Mr. Reali,
It has been brought to my attention that in 2013 and 2014, the Mayor kept a handwritten day planner which was requested in a public records request. You responded to this public records request by providing this document which contained hundreds of redactions. (Click the following link to see Mayor Merle Gorden’s 2013 and January of 2014 handwritten Day Planner. Exhibit B – Merle Planner Pages)
When asked to explain the reason for all redactions as required by the Ohio Revised Code, you responded in multiple emails to multiple individuals saying that the redactions were personal items not related to official business.
In both 2013 and 2014, the Mayor claimed that 120 of his vacation hours went unused in order for him to receive an additional $10,131 in each of these years. However, in both of these years, the Mayor did not use any of his vacation hours for the multiple instances this document and your explanation for the redactions showed that he attended to personal business not related to official city business.
There are many instances on this handwritten day planner where an entire day’s entries are redacted. Can any other city employee take full days to attend to personal things not related to official city business without using their vacation hours and then cash in these hours as “unused” in order to get additional compensation? If not, please explain how it was legal for the Mayor allowed to do this.
$10,131 in each year is not a small amount of money and deserves an explanation. I look forward to your response.
merlegordenbeachwood 