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Do IT this week: Layering
School board member's attorney outlines plan
By John Higgins
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Friday, Nov 20, 2009
The case of a Cuyahoga Falls school board member suing the district over open meeting laws has been postponed until Dec. 22, pending a possible settlement.
Kellie Patterson has been representing herself in Summit County Common Pleas Court before Chief Magistrate John Shoemaker, who is hearing the case without a jury.
Shoemaker heard testimony Nov. 12 and had scheduled the trial to resume Thursday, but Patterson has since hired attorney David Worhatch to represent her.
Worhatch said he proposed the broad outlines of a settlement Thursday, but the board cannot respond until it has a chance to meet.
The Falls school board meets Monday and could discuss a settlement in executive session, which is ironic because Patterson's suit alleges the board has conducted improper executive sessions, among other violations of open meetings law.
Patterson alleges that:
• Special meetings weren't scheduled or conducted properly.
• Board members met privately in small groups, one after the other, in a round-robin style that attempted to circumvent the requirement that the pre-arranged discussion of public business by a majority of the board's members constitutes a public meeting.
• Board members could not cast informed votes in open session about whether to have closed-door discussions because the purposes for such discussions were not specified and new topics arose once they were in executive session.
• Board members disciplined an elected official in executive session instead of open session.
• Doors to the building were locked before meetings were adjourned, preventing entry or re-entry by anyone who went outside during the meeting and tried to return.
Shoemaker scheduled Dec. 22 for trial testimony to resume, unless Patterson and the board reach an agreement sooner.
John Higgins can be reached at 330-996-3792 or jhiggins@thebeaconjournal.com.
The case of a Cuyahoga Falls school board member suing the district over open meeting laws has been postponed until Dec. 22, pending a possible settlement.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Hudson, OH
Posted 12:21 PM, 11/20/2009
Worhatch is a scumbag - probably gonna settle to avoid his beseless rants
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 02:04 PM, 11/20/2009
I take it he won against you in court?
