AVON LAKE, Ohio — There is a new complaint coming from eight Avon Lake residents, including attorney Gerald Phillips, who said they want the mayor removed from office.
“He ignored the law. Can the mayor ignore the law? I have to follow the law. I have to abide by the law. One of his duties is to enforce the law, so he failed to enforce the law,” said Attorney Gerald Phillips, the attorney who filed the lawsuit.
According to the 31-page complaint, the group Ohio Citizens for Honesty Integrity and Openness in Government Ltd. is accusing Mayor Mark Spaetzel of public corruption in light of recent events in Avon Lake over the power plant.
Meantime, Spaetzel said the claims are false and baseless during Monday night's meeting.
“The implosions? He said I ignored it. I did not ignore it. Both occasions, both implosions, I went to ALERG and asked them not to do it. My ability to stop it would’ve resulted in a lawsuit,” said Spaetzel.
News 5 has followed the Avon Lake power plant’s demolition since the city announced its plans in 2024.
RELATED: Avon Lake to implode part of power plant soon
At the time, local neighbors asked the city to pause the implosion due to safety concerns, but the city still moved forward in July and had its final implosion in December.
RELATED: WATCH: Crews implode Avon Lake power plant
Still, the handling of the power plant is a hot topic for people like Phillips, who alleges a violation of the Avon Lake noise ordinance during the July implosion and a substantial lack of probative environmental data, information, studies, and plans to assure a safe environmental implosion in a new lawsuit.
Now, Phillips and seven Avon Lake residents are calling for the mayor’s removal after submitting a new lawsuit before Lorain County Probate Court, which Phillips said is the first case he has seen brought before Lorain County in his 41 years living in the area.
“It is common because it’s provided by law and it’s been used in other municipalities throughout the State of Ohio, but in Lorain County, it’s never been used,” said Phillips.
While this isn’t Phillips’ first time filing a lawsuit against the city and county, he hopes this example will get local activist groups involved in their communities and demand good government.
“I would say that the information that Mr. Phillips presented tonight is completely baseless and false,” said Spaetzel.
“We wouldn’t have filed it unless we had to. We waited a long time,” said Phillips.
During the meeting, News 5 also heard from some councilmembers who said they believe there is a conflict of interest between one of one of the petitioners due to his position in the city.
