Council seeks law-department review of whistleblower protections and considers loss-of-confidence resolution

Cleveland Heights council members asked the law department to prepare a summary of existing whistleblower protections and examples of stronger protections used elsewhere, and discussed drafting a loss-of-confidence resolution regarding the mayor’s ability to administer the city.

Council member Hudson said he was “deeply concerned” by reporting in cleveland.com and requested that the law department review existing protections and provide recommendations; he also proposed considering a loss-of-confidence resolution. “I would recommend that we consider passing a loss of confidence resolution,” Hudson said.

Other council members said a resolution would let council express its views while leaving removal to voters; one member said the bar for formal removal is high and resignation is a personal choice. Several members asked the law department to brief council on current federal, state and local protections and to provide examples of policies used by other municipalities. The law department agreed to provide a brief of existing protections and examples for council consideration but said it could not itself create policy; it can supply templates and comparative language.

Council members also discussed using executive session to review specific legal matters raised in recent media coverage, including whether the law department contacted the county prosecutor about potential felony charges related to an officer named in reporting. Assistant Law Director Heltzel said the law department did not seek to file charges and explained that consulting a county prosecutor for an informal opinion is a common practice that can have multiple purposes. The council asked the law director to advise whether an executive session was appropriate to review the matter and any related grievances or pending litigation.

Ending: Council members asked the law department to prepare a written brief of current whistleblower protections and sample improvements, to advise on whether an executive session is appropriate to discuss potential litigation or grievances, and to circulate draft resolution language for review.