A confrontation during a village board meeting may end with the removal of a member.
During the Plain City Village Council meeting on Monday (moved to May 20 ahead of Memorial Day), council discussed the plan of action regarding Eric Medici, the chairperson of the village’s design and review board.
According to a memorandum sent out my Mayor Darrin Lane, Medici’s actions during a May 2 meeting of the design and review board “reflect poorly on the village.”
Shannon Pine, a council and design and review board member, was not present at Monday’s council meeting for discussion of the issue but she sent an affidavit to be read.
According to the affidavit, the May 2 meeting involved a conversation for approval of an awning for the building at 138 West Main Street, the former Grub House location, owned by Tim Dawson.
“Mr. Medici implied that Mr. Dawson purposely ignored conditions of the DRB approval of the metal awning,” the affidavit stated. “Mr. Medici accused staff of not properly documenting the conditions of the DRB approval of the awning in the meeting minutes and of not properly enforcing the conditions.”
The affidavit goes on to say Medici referred to the awning’s quality as “poor craftsmanship,” “looked like crap,” and should have been replaced with a “traditional flat standing seam awning.”
From there, board member Ron Winn, Medici and Dawson got into confrontations that lead to Dawson leaving the meeting.
In the conclusion of the affidavit, Pine stated that she felt Medici “should have been more professional” but prefers that he remain “on the board, but perhaps not in the role of chair.”
Medici read from a prepared statement at Monday’s council meeting, addressing the charges against him. He refuted the mayor’s charges and said that he never verbally attacked the applicants or review board members.
According to the meeting minutes, Medici asked council members Darren Lee and John Rucker “if they have ever witnessed the behavior that was outlined in the charges. Both answered ‘no.’”
He went on to say that he has the “best interest of the village at heart” and never approached Dawson in his capacity as a DRB member. He stated the awning were “not appropriate” for the uptown area and were “poorly installed.”
The conclusion of the mayor’s memorandum recommended council to take legislative action to remove Medici.
“His continued presence on the board diminishes the public image of the village and fosters a dysfunctional and unprofessional operational dynamic for the DRB as it strives to promote the continued redevelopment and preservation of the Uptown District of Plain City,” Lane’s statement said.
Council went into executive session for nearly 30 minutes to discuss the action at Monday’s meeting.
They returned saying they wish to postpone the final decision and that Medici would be notified when they decide to continue the discussion.