Xenia ethics inquiry resumes Monday

HOW TO GO

What: Ethics inquiry

Who: Xenia City Councilmen John Caupp and Dale Louderback

When: 4 p.m. Monday Aug. 31

Where: Council chambers, City Hall, 101 North Detroit St., Xenia

An ethics inquiry into whether two Xenia City Council members violated the city’s charter is scheduled to resume Monday.

Council, which is conducting the investigation, is trying to determine if John Caupp and Dale Louderback committed ethics violations when they planned to invest money and accept jobs with a developer who was planning to build a $7 million entertainment center in the city.

Council learned of the plans in February. At the time, the city was working on a deal to sell the land it owned, where the entertainment center would be located, to the developer.

Donald C. Brey of Taft, Stettinius and Hollister, who is representing Caupp and Louderback, has called the inquiry a political ploy.

Caupp and Louderback are also being investigated by the Ohio Ethics Commission and the Ohio Auditor.

The city, which held hearings on Aug. 19 and 20, is examining whether Caupp and Lauderback violated a section of the city charter that restricts council members from having any interest in a contract or service related to the city.

Meanwhile, the attorney representing the council revealed last week that the state ethics commission was concerned about the city moving forward with a hearing.

“(The investigator’s) statement to me was that in the event this inquiry goes forward, there is a possibility that it could interfere with the Ohio Ethics Commission and their investigation,” Drew Piersall of Zashin & Rich Law Firm said. “As a staff member of the Ohio Ethics Commission, she indicated that it was her preference that the inquiry not go forward.”

At the conclusion of the ethics inquiry, city council members who have also provided testimony during the hearings if Caupp and Louderback violated the city charter. Council will also make a decision on any penalties or sanctions against the councilmen. If the councilmen violated the city charter, they could face criminal charges or lose their seats on the council. No specific timetable has been provided for when a decision would be made.