A debate over whether or not the purchase of Oakhill Renaissance Place was a good deal for Mahoning county taxpayers has been raging since the property's purchase in 2006.
Earlier this year, investigators with the Ohio Ethics Commission began looking at records from a number of elected officials who opposed the purchase of Oakhill: including Commissioner John McNally, County Auditor Michael Sciortino and County Treasurer Lisa Antonini.
"My greatest concern is for the taxpayers of Mahoning County and the bottom line is as a result of the Oakhill acquisition we're spending millions of taxpayer dollars," Sciortino said. "We could have built a brand new building."
Insiders have speculated the investigation centers on why these three office holders are so publicly opposed to the project. Prosecutor Paul Gains filed a motion to appoint a special prosecutor to look over the information that's been collected and determine if it should go before a grand jury.
"The reason the motion was filed is because it wasn't until Friday that Lorain prosecutor Dennis [Will] will agreed to accept this appointment," Gains said. "The ethics commission wants a special prosecutor appointed as expeditiously as possible. There's no politics in this."
With only 28 days left until Gains' bid for re-election, Sciortino, Antonini and McNally say this motion is absolutely politically motivated.
"Mr. Gains is a liar and it is political and this is his political agenda he's trying to advance," Antonini said. "He's doing it at the expense of the taxpayers of Mahoning County and it's wrong."
"I Know in the bottom of my heart, we did nothing wrong," Sciortino said. "I'm going to continue to stand up for the taxpayers of Mahoning County, 'cause I think it's the right thing to do."
