Beachwood Unlawfully Redacted Parts of Mayor's Calendar: Report

Ohio State Auditor Dave Yost found the city of Beachwood noncompliant with Ohio public records law stemming from a 2016 Sunshine Audit report.

Beachwood citizens had asked to see the Mayor Merle Gorden’s calendar after complaining for years about the mayor’s pay and use of vacation time, reported Cleveland.com. When the calendar was finally released, it included hundreds of redactions.

After a complainant claimed the city failed to justify the redactions, the 2016 Sunshine Audit found the city noncompliant. During the audit, the city managed to provide legal justification for many of the redactions, but the auditor’s office found no legal authority for redactions related to “trade secrets.” The city was found noncompliant because it couldn’t justify all redacted material.

The redactions weren’t the only source of a complaint filed against the city. In another complaint, the city was found compliant when it refused to release the Mayor’s key card logs for 2013-2014 due to security reasons.

Gorden, who’s served as Mayor since 2001, is the highest paid public official in Ohio. Gorden’s total compensation in 2014 totaled $239,229. Along with concerns over his salary and vacation time, Gorden has also been criticized for taking gratuities while performing weddings and spending taxpayer money to travel to conferences.

The Sunshine Audit initiative was first announced in 2015 to provide average citizens an easy way to access public records. In the program’s first year 16 audit complaints were received. The state’s “sunshine laws” allow Ohioans access to government meetings and records.

Photo courtesy of the City of Beachwood.