In a surprise move, Lorain County commissioners voted 2-1 to pre-approve a loan Dec. 6 for the Lorain County Port Authority for $13.9 million to purchase the Midway Mall property in Elyria.
Commissioner Dave Moore and outgoing Commissioner Matt Lundy voted for the legislation while Commission Michelle Hung voted against it.
The legislation will allow for the Lorain County Port Authority to make an offer on the property that once was the economic engine for the area.
The plan still is to try to attract tenants that would include enterprises like the Cleveland Clinic and then light industry to the mall location.
Lundy said the move allows the County Port Authority to do its due diligence before it enters into the deal with the three current owners.
“This is what I call a pre-approval to keep the process moving forward,” he said of the commissioners’ action.
Hung said she felt it was a bad use of general fund money to purchase the real estate located just off Interstate 90 and the Ohio Turnpike in Elyria for $13.9 million.
She said the deal is the end result of a “scheme” by Moore to broker a deal on the property.
Moore dismissed Hung’s claim that he was doing something wrong.
He noted she is the one who is at the center of a criminal investigation.
Hung’s dealings in 911 contracts and her conduct in family members gaining employment have been subject to the scrutiny of an ongoing state investigation.
Lundy, who will be leaving the county to start working in January as safety service director for the city of Elyria, said Assistant Lorain County Prosecutor Dan Petticord gave his approval to Lundy voting on the issue.
Lorain County Port Authority Director Jim Miller did not return a call for comment.
That news overshadowed the commissioners’ request to allow commissioner-elect Jeff Riddell to attend executive session meetings until he takes office.
Riddell introduced himself to the board and asked to sit in on executive sessions as he ramped up to start his four-year term.
But the commissioners left the Republican political novice, who has never held elected office, on the outside looking in and did not include him in the day’s executive session.
“So much for the smooth transitions, raises for all and filling appointments before January,” Riddell wrote in a text message to The Morning Journal.
Riddell defeated Lundy, a Democrat, in a hotly contested election that came down to a few hundred votes.
Republicans Moore and Hung remain on the board.
Those two could have agreed to allow Riddell to attend the meeting.
“I’m available to keep him up to speed on his orientation every day of the week,” Lundy said of helping Riddell take over as commissioner.
But the executive session is not included, Lundy said.
“It’s protected information between you and legal counsel,” he said of the information discussed in the session.
Commissioners approved a $1 million grant to Lorain City Schools to outfit needy students with winter clothing.
The funding in total is $1,012,500 and covers the time period of Dec. 6 through Sept. 30, 2023.
The money comes from what are known as TANF Funds or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
Students who need a coat and live in Lorain County are eligible for clothing, said Tony Dimacchia, a Lorain Schools spokesman.
