DOVER — A once-absent mayor facing a special prosecutors' investigation fired three city employees who testified about him during a City Council investigation earlier this year.
Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen fired Service Director Dave Douglas, Safety Director Gerry Mroczkowski and Eva Newsome, the mayor's executive assistant, on Tuesday just days before Christmas. Police officers stood by as they cleaned out their offices.
After firing Douglas, Homrighausen was asked what was going on. He replied, "Taking care of city business."
He declined to comment further, but later announced the appointment of two new directors while thanking Mroczkowski and Douglas "for their dedicated service." None of the three has any disciplinary action in their personnel files.
Background:Missing Dover mayor returns as special prosecutor named, council raises new questions
Homrighausen, 73, stopped coming to work and council meetings for months in this city of about 13,000 residents south of Canton along I-77 in Tuscarawas County, prompting a council investigation into his physical and mental well-being. Council members have called upon him to resign, citing a declining faith in his ability to lead the city.
Instead, the eight-term mayor returned and found himself at the center of a state investigation with three special prosecutors from the Ohio Auditor's Office assigned to the case. He also has been peppered with critical questions from the council.
Council President Shane Gunnoe...
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday announced charges against 15 people, including six medical professionals, for allegedly participating in schemes that collectively submitted $2 billion i...