Newton Falls mayor opposes plan to hire former Euclid mayor as city manager

Staff report

NEWTON FALLS

After relative quiet in Newton Falls in recent years, Mayor Lyle Waddell says he is expecting discussion to get heated Monday night when city council takes up legislation that would hire David M. Lynch to replace Jack Haney as city manager.

Several months ago, city council voted 3-2 to not renew the contract of its current city manager, Haney, who is retiring Nov. 15.

According to an ordinance to be reviewed Monday, Lynch would replace Haney on Nov. 15 at the same pay rate as Haney.

A Lynch Law Partners website says Lynch became a lawyer in 1982, serving at one point as assistant prosecutor for Cleveland and Westlake law director. He started his own law practice in 1999 and served as Euclid mayor from 1988 to 1995, it says.

Waddell says Lynch’s more recent history raises questions about his fitness to be city manager.

The Board of Professional Conduct of the Ohio Supreme Court this month issued an order Sept. 7 indicating that Lynch has filed an application with the Ohio Supreme Court to retire or resign from the practice of law in Ohio.

Waddell says the disciplinary matters connected to his law license are one area of concern.

Another is that he believes council members negotiated a contract with Lynch without authority to do so.

But Councilman John Baryak disagrees that there was anything improper about the process of selecting Lynch, saying Law Director A. Joseph Fritz was involved in the process.

As for Lynch’s qualifications, Baryak said, “He’s the real deal.”

Baryak said he believes the reason Waddell and others oppose Lynch being hired is that they want to keep Haney as city manager.