Brecksville officials violated open meetings law in approving fire station change order, government watchdog says

From The Plain Dealer An email poll of City Council members - meant to determine whether they would approve additional costs for the city's fire station renovation - violated state Sunshine Laws.

That's according to Catherine Turcer, policy analyst for Common Cause Ohio, a nonpartisan group that advocates good government. She said the email exchange was an illegal meeting of city council.

"Public-meetings law cannot be violated by using technology, like text messages," Turcer told cleveland.com. "You can't do a poll using email. You can't even tweet to circumvent open-meeting requirements.

City Law Director David Matty and Mayor Jerry Hruby did not return emails Monday night and Tuesday. Council President Greg Skaljac could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

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