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Commissioners respond to social-media claims and describe dispute with Auditor over security and budget
Summary
Commissioner Jeff Riddell urged skepticism of anonymous social media and described a dispute in which commissioners asked the Auditor to join the county security network and reduce duplicative spending after an Auditor's Office cybersecurity breach; commissioners said the Auditor declined and subsequently cut services, which the board called a fiscal-management decision, not politics.
During the meeting Commissioner Jeff Riddell used his allotted time to urge the public to treat anonymous social-media claims cautiously and to rely on verified information. Riddell criticized anonymous online posts that, in his view, aim to inflame political outcomes, and said the board sought to clarify its fiscal decisions publicly.
Riddell and Commissioner David J. Moore described a dispute with the Lorain County Auditor following a cyber breach of the Auditor's Office last May. Commissioners said they requested the Auditor join the county's proven security network — a step the county's cyber-insurance underwriter required to avoid duplicate, lower-quality services — and to reduce duplicative budgeted expenses. According to Riddell, the Auditor refused, called the request "blackmail," and in response reduced services that affect customers. Commissioners said their actions were intended to protect taxpayer data and finances and to reduce duplicate spending; the Auditor's office position beyond the meeting remarks is not recorded in the transcript.
