TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo City Council canceled plans Tuesday for a Wednesday meeting they'd announced just hours earlier to consider the fate of suspended city auditor Jake Jaksetic.
According to Clerk of Council Gerald Dendinger, Council President Matt Cherry told him the special meeting was canceled -- and did not give a reason why -- just before Tuesday's meeting began at 4 p.m.
Cherry did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
During Tuesday's meeting, Council Member Katie Moline introduced a resolution for immediate consideration that council would conduct an independent, third-party investigation into Jaksetic's suspension "before any permanent action is taken."
Moline said if Jaksetic's employment is terminated before a "fair, impartial and independent investigation, it looks like we're just doing the bidding of the mayor."
The immediate consideration of the resolution failed 5-4, pushing the resolution back to the Dec. 6 council meeting. It needed eight votes in favor for council to vote on it Tuesday.
Moline and council members Theresa Gadus, John Hobbs, Nick Komives, Cerssandra McPherson voted for the immediate consideration Tuesday. Cherry and council members Sam Melden, George Sarantou and Tiffany Whitman voted against the immediate consideration.
Moline said she wanted an independent investigation because Jaksetic and Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz have both lobbed accusations that have confused the public. She said an independent investigation would help clarify confusing aspects of the ongoing suspension and show that "it's not political."
"If something did happen, then it needs to be investigated by a third party that can give council the information we need to act on it," she said.
Kapszukiewicz has been critical of Jaksetic's work performance, repeatedly saying Jaksetic has never completed an audit since being hired in 2014.
WTOL 11 submitted a public records request specifically asking the city for any audits Jaksetic has conducted. The city sent us eight separate files in return.
The mayor and a city spokeswoman have also made references to Jaksetic making city employees feel unsafe, but have not provided any evidence to support those claims.
A review of Jaksetic's personnel file did not reveal any allegations of making people feel unsafe. The file did include emails from city officials and contractors complaining about Jaksetic showing up at job sites and questioning city-funded projects, including the installation of new city water meters.
Jaksetic claimed his suspension on Nov. 1 by council was done in retaliation against him for raising concerns about city-contracted work such as the water-meter replacement project. Cherry suspended Jaksetic himself on Oct. 26 before council's vote six days later made it official.
Moline said Cherry acted unilaterally by suspending Jaksetic himself and raised concerns about the legality of his doing so. At the Nov. 1 council meeting, Komives motioned to remove Cherry as council president for a "lack of leadership," but it failed 8-3. Komives, Moline and Hobbs voted in favor of Cherry's removal.
Kapszukiewicz and Jaksetic also sparred this year over tax documents perceived by Jaksetic and Moline to have been kept in an unsecure location for months.