CONNEAUT — City administrators have sent a letter to a local Website operator, ordering her to remove information related to municipal offices, City Council members learned at Monday's work session.
The cease-and-desist order was sent last week to Katie Schwartz, who oversees the everythingconneautohio.com Web site. The letter was authorized by City Manager Robert Schaumleffel Jr.
Ward 1 Councilman Dave Campbell, who has promoted the Web site, was outraged by the letter, calling it “garbage. We cannot dictate how she runs her business,” he said.
At the end of the meeting, Campbell made a motion that would order Schaumleffel to rescind the letter and apologize to Schwartz. The motion was defeated by a 3-3 vote. Voting yes were Campbell, Ward 2 Councilman Charles Lewis and Ward 3 Councilman Greg Mooney. Opposed were Council President James Jones, Councilman-at-Large Chris Castrilla and Ward 4 Councilman Tony Julio. Absent was Councilman-at-Large Jacob Chicatelli.
Schaumleffel said he did not want to see Schwartz's for-profit Web site be mistaken as the official city of Conneaut Web site, which is being overhauled by another individual. "We can't turn the city Web page into a commercial site," he said.
The manager said he would gladly create a link on the city page to Schwartz's site. “I’m trying to keep this on a business basis,” Schaumleffel said.
Disclosure of the cease-and-desist letter followed some terse words Schaumleffel directed at Schwartz at the beginning of the meeting. The manager said he understood Schwartz made accusations about him at a town hall-style meeting Thursday night.
Schaumleffel used Schwartz as a springboard to rail against what he said was an organized campaign among some to “dig up dirt” on his administrative staff.
“I am tired of the dirt,” he said. “I don't know what the hell is going on. These personal attacks are going to stop. I'm really tired of the personal attacks.”
The manager also scolded council members who attended the meeting and didn't speak on his behalf, without naming names,
Schaumleffel said the same tactics prompted interim city manager Edward Somppi to abruptly resign last summer. “It didn't start with me and or end with me, but I'm going to try to put a stop to it,” he said.
Local News
Conneaut says no to Web site
- Local News
-
-
2-1-1 system aids people in need
Imagine being in this situation: A guy you met on the Internet shows up at your house and takes you for a ride in his pickup truck.
-
Woman climbs out of icy river
A Painesville Township woman is being treated for hypothermia after her car plunged into the Grand River near Vrooman Road Thursday morning.
-
Port project gets Pa. funds
A proposed warehousing/transportation project involving ports in Conneaut and Erie, Pa., has received a big financial boost from the state of Pennsylvania.
-
Ashtabula tax forms in the mail
Check your mailbox this week because postal carriers are delivering 2011 city income tax returns.
-
Conneaut woman, 89, hurt in crash
An 89-year-old Conneaut motorist remains hospitalized today in a Cleveland hospital with serious injuries suffered in a two-vehicle crash earlier this week.
-
Platinum workers aren’t being paid
Employees of a local health care provider aren’t being paid while the business is under investigation for fraud, an official at Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office confirmed Thursday.
-
Flu mild, so far
Coughing, sneezing, aching, nausea and fever are all symptoms of various flu viruses common this time of year, but according to area experts, flu activity in Ashtabula County has been mild.
-
State program designed to cut number of juveniles sent to ODYS
State funding is being finalized for training and implementation of programming aimed at reducing the number of juvenile offenders that Ashtabula County sends to the Ohio Department of Youth Services facilities.
-
Geneva American Legion remembers Four Chaplains
The story of the Four Chaplains is a solemn narrative of courage, sacrifice and selflessness.
-
Commissioners to help with sewer
Commissioners promised Linwood Drive residents that they will do all they can to reduce the financial burden of extending mandated sewers to their lakefront street.
- More Local News Headlines
-
2-1-1 system aids people in need
