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By Dennis J. Willard
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 05:08 p.m. EST, Nov 21, 2009
COLUMBUS: Love him or loathe him, Jack Morrison Jr. is tenacious.
Despite two convictions on misdemeanor ethics charges and weeks of calls for his resignation, Morrison still sits as chairman of the Summit County Board of Elections and as a University of Akron trustee.
Most men, or women, in his place would have been gone from those two positions long ago.
Not Morrison.
Gov. Ted Strickland asked Morrison to resign from the university's board and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has called for him to do the same at the elections board.
But Morrison refuses to step down from either.
And he is not only being stubborn, he is fighting back with every legal maneuver he can muster and by calling in every friend he can locate.
Let's talk about his friends.
State Sens. Tim Grendell, R-Chester Township, and Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, have taken on Morrison's cause.
After Morrison refused to step down from the UA board, Strickland sent a letter to the Ohio Senate asking it to use its advice and consent power to remove him. Morrison maintains his due-process rights are being violated because the Ohio Senate has not held a hearing to allow him to explain his side.
Grendell and Seitz have seized upon this and argued vigorously in the Republican caucus that the facts are not fully understood. They have been successful in muddying the waters, enough to delay a floor vote on Morrison at least twice, most recently last Wednesday.
Seitz has said only banana republics oust political foes without giving them a day in court.
Morrison has opponents in the upper chamber, namely state Sens. Kevin Coughlin, R-Cuyahoga Falls, and Tom Sawyer, D-Akron.
Sawyer rebuts Seitz's claim regarding banana republics. He said Morrison was tried in a court of law, a judge reviewed his case and found him guilty of knowingly falsifying documents to hide the fact that he received income from his son, who was buying property in the university area and selling it to the college while Morrison was on the board.
Sawyer said bringing Morrison before the Senate would be the real political trial in a kangaroo court. Morrison maintains his convictions will be overturned on appeal and wants to remain on the boards until that decision is handed down.
The Senate recessed this past week until after Thanksgiving, so the battle behind closed doors will continue.
Adding another dimension to the infighting in the Senate Republican caucus is that Grendell and Coughlin are rivals representing the two divided sides in Summit County GOP politics.
Coughlin actively and unsuccessfully tried to oust Summit County Republican Party Chairman Alex Arshinkoff.
Arshinkoff has strong and loyal ties to Morrison, and Grendell, who hails from Geauga County, has made inroads into Summit County by aligning himself with Arshinkoff.
While Morrison has proxies fighting for him in the Senate, he is representing himself against Brunner, and herein he appears prepared to be even more resilient than Grendell or Seitz.
Morrison represented himself before Gregory Peterson, a hearing examiner, last Wednesday to explain why he should not be removed from the elections board.
In a two-hour display of legal wizardry, Morrison challenged the legitimacy of the hearing in the first place and the argument, advanced by the assistant attorneys general assigned to the case, that Brunner has the authority to remove him for the convictions. He cited an Ohio Supreme Court case that is 40 years old to demonstrate that only voters in Summit County, through a petition drive, could remove him.
After the hearing, Morrison said it did not matter that he is an unelected appointee to the elections board; he can be removed only through the will of the voters.
Attorneys for Brunner strongly disagree with Morrison's interpretation of the Supreme Court ruling and argue that the secretary of state has the authority to remove convicted board members from their seats.
Morrison didn't waver. He asked to call Brunner and four others, including Ohio Ethics Commission Executive Director David Freel, to the witness stand to face questions.
Peterson refused, stating Morrison was attempting to mount a ''collateral attack'' and ''parallel appeal'' to his original convictions. But Morrison is attempting much more than that. He wants to put the entire system on trial, in much the same way that Seitz and Grendell are pushing to do in the Ohio Senate.
Morrison maintains that the examiner, appointed by Brunner, is part of a circus sideshow to give him a due-process hearing. And Morrison argues that Brunner, who is the ultimate judge, jury and prosecutor in this matter, should preside over any type of due-process hearing.
Morrison said he fully expects Brunner to accept Peterson's report, due this Wednesday, and, regardless of what it states, then push for him to resign. He, in turn, plans to challenge Brunner in the Ohio Supreme Court and, if necessary, the U.S. Supreme Court.
All this from a man who has been convicted on two counts of ethics violations. This from a guy who was not elected to either board he sits upon, but rather appointed to both positions. This from someone who has been asked by both the governor and the chief elections officer of Ohio to resign in order to restore trust and integrity to the university and county elections board.
Yes, Morrison is nothing if not tenacious. And it is clear that he has no quit in him.
Dennis J. Willard can be reached at 614-224-1613 or dwillard@thebeaconjournal.com.
COLUMBUS: Love him or loathe him, Jack Morrison Jr. is tenacious.
Despite two convictions on misdemeanor ethics charges and weeks of calls for his resignation, Morrison still sits as chairman of the Summit County Board of Elections and as a University of Akron trustee.
Most men, or women, in his place would have been gone from those two positions long ago.
Not Morrison.
Gov. Ted Strickland asked Morrison to resign from the university's board and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has called for him to do the same at the elections board.
But Morrison refuses to step down from either.
And he is not only being stubborn, he is fighting back with every legal maneuver he can muster and by calling in every friend he can locate.
Let's talk about his friends.
State Sens. Tim Grendell, R-Chester Township, and Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, have taken on Morrison's cause.
After Morrison refused to step down from the UA board, Strickland sent a letter to the Ohio Senate asking it to use its advice and consent power to remove him. Morrison maintains his due-process rights are being violated because the Ohio Senate has not held a hearing to allow him to explain his side.
Grendell and Seitz have seized upon this and argued vigorously in the Republican caucus that the facts are not fully understood. They have been successful in muddying the waters, enough to delay a floor vote on Morrison at least twice, most recently last Wednesday.
Seitz has said only banana republics oust political foes without giving them a day in court.
Morrison has opponents in the upper chamber, namely state Sens. Kevin Coughlin, R-Cuyahoga Falls, and Tom Sawyer, D-Akron.
Sawyer rebuts Seitz's claim regarding banana republics. He said Morrison was tried in a court of law, a judge reviewed his case and found him guilty of knowingly falsifying documents to hide the fact that he received income from his son, who was buying property in the university area and selling it to the college while Morrison was on the board.
Sawyer said bringing Morrison before the Senate would be the real political trial in a kangaroo court. Morrison maintains his convictions will be overturned on appeal and wants to remain on the boards until that decision is handed down.
The Senate recessed this past week until after Thanksgiving, so the battle behind closed doors will continue.
Adding another dimension to the infighting in the Senate Republican caucus is that Grendell and Coughlin are rivals representing the two divided sides in Summit County GOP politics.
Coughlin actively and unsuccessfully tried to oust Summit County Republican Party Chairman Alex Arshinkoff.
Arshinkoff has strong and loyal ties to Morrison, and Grendell, who hails from Geauga County, has made inroads into Summit County by aligning himself with Arshinkoff.
While Morrison has proxies fighting for him in the Senate, he is representing himself against Brunner, and herein he appears prepared to be even more resilient than Grendell or Seitz.
Morrison represented himself before Gregory Peterson, a hearing examiner, last Wednesday to explain why he should not be removed from the elections board.
In a two-hour display of legal wizardry, Morrison challenged the legitimacy of the hearing in the first place and the argument, advanced by the assistant attorneys general assigned to the case, that Brunner has the authority to remove him for the convictions. He cited an Ohio Supreme Court case that is 40 years old to demonstrate that only voters in Summit County, through a petition drive, could remove him.
After the hearing, Morrison said it did not matter that he is an unelected appointee to the elections board; he can be removed only through the will of the voters.
Attorneys for Brunner strongly disagree with Morrison's interpretation of the Supreme Court ruling and argue that the secretary of state has the authority to remove convicted board members from their seats.
Morrison didn't waver. He asked to call Brunner and four others, including Ohio Ethics Commission Executive Director David Freel, to the witness stand to face questions.
Peterson refused, stating Morrison was attempting to mount a ''collateral attack'' and ''parallel appeal'' to his original convictions. But Morrison is attempting much more than that. He wants to put the entire system on trial, in much the same way that Seitz and Grendell are pushing to do in the Ohio Senate.
Morrison maintains that the examiner, appointed by Brunner, is part of a circus sideshow to give him a due-process hearing. And Morrison argues that Brunner, who is the ultimate judge, jury and prosecutor in this matter, should preside over any type of due-process hearing.
Morrison said he fully expects Brunner to accept Peterson's report, due this Wednesday, and, regardless of what it states, then push for him to resign. He, in turn, plans to challenge Brunner in the Ohio Supreme Court and, if necessary, the U.S. Supreme Court.
All this from a man who has been convicted on two counts of ethics violations. This from a guy who was not elected to either board he sits upon, but rather appointed to both positions. This from someone who has been asked by both the governor and the chief elections officer of Ohio to resign in order to restore trust and integrity to the university and county elections board.
Yes, Morrison is nothing if not tenacious. And it is clear that he has no quit in him.
Dennis J. Willard can be reached at 614-224-1613 or dwillard@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
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Akron, Oh
Posted 07:22 PM, 11/21/2009
What an embarrassment to the University. I mean this man son buys property that he knows is in the footprint of the new stadium with every intention of just turning around and selling it to the University for a tidy profit. If Mr. Morrison had any ethical back bone at all he would have advised his son not to purchase the property because he had to know it would be perceived as a conflict of interest. OK so maybe he overlooks this but then wouldn’t been a wonderful gesture and would have saved all of us from this saga, if he would have turned around and donated the property to the university as a gift. He could have ridden off into the sunset as hero. This is truly sad.
barberton, oh
Posted 09:04 PM, 11/21/2009
whether you think he is a pathetic disgrace or think he's done nothing "wrong" it does seem unequitable that one single judge could find him 'guilty' and thus terminating both of his held positions.
i don't know the details of the case, but what if the judge was an activist that believed there was enough gray area to deliver a 'guilty' verdict without appearing biased?
that prospect is scary.
Norton, Ohio
Posted 02:27 AM, 11/22/2009
Firt of all you should write the truth the Judge found him guilty of not showing a pay back of a loan from his son not money earned from him it was to the family trust and yes he will win his appeal since he was not charged with that.
Norton, Ohio
Posted 02:28 AM, 11/22/2009
First
Akron, OH
Posted 03:09 AM, 11/22/2009
Typical behavior for someone of his background, actually.
He's too rich to be bothered with this, he thinks.
Cleveland , Oh
Posted 06:51 AM, 11/22/2009
SDM -
You state: "the Judge found him guilty of not showing a pay back of a loan from his son not money earned from him it was to the family trust"
Mr. Morrison has not raised this as an argument, i.e. that the money loaned was not from him but from the family trust. And do you know why? Because I am sure he is aware that if that was true, it would be a prohibited transaction under both state trust law and Federal tax law. A trust like this cannot loan its assets to related parties, especially interest free and unsecured. Doing so would disqualify the trust, require him to file amended tax returns to reverse the deduction taken for funding the trust, and likely subject him to penalties and interest. If done intentionally, then it could be very serious.
So I would suggest you come up with another argument to support Mr. Morrison.
akron, oh
Posted 09:24 AM, 11/22/2009
Don't let this guy off the hook. No room for this nonsense.
Akron, OH
Posted 10:42 AM, 11/22/2009
The ethics violations, regardless of the criminal convictions, should be enough for him to resign in disgrace from the both Boards. He is a disgrace to the University of Akron and Summit County.
Akron, OH
Posted 11:15 AM, 11/22/2009
I almost withheld my annual donations to the University. If he cared about the University, he would already be gone.
Crazytown, Oh
Posted 04:38 PM, 11/22/2009
We ALL condemn this man or his son for profiting, really?.
Keyboards are clicking with outrage, why.
Is it that deep down your just mad because the man used the system put it place by the very people who are condemning him now, made money.
And now he's calling those hypocrites out into the public, into the light shall we say. Think of it----.
All of the people who have tried to move him out of office have failed, they may do it in time, but he's showing them for the misinformed louts they really are.
Don't get me wrong he may be guilty of something but I think about how ----------
A mayor of a certain city moves and entire building for millions of dollars at voters cost so that his buddy could complete his construction plan, and who will someday down the road profit from that deal. Isn't that a crime?.
Orrville, Oh
Posted 06:06 PM, 11/22/2009
Why is Representatives we the Government of this Representative Republic paying for the more stock dividends (money) Chinese, Foreign and Domestic Investors and Stockholders (money marketers) market quarterly in the wholesale and retail price of EVERY product and service needed to build, maintain, and operate UA, schools, infrastructure, and provide government services and national security that gets only product or service; with money derived from we, the Government of the people, by the people, for the people; wages or independent business profit NO CRIME?
akorn, oh
Posted 07:04 PM, 11/22/2009
Hey Hubbs- if he took a bench trial that was his choice. He could have used a jury- didn't trust his fellow man either it would seem?
wads, OH
Posted 08:03 PM, 11/22/2009
the man and his son are thieves. they got caught taking OUR $$$..taxpayers always complain about the crooks in office stealing from them...throw this one out. he says only the voters can remove him??? how much chance would this crook have against a petion in summit county?? non.
akron, oh
Posted 08:21 PM, 11/22/2009
The mayor has never been convicted.Prove something then I'll be outraged. Don't just hate.
Leesburg, Fl
Posted 10:16 AM, 11/25/2009
Jack Morrison is the poster child for arrogance.
