Update 8/7: the city has put out a press release today. And we received this statement from Jeff Garvas who is on council: “I am still working to learn the scope of this inquiry and so far have no official explanation. As details emerge I vow to work transparently with the rest of council, the law department and the administration as needed. I can state that I have not been contacted by law enforcement about this or any other city matter since I began my term earlier this year. I am as troubled by this as any other resident should be.”
By Emily Chesnic
The City of Macedonia is under investigation, confirms Law Director Mark Guidetti.
“What I can tell you at this time is the city is being looked at by outside sources,” he said.
Guidetti’s remarks are in response to a rumor circulating in the community that an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is taking place in Macedonia.
The Law Director said he is unable, at this time, to provide specifics on the possible allegations being made. Though, Guidetti could say Macedonia’s “practices” specifically are being looked at, currently.
Based on his own examination into the situation, however, the city is not guilty of any “wrongdoing,” he said. Admittedly, though, Guidetti said he is not privy to all the information the investigative team may have right now.
As the situation concludes, the Law Director said Macedonia likely would provide clarity on the matter.
“The city will make a statement when things are complete,” he said. “There is nothing else I can say at this time.”
Special Agent Vicki Anderson of the FBI’s Cleveland office said she could not affirm her office’s involvement in Macedonia, as the FBI does not confirm or deny existing investigations.
“If anything becomes public, I will let you know,” she told Nordonia Hills News.
Among numerous other duties, the FBI is tasked with combating public corruption at all levels, states the website for the FBI’s Cleveland office.
A request made to Macedonia Mayor Nick Molnar, who also represents Summit County on the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC) Board of Directors, for a comment on the city matter was forwarded to the Law Director.
Molnar, left his position on City Council to take over the mayor’s office the summer of 2018, following the mid-term resignation of Joseph Migliorini, who served as mayor since 2015. In a public video he made in 2018, Migliorini abruptly stepped down, citing a misdemeanor battery charge he faced in Florida.
Current City Council President Jan Tulley said Molnar has not notified her about the investigation.
“I do not have any information about an investigation. No idea what or whom,” she said.
When asked to do so, Macedonia Chief of Police Jon Golden told Nordonia Hills News he also “could not comment” on the investigation.
