Public speakers demand full investigative files in Joe Jones matter; request cited Ohio law

Several speakers during the council’s public comment period on Sept. 22 called for the full investigative file into Councilman Joe Jones to be released to the public.

Brenda Bickerstaff of Citizens for Safer Cleveland told the council she was invoking Ohio Revised Code §149.43 and demanded “a copy of the entire investigative file of Joe Jones' investigation from January and the one that just occurred.” She said council members had voted without having “all the information.”

In a related public comment, Daryl Houston of Bedford Heights said he was “not here to represent that [disrespect of women],” but urged the council to follow due process and criticized members who cast votes before reviewing a complete report. Houston said the incomplete reporting showed “bad leadership by every last single councilman that voted yes.”

Why it matters: Speakers framed the demand as a transparency and due-process issue, saying redactions could protect alleged victims while allowing public review. The request cited Ohio’s public-records law; the council made no on-the-record decision to release or withhold files during the meeting.

Supporting details: Bickerstaff explicitly referenced Ohio Revised Code §149.43 when making her request and asked for investigative files from January and from a more recent inquiry. Houston pressed that council members had voted without a complete report and said residents should “pay attention.” The meeting record shows no motion or vote to produce the files; the requests were part of the public-comment record.

Context and next steps: Public commenters asked the council to reconcile confidentiality interests with public-records rights. The transcript does not show council action in response to the requests; any formal release or legal determination would require a subsequent staff or council motion recorded in minutes or a separate public-records process.