Under Ed FitzGerald, Cuyahoga County has disciplined employees for lapsed drivers licenses (Cuyahoga County) CLEVELAND, Ohio – As Cuyahoga County executive, Ed FitzGerald has disciplined employees for not holding a valid drivers license – something the former FBI agent and Democratic candidate for governor himself lacked for years. In 2013 his administration punished at least eight employees, with penalties ranging from a written reprimand to a five-day suspension without pay, according to documents the Northeast Ohio Media Group obtained through a public-records request. (scroll down to view the records) The countys inspector general first began reviewing potential violations of the countys driving policies last year, months after FitzGerald obtained his first permanent drivers license in more than a decade. More than 150 other driving-related infractions involving other county employees remain under investigation and could yet result in discipline. FitzGeralds own license lapse came to light this month, after NEOMG reported that police in suburban Westlake found him parked in car with a woman who was not his wife at 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 13, 2012. FitzGerald was not cited, and he and police maintain nothing inappropriate happened. But the county executive had a learners permit, meaning he could drive only with a licensed driver 21 or older. He has acknowledged driving home alone after dropping the woman at a hotel. Whats less clear is how often FitzGerald drove in the six-plus years he had no license at all or in the subsequent years in which he had a series of temporary permits. The Democratic president of the county council, C. Ellen Connally, has recalled seeing FitzGerald frequently drive himself to and from work after he was elected county executive, but before he had full driving privileges. FitzGerald has apologized for what he describes as carelessness and procrastination during the decade in which he lacked full driving privileges. On Thursday, after an earlier version of this post was published, a spokesman said FitzGerald would pay the county back for just under $30 worth of driving-related reimbursements FitzGerald billed to taxpayers while he didnt have a permanent license. Spokesman Rich Luchette said he couldnt say how often FitzGerald drove a county car alone. The $30 payment, he said, would be made out of an abundance of caution. Now that Eds apologized for this mistake, we need to get back to work on the issues important to middle class Cuyahoga County families – creating jobs, growing our local economy, and expanding access to affordable education for all constituents, Luchette said in an email. Critics see the revelations as contrary to the carefully cultivated character FitzGerald has brought to his campaign against Republican Gov. John Kasich. Those who have watched FitzGeralds management style have seen a no-nonsense leader who prides himself as a reformer and strict enforcer of rules. Bob Reid, the former county sheriff who says he was fired in January 2013 after clashing with FitzGerald, sees the discipline of others over driving-related offenses as hypocritical. In an interview, Reid recalled FitzGerald as having a quick-trigger for meting out punishment and believes that if another top administrator were found to have driven without a license for a similar period of time, FitzGerald would insist that individual be fired. Reid added: I believe that absolutely on an issue like this that theres a double standard. County policy specifies that employees who drive for work must have and maintain at all times, without interruption, a valid drivers license. It is the employees responsibility to make sure his license and car insurance are properly renewed. The policy (scroll down to read it) also states that every employee who seeks reimbursement for travel certifies that he or she has a valid drivers license, vehicle registration, financial responsibility (insurance), and personally operated the vehicle for which the travel expense is claimed. FitzGerald, according to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, went from July 2002 to March 2008 and for much of 2009 and 2010 without any drivers license at all. He received one-year learners permits in 2008, 2010 and 2011. For several weeks in the fall of 2011, his first year as county executive, he had no license or permit. He received a full license in November 2012. County records obtained by NEOMG show that FitzGerald sought and received $29 worth of driving-related reimbursements. Two of FitzGeralds requests – one for parking, another for gas – specified use of a county car. All were submitted in 2011, and one for parking on Nov. 10, when, according to BMV records, he was between learners permits. FitzGeralds administration ordered six of the eight employees it disciplined last year to pay back mileage they were reimbursed for while driving without a license. The amounts ranged from $142 to $605. Most received written reprimands. One employee received verbal counseling. Another was suspended for five days without pay. The fact that you forgot to pay a fine/appear in court does not justify the fact that your license was suspended, a supervisor wrote in July 2013 to a social services worker who lost his license after failing to have it reinstated. Your assertions are not acceptable. Its unclear whether FitzGerald ever was asked to provide proof of a drivers license as county executive. His personnel file, provided in response to a records request, contains no information about his driving status. County officials said they had no documents detailing the occasions when FitzGerald used a county car. County records that show when FitzGerald swiped his employee keycard to enter and exit county parking facilities could shed light on his driving habits. However, FitzGerald has refused an NEOMG request for the records, saying releasing them would compromise his security. Inspector General Nailah Byrd, whose office regularly investigates driving infractions, declined through a spokeswoman to comment this week when asked if she would investigate FitzGerald. Byrds independence has been questioned in the past. FitzGerald picked her for the job, and his gubernatorial campaign has had her office review his lists of campaign donors – a practice that Republicans have charged is political work on taxpayer time. County Councilman Dave Greenspan, a Republican who has been a frequent critic of FitzGerald, said Byrd should investigate whether FitzGerald violated county policy by driving without a valid license. I think you should have someone be held accountable to the county policy if they may have violated county policy, Greenspan said. I believe there should be a review.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 19:46:44 +0000