North Royalton City Council is again looking for someone to fill the vacancy of the Ward 3 Council seat. This comes after the August 7th resignation of Jeff McCarthy, who replaced Dan Langshaw, who resigned July 4.
McCarthy was approved by Council on August 1, but resigned after information regarding several misdemeanor offenses and other personal information was released through an anonymous email account. The owner of the email account would not come forward for comment. McCarthy has hired an attorney and is investigating the matter.
In McCarthy’s letter of resignation, he stated that, “For the past six days I have been exposed, as has my family, to an all-out character assault from a small group of residents led by a dysfunctional leader. This coordinated effort to besmirch my character has sadly crossed boundaries and now impacted my children as well as my professional life.” He went on to say that “my decision to apply and interview for council had nothing to do with replacing a candidate rather it was to fill a vacancy. It was my hope that I could add value to Council by bringing my ability to forge new partnerships with large enterprise thus opening up opportunities to fast track North Royalton’s economic development.”
Council President, Paul Marnecheck has now started the process again to fill the position. According to the City Charter, “any vacancy in the Council shall be filled by the remaining members thereof for the unexpired term. If the Council fails within thirty (30) days after such vacancy occurs to fill same, the Mayor shall fill it by appointment.” When Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz was asked what process he will engage in, if he has to choose the replacement, he responded “it’s too early in the process to begin that scenario. I will have a better idea in a few weeks. I really hope City Council gets to fill their own vacancy.”
Some have questioned Marnecheck about the process to fill the position, asking how the applicants are vetted. When asked if and what protocols were followed, he said that “we used the same procedure that was used the last three times there was a Council vacancy.” He stated that he advertised the position for the vacancy through a notice in the Royalton Recorder and the Post newspaper, on the city’s website and on the bulletin board in the City Hall lobby. He also announced the information at the July 7 City Council meeting, which is live streamed.
Council accepted applications for the position until July 27. Three resumes and applications were submitted for the position. In addition to McCarthy’s, were Joanne Krejci and Marissa Langshaw, who is Dan Langshaw’s wife. The interviews took place on August 1 in a special Council work session. They were open to the public, but Marnecheck said they were not live streamed, so the applicants that were not being interviewed could view it via a livestream feed, removing an unfair advantage. Once the interviews were completed, each Council member then voted for the candidate of their choice by saying the candidate’s name, according to Marnecheck. “I chose to use the same general procedure as was used in 2013, which is the most recent time there were more than two applicants for a vacant ward seat.” Council voted 5-1 in favor of McCarthy. Ward 2 Council Representative Linda Barath voted for Krejci.
Marnecheck said that he was not aware of any offenses of any of the candidates before, or during the interviewing process. He stated that “the historical procedure and process of filing a Council vacancy do not include a criminal background or otherwise, as running for the elected seat does not either” He said that the charter qualifications do not include that and that “the historical procedures and process focused on the applicant’s qualifications as set forth in the Charter and also their involvement in the City, their vision for the remainder of the term, and their understanding of current issues facing Ward 3 and The City of North Royalton.” The vetting process regarding applicants to fill a ward vacancy is related to the qualifications stated in the city’s Charter. “Applicants will be required to sign a document affirming that they meet these qualifications when they submit their resume to the Council office,” said Marnecheck.
The qualifications for a Ward Council position are stated in the city’s Charter as follows: “(b) QUALIFICATIONS
Candidates for Council shall have resided in the Municipality and have been an elector thereof for a period of at least two (2) years next preceding his or her election. Each ward Council member must have lived in his or her ward at least one (1) year prior to election and must continue to live in the ward he or she represents during his or her entire term of office. No member of Council, except as hereinafter provided in this Charter, shall hold any other elected public office or be employed by the Municipality, except that of notary public or member of the State Militia, or Reserve Corps of the United States, or be directly or indirectly involved in the disbursement of public moneys of North Royalton, except while performing his or her duties as Councilperson. To the extent as provided by law, no member of Council shall directly or indirectly solicit, contract for, receive or be interested in the profits or emoluments of any contract, job, work or service with or for the Municipality. Any member who ceases to possess any of the qualifications herein set forth, or who removes from the Municipality, shall thereby forfeit his or her office.”
Those are the qualifications that will be required for any Ward 3 resident that is interested in applying for the vacancy. Marnecheck stated that “I am committed to having as long an application process as possible.” Resumes may be submitted in person at the North Royalton City Council Office, 14600 State Road, North Royalton, Ohio 44133 until 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1, 2020. Interviews for this position will be held on Thursday, September 3 at 6:00 p.m. at North Royalton City Hall, 14600 State Road, North Royalton, Ohio 44133 in a Special Council Work Session. The applicant will be chosen during a special Council meeting on Friday, September 4, at 5:00 p.m. All qualified applicants who have timely filed their resume will be contacted by the City Council Office to attend this interview.

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer