First Published: Oct. 7, 2009
In 2008, investigators with the Ohio Ethics Commission began looking at records from a number of elected officials and others, some of them publicly opposed to the Oakhill deal, which aims to turn the old Southside Hospital in Youngstown into a government office complex.
Now, Prosecutor Paul Gains is asking for the appointment of special prosecutors to look over the information that's been collected and determine if it should be presented to a grand jury. In a written statement, several officeholders who had their records reviewed are now questioning the timing of Gains' request, coming less than a month before election day.
Gains insists his actions are not politically motivated. The county's common pleas judges will have to approve Gains' request.
