City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting the city of Cleveland from doing business with companies found to practice wage theft or commit payroll fraud.

Ordinance 892-2022 requires businesses seeking city contracts or financial assistance to report to the city’s Fair Employment Wage Board any adverse determinations by a government agency finding that they, or a subcontractor committed wage theft or payroll fraud within the last three years.

If a person fails to self-report such a finding against a business, they could be found guilty of a first-degree misdemeanor.

Wage theft is defined as any violation of state or federal law regarding the prompt payment of wages, payment of minimum wage, or prevailing wage rates.

Payroll fraud is defined as the concealment of a business’s true tax liability by not reporting or underreporting applicable wages or by paying employees under-the-table.

The Fair Employment Wage Board will be responsible for maintaining a list of businesses that have been found to commit wage theft or payroll fraud.

Justin Bibb, a nonprofit executive, will be the next mayor of Cleveland, Ohio.

Bibb defeated Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley by 26 percentage points to become the city’s second-youngest mayor.

Justin Bibb, a nonprofit executive, and City Council President Kevin Kelley will square off in Cleveland, Ohio’s mayoral general election this November after receiving the most primary votes out of a field of seven candidates.

The winner will replace Frank Jackson, first elected in 2005 and now the longest-serving mayor in Cleveland history.

Cleveland City Council adopted rule changes at the August 18 meeting to allow public comment at regular council meetings beginning at the September 20 Meeting.

The new rules make public comments the fifth item in the order of business at council meetings.

Anyone may speak, regardless of whether they are a resident of Cleveland and public comments will not be limited to current agenda items, but anyone who wants to speak must register.

Registration will open at noon on Wednesdays before a Monday council meeting and will close at 2:00 pm on the day of the council meeting.

Speaking slots of up to three minutes each will be allotted by order of registration up to a maximum of 10 speakers.

Cleveland City Council is drafting legislation to change the council’s meeting rules to create a public comment period.

Currently, the public is only allowed to speak at committee meetings at the discretion of the committee chairs.

Members of the public have not been allowed to speak at City Council meetings except in the 1920s when the city was under a city manager form of government.

The new legislation is expected to be enacted in August and effective in September.

Cleveland City Council approved a proposal this week to put a minimum wage increase before the voters in a 2017 special election.

If passed by the voters, the proposal would increase the city minimum wage to $12 per hour in January 2018 and increase the wage $1 annually thereafter for three additional years.

The issue will appear on the ballot on May 2, 2017.

Photo of the Cleveland skyline by Eric Drost in Wikimedia Commons.

Lobbying

Ohio: “Many GOP Lobbyists Will Go to Cleveland but the Thrill Is Gone” by Catherine Ho for Washington Post

Campaign Finance

“The New Gilded Age: Close to half of all super PAC money comes from 50 donors” by Matea Gold and Anu Narayanswamy for Washington Post

California: “Political Fine from 2012 Mayor’s Race Sets Record” by Greg Moran for San Diego Union-Tribune

Ethics

“Unsealed Document Alleges Silver Had Two Extramarital Affairs” by Coby Hamilton and Josefa Velasquez for Capital New York

“Inquiries Cloud de Blasio’s Bid to Come Off as Strong Manager Before ’17 Race” by J. David Goodman and William Neuman for New York Times

South Carolina: “SLED Report Names 2 with Ties to SC Attorney General Wilson” by John Monk for The State

Alabama: “Alabama Governor Had His Wallet Delivered to Him by Law Enforcement Helicopter” by Travis Andrews for Washington Post

Missouri: “Missouri’s Nixon Signs Bill Tightening Loose Ethics Laws” by Summer Ballentine (Associated Press) for ABC News

Elections

“Prosecutor Says He Won’t Pursue Case against Trump Campaign Manager” by Terrence Dopp for Bloomberg.com

Michigan: “Gov. Snyder Sets Elections to Fill Virgil Smith’s Senate Seat” by Kathleen Gray for Detroit Free Press

Legislative Issues

Tennessee: “Gov. Bill Haslam Vetoes Bible Bill” by Dave Boucher, Holly Meyer, and Joel Ebert for The Tennessean

Cleveland City Council voted Monday, February 8, to increase campaign contribution limits for mayoral and council candidates.

After much debate, the Finance Committee agreed on a $5,000 annual limit from individuals and a $7,500 annual limit from political action committees giving to mayoral candidates. Individual contributions to council candidates were capped at $1,500 annually, with PAC contributions limited to $3,000.

The ordinance passed with three council members voting against it.

Photo of the Cleveland skyline by Eric Drost in Wikimedia Commons.

Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley wants to raise the limits on political contributions in order to offer challengers a fair fight against incumbent candidates with established war chests. Individual and PAC contributions to mayoral candidates would be capped at $10,000 per calendar year. The current city ordinance permits just $1,000 from individuals and $2,000 from PACs. The proposed legislation would also increase contribution limits for council candidates up to $1,500 from individuals and $3,000 from PACs.

Critics argue the proposal would allow special interests to buy influence at City Hall. Kelley, however, believes $10,000 is not enough money to make a mayor feel beholden to a donor. Considering most Ohio cities have no campaign contribution limits, Kelley suggests a higher limit is still better than no limit at all.

The legislation will be discussed at the Finance Committee meeting on Wednesday, January 27, and will likely be up for passage the same night.

Photo of Cleveland City Hall by Stu Spivack on Wikimedia Commons.

City Councilman Joe Cimperman is being investigated by the Ohio Ethics Commission about his involvement in city contracts awarded to LAND Studio, a design firm where his wife works.

Records indicate Cimperman has sponsored and voted in favor of ordinances awarding city contracts to LAND Studio, as well as sponsoring resolutions supporting applications by the firm for state grant money to buy land for the Lake Link Trail project.

Under state law, it is a fourth-degree felony if an official uses his or her authority or influence to obtain a contract in which the official, a family member, or a business associate has an interest.

Cimperman has stated he either abstained from votes related to LAND Studio or only voted on such legislation following clearance by the city law department.

Photo of Joe Cimperman courtesy of theciviccommons on Wikimedia Commons.