Brecksville City Council impeaches Councilman Jack Petsche for violating city charter
by Jacqueline Mitchell
July 21 city council public hearing
Brecksville City Council decided to impeach city council member Jack Petsche for violating the city charter in a 5-2 vote cast at 3 a.m. on July 22.
Council members Jack Petsche and Ann Koepke cast the dissenting votes. The motion required a 5-2 majority to pass.
The city’s legal counsel will now prepare findings of fact and conclusion of law for council to formally adopt at a future public meeting.
The public hearing to decide Petsche’s fate began at 8:30 p.m. on July 21 in council chambers, with the meeting also streamed virtually via Facebook Live, and stretched on over six hours into the early hours of the next morning.
The hearing included testimony from lawyers for Petsche and the city, cross examinations of witnesses and a lengthy city council executive session meeting to deliberate.
Council determined that Petsche had violated the city charter by soliciting a bid for the roofing contract on the city’s new aquatic center in spring 2019.
Grand jury indictment
In early June, Petsche was indicted by a grand jury on four felony counts connected to unlawful interest in a public contract, according to a release from Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley.
In this case, Petsche is accused of having an unlawful interest in a public contract involving the construction of Brecksville’s police station roof and of engaging in discussions about a contract involving the city’s aquatic center.
Petsche was elected to council in fall 2017. He voted on at least three matters regarding the funding of a police station contract involving a construction company with which he had a business interest. However, he failed to disclose that relationship to the city until August 2019, after his company, USA Roofing, had been paid $142,000, according to the prosecutor’s office.
His arraignment in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court is scheduled for Wednesday, July 22.
Lawsuit against city
Petsche filed a lawsuit July 6 in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas against Brecksville’s city leaders in an attempt to keep his council seat.
The lawsuit seeks two declarations from the court: confirming that the city may not expel one of its elected officials without evidence of clear and substantial misconduct, and confirming Petsche’s constitutional right to an impartial tribunal to preside over any such proceedings.
The lawsuit has been assigned to Judge David Matia.
Photo by J. Kananian