Council Candidates/Government Employees

[Maggy]

Jay,

Yes it is.

[jay]

Is a school board member one of the exceptions?  A candidate in the Youngstown school board race claims to be a city employee.

[Maggy]

Hi Jay,

Plain and simple the answer is no.

It is in State Constitutional law, the Ohio Revised Code, and Opinions from the Attorney General. There are exceptions, but neither candidate falls under those categories. No councilperson shall hold any other public office or employment. If elected they would have to choose.

This is exactly why Rick Alli was supposedly fired.

This past summer Marc Dann issued a compatibility index for all public employment or office, the above was addressed as well as the fact that no councilperson can sit on a Community Investment Corporation.

[jay]

I've been told that some candidates for Youngstown city council are also employees of local government.  Is an individual allowed to be an elected official and a government employee at the same time?   I hope that either Maggy or Bellamy knows the answer to this question.