Roll call

Roll call was done first at 9:05 a.m., led by Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Chair and Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin.

Attendees:

• Blaine Griffin, chair (Ward 6)
• Kevin Conwell (Ward 9)
• Kris Harsh (Ward 4)
• Brian Kazy (Ward 13)
• Michael Polensek (Ward 10)
• Richard Starr (Ward 5)
• Charles Slife (Ward 15)

• Joe Jones (Ward 1)
• Deborah Gray (Ward 3)
• Austin Davis (Ward 7)
• Stephanie Howse-Jones (Ward 8)
• Nikki Hudson (Ward 11)
• Tanmay Shah (Ward 12)

Law department presentation

The Cleveland Department of Law provided a brief presentation to the committee, led by Law Director Mark Griffin. Some members of the Department of Law were introduced, including their respective roles and duties:

• Mark Griffin, Law Director
• Stephanie Melnyk, Chief Corporate Counsel
• Michele Comer, Chief Counsel
• Elena Boop, Chief Trial Counsel
• Aqueelah Jordan, Chief Prosecutor
• Delanté Thomas, Chief Ethics Officer
• Richard Bertovich, Chief Assistant Director of Law
• David Roberts, Chief Assistant Director of Law

Director Griffin highlighted the department’s core initiatives and 2025 progress, including in areas of litigation, development, code enforcement, operations & sustainability, house counsel, public records, criminal division, and ethics & accountability. Some highlights below:

1. Public records: Received and processed more than 30,000 public record requests in 2025, led by assistant director of Law and public records chair Amy Hough.
2. Litigation:
   1. Collected $1.5 million dollars  in opioid funds, settlements, and judgments. 
   2. Successfully integrated a new case management system (Matrix) to modernize delivery of legal services and improve communication and accountability.
3. Code enforcement: Aggressively enforced Cleveland Department of Building and Housing  codes against large property owners in Shaker Square, resulting in sale to responsible buyers.
4. Operations & sustainability: Completed over 220 contract assignments and 80+ pieces of legislation, including lease with the West Side Market. Helped the Cleveland Water Department obtain low- and no-interest loans for leadline replacements.

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Director Griffin shared that staffing has been challenging due to the level of salaries paid. There are currently five vacancies out of 103 budgeted full-time equivalent (FTE) positions in the Department of Law (see the staffing chart on page 141 of the 2026 Mayor’s Estimate). Director Griffin spoke about the value of the Department of Law and its work and thanked Council for its support and “good management” over the last four years. 

Committee Chair Blaine Griffin (Ward 6) then transitioned the committee into questions for Director Griffin and the Department of Law. 

• Chair Griffin: How many people do you have handling contracts?
• House Counsel section works on contracts, as well as legislation. Five attorneys focus primarily on contracts (with one vacancy), but the department is not organized to have a specific contract subdepartment.

• Chair Griffin: What is the volume of contracts you handle, and can the department manage that amount?
  • In 2025, the department prepared and processed 438 requests for legislation for introduction to City Council and 756 drafted contracts.
  • Director Griffin said, “We have enough attorneys at this time.” But he also said, “We have to be better, we have to be more efficient.” 
  • Griffin responded to council’s questions about the department’s capacity , saying, “We often hear it is ‘stuck in law’.”

• Chair Griffin: How much did we spend on “modernization” because that can become costly if added up?
  • The Department of Law is moving to a Matrix system to manage litigation flow. Matrix is a software program used by prosecutor and public attorney offices across Ohio. Director Griffin said that Cleveland’s Department of Law is one of the last in the state to begin using it. 

• Council Member Charles Slife (Ward 15): What is the workflow based on staffing? How are staffing decisions made?
  • Director Griffin: As technology improves, attorneys need less from paralegals or legal secretaries. By moving to attorneys, we gain staff with higher skills. Director Griffin said, “I believe we are sufficient in the area.”
    
• Slife: Expressed that he is hesitant to lay off staff even as technology in law services accelerates. We need to be mindful of people not redeployed after being fired. Do we need to increase staff in contracts and legislation? Or what is the decision behind increasing the number of prosecutors?
  • Director Griffin: The department increased from 98 to 103 staff members; five prosecutors were added. 
  • About contract processing time: Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Law is requiring certification that trains legal professionals to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up contracting services. The Department of Law has reached out to schedule a training with CWRU Law.
    
• Council Member Richard Starr (Ward 5): How many prosecutors are assigned to code enforcement, and is that sufficient to manage the high number of citations?
  • Director Griffin: Seven attorneys are dedicated to code enforcement in total. It is sufficient to manage the volume of complaints.
    
• Starr: How many complaints in 2025?
  • 432 first-degree misdemeanor complaints for failing to comply from the Department of Building and Housing. 
  • Chief Assistant Director of Law David Roberts: Civil infractions do not go through the Department of Law. Civil tickets are like parking tickets; the code inspector can file either a civil ticket or a criminal complaint.
    
• Council Member Starr: If a person has a certain number of civil tickets, what is in place to escalate that to a criminal violation?
  • The Department of Building and Housing has a policy around how tickets are assigned and when a criminal violation is filed. Sometimes, civil tickets are more effective than criminal violations, due to the required payments that pile up.

Interesting exchange here: Starr challenged the Department of Law to fully use the mechanisms at its disposal to go after investor-owned housing with repeated code violations. Director Griffin and Roberts responded by describing how the economy has changed with investor-owned properties, rather than local owners. Roberts specified that the Department of Law cannot prosecute traditional Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) housing under U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) discretion. But, the department can go after voucher-based housing.

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• Council Member Nikki Hudson (Ward 11) asked about the department’s use of outside counsel (lawyers who are not city employees). (See page 139 of the Mayor’s Estimate).
  • Griffin said this cost is higher every three years when the city hires outside lawyers to negotiate with labor unions. He also said the city spent $1.3 million on the Cleveland Browns case.
    
• Hudson: When does the department choose to use outside counsel?
  • Director Griffin: If there is a conflict of interest, outside counsel is used. Second, if specialized legal talent is needed in special situations,
    
• Hudson: Would you consider raising the salaries and skilled training of in-house counsel to handle negotiating with labor unions and appellate cases?
  • Director Griffin agreed to consider it, but said outside counsel has been helpful for the collective bargaining agreements the city has negotiated for the last 30 to 40 years.
    
• Council Member Stephanie Howse-Jones (Ward 8): How many contracts were done on behalf of council? And how long did it take?
  • Director Griffin: 176 contracts, including about a 50% increase in contracts related to casino funds and nonrecurring expenses (NEF).
  • Director Griffin gave no answer on the amount of time taken on contracts.
    
• Howse-Jones said community members and their partners are frustrated with the delays in processing contracts. She expressed frustration with the utter lack of clarity around the timeline and responsible staff for contracts.
  • Director Griffin: Each contract is different with different requirements. He agreed that the department needs to move things more quickly and clearly. The Department uses DocuSign to track where legal staff are in the process.
    
• Council Member Michael Polensek (Ward 10): On page 140 of the 2026 Mayor’s Estimate, explain the “Expenditures” and “Revenues” sections.
  • Director Griffin: These are funds that go into the Department of Law budget, based on the cases involved each year. 

• Polensek expressed continued frustration from residents and council members about code enforcement and the lack of resolving complaints.
  • Director Griffin and Roberts discussed each challenge related to code enforcement timeliness.
    
• Council Member Austin Davis (Ward 7): Receivership is a huge possibility to take up housing that has been neglected.
  • Director Griffin: We are absolutely interested in more receiverships but need more money.
  • Council President Griffin: Council is thinking about implementing a receivership fund.
    
• Council Member Tanmay Shah (Ward 12): Asked for increased salaries for in-house law professionals.
  
• Council Member Kris Harsh (Ward 4): Returning to contracts, Harsh shared in Howse-Jones’ dismay. The city passed legislation on Jan. 27, 2025, regarding tenants rights, and it has been 387 days without the funds dispersed. In which column of staffing levels on page 141 (of the 2026 Mayor’s Estimate) are the addition of staff that will help us process contracts faster?
  • Director Griffin: Assistant directors of Law, supported by attorneys, are responsible for processing contracts. On average, it takes 45 days to process contracts.
    
• Council Member Harsh: Are we allocating our resources in the Department of Law well enough to be able to process faster?
  • Director Griffin: The five prosecutors we added are required by Cuyahoga County, so the Department of Law needs those.
    
• Council Member Joe Jones (Ward 1): Thanked the Department of Law for their efforts, discussed code enforcement, listed a couple of properties on Miles Avenue and echoed concerns about the speed of about processing contracts:
  • Director Griffin: There are different sections for different contracts. Collective bargaining agreements, land development, sustainability, etc. are all sections or categories that the Department of Law uses. For example, community development corporations (CDC) contracts go through Rich Bertovich, and then George Peters deals with casino funds, capital repair projects, and NEF contracts, as does Stephanie Melnyk. 
  • Director Griffin: Repeated that the city motto is “it’s stuck in law.” Sometimes, though, it’s not, and instead it’s a hang up with the Division of Finance. DocuSign tracks where the contract is in the process.
    
• Howse-Jones (Ward 8): How long will it take to get a written flowchart with 1) designated people and 2) timeline for process contracts? For the 176 contracts in 2025, can the department break down the specific categories?
  • Director Griffin: Noted that contracts are assigned on a case-by-case basis, so it’s difficult to make a general flowchart. Committed to building a list of the 176 contracts in 30 days to begin to categorize the type of contract and the amount of time each takes.
    
• Howse-Jones: Is there a process for how we address liquor licenses? Can we determine how many liquor licenses have been revoked in 2025? Expressed frustration about the lack of clarity and standardization of the liquor license process.
  • Director Griffin: Roberts and Assistant Director of Law Dennis Butler in code enforcement manage all the liquor licenses. We handled 160 liquor permit hearings and requests in 2025.
  • Committed to sharing a list of policies and procedures around liquor license requests and renewal within 30 days.
    
• Council Member Kevin Conwell (Ward 9): Expressed more frustration about the speed of processing in the Department of Law as well as the futility of hiring new staff without real “culture change” in the department. Requested the Director of Law to visit and ride with him to “see the poverty” and understand the code enforcement issues.
  • Director Griffin: Agreed to meet with  Conwell and visit Ward 9.
    
• Council Member Deborah Gray (Ward 3): Reiterated concerns about code enforcement and negligent landlords in Ward 3.
  • Roberts: If a building is offering a unit for rent, it must have a Lead Safe Certification and must file on the Rental Registry. If a building is vacant, you need to register as a vacant building and it does NOT have to be lead safe. The Vacant Building Registry is not a shield for property owners, but a requirement to be monitored by the city. Either repair the building or demolish it.
    
• Council Member Brian Kazy (Ward 13): How much is in the Department of Law’s settlement fund? Who do you work for and report to? Have you requested to terminate the consent decree? Kazy asked several questions about client privilege and the lawsuits ongoing with the Cleveland Browns, expressing concerns about the Department of Law’s behavior in the settlement with the Browns. He echoed concerns about contract processing speed.
  • Director Griffin: $5.5 million has been allocated from the settlement fund in 2026. Only $2.2 million was spent in 2025.
  • The increase in outside counsel spending was due to the Cleveland Browns case, appeals at the Ohio Supreme Court, and collective bargaining agreements.
  • The Department of Law believes we have satisfied the demands of the consent decree and there “have been conversations,” but there has not been a formal letter/document to request termination of the consent cDecree. (Note: Cleveland made a formal motion to terminate the Consent Decree on February 19, 2026.)

The hearing broke for lunch at 12:22 p.m. 

These notes are by Documenter Tommy Oddo.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org  with “Correction Request” in the subject line.