By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
CONNEAUT — Greg Mooney, Conneaut Ward 3 councilman, recently won some money — but not all he initially sought — from a local contractor he accused on nonpayment
Mooney was awarded $1,000 from Son Construction of Conneaut, by acting judge Charles Lafferty, in a small-claims case filed in Conneaut Municipal Court, a court spokeswoman said Thursday. Mooney sought nearly $2,300 in his original filing, an amount apparently amended to $1,500, according to court records. Mooney claimed he had not been paid for drywall work despite numerous attempts to collect.
Lafferty, in his ruling, allotted Mooney $1,000 because the quality of work he performed was lacking. Lafferty said the quality was “not up to reasonable standards” and “not workmanlike.”
Mike Bambarger of Conneaut, owner of Son Construction, said he was pleased with the ruling.
“I am very satisfied with the court decision,” he said in a statement, praising Lafferty for his “fairness” and “understanding the truth.”
Bambarger also scolded Mooney for filing a “frivolous lawsuit.”
A message left for Mooney, seeking comment on the case’s outcome, was not immediately returned Thursday afternoon.
In other court news involving Conneaut councilmen, a hearing on a case involving Ward 1 Councilman Dave Campbell won’t be held until late September at the earliest, according to Ashtabula County Common Pleas Court records.
Campbell is being sued for legal fees accrued by Nicholas Iarocci, a Conneaut attorney. Iarocci represented Bob Howland, Conneaut’s Public Works director, in a lawsuit stemming from a public-information request Howland aimed at Campbell that the councilman initially resisted. That matter was resolved eventually, but now Iarocci is seeking legal fees from Campbell related to the case.
A hearing on the matter, originally set for July 17, was continued and won’t be heard until after Sept. 19, according to court records.
