Mayor: Walbridge councilmen should not apply for administrator job

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WALBRIDGE — Two councilmen applied to be the village administrator, which is unethical, according to the
mayor.
Larry Boday and Joe Weissenberger applied to be the administrator, a position that has been vacant since
Jim Bishop resigned in November over ethics issues. Boday also applied to be code enforcement officer.

Both men were sent letters from Mayor Ed Kolanko late last week, rejecting their applications.
“As a current village council member you are prohibited from applying for the job(s),” the letter stated.
“Your application does violate Ohio Ethics Law and will not be considered.”
The letters also include information from the Ethics Commission about a board member seeking employment
with the board.
The Ethics Law applies to all people who serve as officials and employees for public agencies in Ohio.

The law prohibits a member of a board from:
• Authorizing a contract for his own employment with a public agency.
• Seeking or soliciting employment from the public agency.
• Using his position as a board member, in any way, to create or secure an employment opportunity.
• Profiting from an employment position that was authorized by the board while he was a member.
The law does not prohibit a former board member from competing for an employment position with the public
agency he formerly served.
“They are still active council members,” Kolanko said.
He said that council members need to be better educated on the law. He mentioned the late 2018 incident
when council held an illegal executive session to appoint a new council member.
“That was another complete violation of the Sunshine Laws. This behavior really has to stop,” Kolanko
said. “You really have to take this job seriously.
“It shouldn’t be my job to police everyone on council.”
Kolanko said that he consulted with Solicitor Brian Ballenger before sending the letters to Boday and
Weissenberger.
Both councilmen said that they would have been an asset to Walbridge in the village administrator
position.
“I thought that I could do a good job. I’ve been on council for 6-7 years. but I’m afraid I’m going to
have to back out,” Boday said, adding that he was told he would have to quit council, then apply.
“If I resign from council, and I don’t get the job, then I’m out both jobs,” he said.
Boday added that he believes he would have been a good administrator and code enforcement officer. Before
retiring, he was involved in industrial electronics repair and electronics manufacturing, according to
his resume.
“I’ve seen how things have gone in the last eight years. I see where changes could be made. I’m organized
and could get it done,” he said.
Properties are going down hill in town and nothing is being done, Boday said.
Weissenberger said he also did not know that he should not apply to be village administrator.
“I thought you could apply and if you did get the job, you could resign from council,” he said.
Weissenberger said that he, too, would have been a good administrator. He worked in metal finishing and
was a former union vice president, according to his resume.
“I know Walbridge inside and out. I know a lot of people. We could clean up a lot of stuff and make it
better.
“We need an administrator that’s hands on,” he said. “Boots on the ground. Go to neighbors and ask stuff
before someone puts up a fence.”
Kolanko said that the councilmen should have known that they couldn’t apply for the administrator job —
or any village job — without first quitting council.
“Common sense tells you that when a council member assists in a creation of a job position and approves
it, without abstaining, it creates doubt,” he said.
Bishop resigned as Walbridge administrator after the Ohio Supreme Court decided to uphold his suspension
from the Toledo Bar Association.
In the opinion in the case Toledo Bar Association v. Bishop, Ohio’s top court suspended Bishop from the
practice of law in Ohio for two years. The second year is stayed on the condition that he engage in no
further misconduct.
The bar alleged that Bishop committed five ethical violations, causing his elderly clients to amend an
annuity contract to designation Bishop’s wife and sons’ Boy Scout troop as contingent beneficiaries,
then giving false testimony about that conduct during the ensuing disciplinary investigation.
Bishop worked part time for the village and earned $15,000 annually.
Kolanko said that applications for the administrator job have been low and the deadline to apply has been
extended to April 30.

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