Foundation pitches youth programs and drinking‑water settlement to Painesville council as July 31 deadline looms

Te'von Coney, founder of the Tough Choices Foundation, and attorney David Grossman of Kegler Brown presented remotely to the Painesville City Council on June 15 about a partnership opportunity that would pair youth workforce and mentorship programs with potential reimbursements from a national drinking‑water settlement.

Coney said the Foundation, founded in 2019, operates city‑level programs focused on sports, academics, workforce development and family engagement and wants to establish a presence in Ohio. Grossman explained that a settlement fund exists that can reimburse cities for certain water‑system costs; he said the formal testing for enrollment takes about 10 days and that the current deadline to participate is July 31, 2026.

Grossman described his firm’s legal services as contingency‑based — one‑third of any recovery — and said the firm will not charge the city if there is no recovery. He added that roughly 10–20 percent of his firm’s fee is planned to be donated to the Tough Choices Foundation and that additional funding streams related to wastewater, stormwater and fire departments are in development.

When asked about timing and next steps, Grossman said his team plans to file a motion in court seeking an extension of the enrollment deadline if the city chooses to pursue participation, but he cautioned that any extension would be subject to the court’s discretion. City Manager Doug Lewis asked that Grossman send a summary letter, a sample resolution and the legal services contract to the City Manager’s official email for review.

Why it matters: If Painesville enrolls and later obtains recovery through the settlement, the city could receive reimbursements for eligible water‑system expenditures; at the same time, the Foundation’s model would tie such funds to locally run youth programming. Council and administration said they would review the materials and discuss next steps internally. The council’s next regular meeting is July 20, 2026, a date Grossman said would likely be too late to complete testing for enrollment unless a court grants an extension.