday, Marc Cossette, who was appointed by council in May to fill an unexpired term that ran through year’s end, confirmed he had submitted his resignation letter Friday.
He declined to comment further.
The matter came to light last week when The Vindicator followed up on a tip that Cossette had moved from the village but continued to serve on council. The Vindicator confirmed Cossette had sold his house in Poland in October and moved to Lake Milton.
Village Solicitor Jay Macejko had advised village Mayor Tim Sicafuse that Cossette’s move was not a problem.
The issue caught the attention of Gains, who on Friday sent a letter to Macejko stating that he would “take the appropriate action to forcibly remove him [Cossette] from office” if he did not resign.
Gains pointed to section 3.15 of the Ohio Revised Code, which outlines the residency requirements for public officials.
It states that “each person holding an elective office of a political subdivision shall be a resident of that political subdivision” and specifies that the law applies to “persons who have been either elected or appointed to an elective office.”
After being notified Monday of Cossette’s resignation, Gains told The Vindicator, “I’m glad that Mr. Cossette did the right thing, and I wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Macejko did not respond to a request for comment.
Sicafuse said council will not replace Cossette. His term expires next month, and he had not sought re-election.