Lorain Councilman, Mayor at odds over town hall; city to transfer landlocked parks

LORAIN — The mayor and a councilman were at odds Monday during City Council's meeting. Councilman Tony Dimacchia, D-at Large, called Mayor Jack Bradley's absence from a town hall Dimacchia held last week "strictly political.'' Dimacchia held a town hall April 29 at Lorain High School to address violence in the city, with members of the Lorain County Common Pleas bench, Municipal Judge Mark Mihok, Lorain County Prosecutor Tony Cillo and Sheriff Jack Hall in attendance. No one from Bradley's administration, or Lorain police, attended. During his comments to Council, Bradley said he had a prior commitment in Columbus with the Ohio Mayors Alliance and noted he was not involved in the planning of the town hall or its agenda. He said he also did not issue any directive to LPD not to attend the session. "My absence should not be mistaken as a lack of interest in the concerns raised," Bradley said. "Rather, it reflects my belief that public forums should be inclusive, collaborative and transparent. … I respect the councilman's efforts to host a forum and support any effort to listen to our community. But I also believe our residents are best served when we present information in a coordinated, unified way where the facts are clear, the roles are respected and the solutions are developed together." Dimacchia said Bradley was invited. Dimacchia also alleged the mayor went to the school district to try to get the town hall canceled and made remarks that Dimacchia holding the meeting was a violation of Ohio Ethics laws, the Open Meetings Act and a conflict of interest as Dimacchia is an employee of the school district and an elected official — all of which Dimacchia disputed. "That was a missed opportunity for this city," Dimacchia said. "It has nothing to do with me, nothing to do with you. … It was an opportunity to educate and inform (residents)." Council received an email from Lorain Police Deputy Chief Michael Failing dated April 23 explaining his department's decision not to participate in the forum for "several ethical, operational and strategic reasons." Failing's email stated addressing recent shootings in a public forum may risk the integrity of ongoing investigations and that its attendance so close to an election cycle may appear as a tacit endorsement with a political campaign. Dimacchia is up for reelection today. He faces fellow incumbent Democrats Sylvia DuVall and Mary Springowski, as well as Mitchell Fallis, Dennis Flores and Jacob Reed. The top three vote-getters will appear unopposed in the general election. Jayne Morales signed up to speak during Council's public comment period on the issue, but after she began to address Bradley directly rather than address her comments to the chair, Council President Joel Arredondo cut her off. After Morales took her seat, she and Paula Wingard continued to talk during the meeting. After warnings from Arredondo for talking out of turn, Morales and Wingard were asked to leave for disrupting the meeting, a violation of Council Rule 47. Mary Spellacy, D-7th Ward, made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Lorain Police Capt. Jake Morris and Deputy Chief Michael Failing talked to the pair for some time until they left. Morris said the women left on their own after they were asked to leave or face potential criminal charges. The meeting resumed after their departure. Park transfer Two city pocket parks landlocked by metropolitan housing will transfer to the Lorain Port and Finance Authority. Lorain City Council approved the transfer of the small parks at the center of Leavitt Homes and Westview Terrace to the Port, which will then transfer the properties to Raise Up (previously Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority). Raise Up Chief Financial and Development Officer Colleen Dattalio said the housing agency needs the properties in its name to get financing for upgrades to the two properties and Westgate Gardens — coined the Western Horizon project. The city cannot transfer the properties directly to Raise Up without it going to competitive bid, Building, Housing and Planning Director Matt Kusznir said, but it can transfer them to the Port Authority without bid and then the port is permitted to make a transfer to Raise Up. The transfer will not cost the city anything and will allow Raise Up to move forward with upgrades to the city's subsidized housing on the west side, including Leavitt Homes, Westview Terrace and Westgate Gardens. Those upgrades require the properties to be converted into multifamily housing that accepts project-based vouchers through a rental assistance demonstration conversion, or RAD. Raise Up has gone through the same process with Elyria's Wilkes Villa, converting the aging affordable housing facility to accept project-based vouchers to open up financing options for unit upgrades. It does not impact the subsidy amount tenants receive. Wilkes Villa stopped filing vacancies to allow the agency to move residents within the property during renovations. The renovations will see units taken down to the studs and remodeled. The Wilkes Villa upgrades are expected to cost about $33 million and take 18 to 20 months to complete. Once work in Elyria is done, Raise Up will move on to similar upgrades at Leavitt Homes, Westview Terrace and Westgate Gardens. Those 353 subsidized housing units will cost more than $60 million to rehabilitate. The parks will be revamped with more community spaces like a pavilion or playground for residents. Raise Up will be issuing bonds for part of the work at its west side properties. Residents in Wilkes Villa, Leavitt Homes, Westview Terrace and Westgate Gardens may be temporarily displaced from their individual units while work is underway, but Raise Up must provide them other housing in that interim. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.