After the 60-plus-minute executive session with county lawyers and Human Resources chief Doug Dykes, Brady told cleveland.com only that a “long, wide-ranging discussion” took place and that he didn’t believe “anything is resolved.”
Council had demanded the private briefing Monday after a heated hearing during which the acting head of the IT Department, Andy Molls, and Dykes said they were unable to answer questions about Rourke. Dykes would only say that Rourke’s absence is a legal matter.
Ohio’s laws governing meetings allows elected officials to talk behind closed doors about legal matters and some personnel matters.
Rourke was placed on unpaid leave in February 2018 after he was named in subpoenas by corruption investigators. Council wanted to know why Rourke technically remains a county employee 20 months later, and why the administration of County Executive Armond Budish has failed to hire anyone to replace him.
Contacted by cleveland.com for comment, county spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan noted that Rourke has not been charged with a crime.
“We posted the position, we’re interviewing and we hope we will have a successful candidate soon,” Madigan added.
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