TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo City Council unanimously reappointed two members Tuesday about two weeks after guidance from the Ohio Attorney General's Office suggested their terms had expired following guilty pleas by ex-members in a federal probe.
Vanice Williams and John Hobbs III were sworn in again after about a month of uncertainty surrounding their status after former members Tyrone Riley and Yvonne Harper pleaded guilty to bribery charges stemming for their 2020 arrests. Williams and Hobbs were temporarily filling their seats while both voluntarily suspended their terms.
Also Tuesday, council unanimously appointed Carrie Hartman to the seat formerly held by Michele Grim, who resigned from council after she won a spot in the Ohio House of Representatives in November.
Hobbs and Williams were appointed by a Lucas County judge to fill Riley's and Harper's District 1 and District 4 seats in September 2020 after the two were arrested and suspended their positions that summer. Both pleaded guilty to federal charges last month and formally resigned their positions.
Councilman Nick Komives told WTOL 11 at the time that council believed Hobbs' and Williams' terms were effectively over once a guilty plea was made or a verdict was reached in court. Re-appointing them was among the options available to council.
A letter dated Dec. 28 from Chief Counsel Bridget C. Coontz from the AG's office spelled out her interpretation, which is not a legal opinion.
"Given that a person cannot be suspended from an office he or she no longer holds, it follows that the suspension must end when the public official loses title to the office," Coontz said. "And when the suspension ends, so too does the term of the interim replacement — because the appointment is only 'for the duration of the suspension.'"
Riley and Harper were indicted in July 2020 on counts of conspiracy and bribery after investigators said they took bribes in exchange for votes. The city of Toledo previously asked the AG's office for a legal opinion on how the guilty pleas affected Hobbs and Williams' terms.
The city could have taken applications for either or both positions.
Hartman takes over an at-large position. She most recently worked as political director for Tim Ryan's U.S. Senate campaign.
Hartman has held various positions with the city, including spokeswoman and executive assistant for former Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson. She also ran for Maumee City Council in 2019.
In other council news, Komives held two ordinances until Jan. 24 so the new council members could have time to review the legislation before voting.
The first ordinance helps people safely access abortions by providing $100,000 of American Rescue Plan funds to the Agnes Reynolds Jackson Fund, also known as the Aggie Fund, a local non-profit that arranges abortion appointments and transports people to them.
The second ordinance uses $50,000 from the general fund to help train area health professionals on affirming and inclusive care for Toledo's LGBTQ community, in partnership Equality Toledo.
Council also unanimously put a charter amendment to use capital funds for projects on unimproved streets, making it possible to do more street work without any additional taxes, on the ballot for the primary election in May.
Council member Katie Moline said this amendment was placed on the primary election ballot due to positive feedback from voters in November when it was part of Issue 21, a package of unrelated charter changes that voters rejected.
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