Politics & Government
Beachwood Mayor Gorden Responds to Citizen Complaint on Spending
'The Plain Dealer' editorial, columnist continue to criticize Merle Gorden's spending practices; citizens request Ohio Auditor investigation
Beachwood Mayor Merle Gorden has responded to reports of complaints to the Ohio Auditor over his spending and fiscal reporting, WKYC reports.
The complaints, two of which were unsigned and the third sent by a "group of concerned citizens," allege that Gorden did not properly fill out paperwork reporting his annual spending to the Ohio Auditor.
Gorden has come under fire by The Plain Dealer in columns by Mark Naymik and an editorial in the past couple of weeks calling for him to be more responsible and open in spending and in his fiscal reporting.
The newspaper has also posted Gorden's expense reports from the past three years and his personnel file.
Last week, Council voted to freeze Gorden's $178,000 annual pay and Councilman Martin Horwitz called for an examination of the city's fiscal reporting practices and Gorden's spending, The Plain Dealer reported.
Council also voted to amend the mayor vacation policy to reduce the amount of unused vacation days that can be cashed out at the end of each year.
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