Committee Meeting of Council Minutes

City of Bay Village Council Minutes, Committee Session December 15, 2025 Dwight A. Clark, President of Council, presiding. Council Chambers. President of Council Dwight A. Clark called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Present: Dwight A. Clark, President of Council. Lydia DeGeorge, Vice President of Council and Councilwoman, Ward 2. Sara Byrnes Maier, Council-at-large. Peter J. Winzig, Council-at-large. Gerald Horning, Councilman, Ward 1. Michael Greco, Councilman, Ward 3. Dan Rettig, Councilman, Ward 4. Mayor Koomar. Also Present: Law Director Mark Barbour, Finance Director Jim Milton, Police Chief Rob Gillespie, Fire Chief Chris Lyons, Director of Public Service and Properties Mary Kay Costello, Recreation Director Dan Enovitch, Building Director Eric Tuck-Macalla, Community Services Director Kathy Messeri, Clerk of Council Joan Kemper. AUDIENCE The following members of the audience signed in this evening: Steve Swidarski, Bruce Geiselman, Nancy Brown, C. Elliott Foran, Eric Eakin, Cynthia Eakin, Mary Ward, Barrett Ward, Matt Ospelt, Bob Shaw, Abagail Wilson, Dillon Chupa, Nancy Pedersen, V. Hill, Emma Hill, Robert Jackson, Doug Dieken, Sean Moorhead, William Ferry, Sam Ferry, Charlie and JoAnn Post, Pat O’Boyle, Loreen & Bob Dorin, Darcy Chupa Pedersen, Aysa Morgan, Rena Vincent, A. Renninger, M. Pedersen, Sue and Mike Partridge, Brandon Towne, Kelly Kocon, Andrea Maule, Hannah Groff, Meghan Jacobs, Heidi Wilcox, Chase Wilcox, Oona Jean Wilcox, J. Pugliese. Mr. Clark welcomed everyone to the Committee Meeting of Council, wishing everyone a happy holiday season. Proclamation for Resident William Ferry Gratitude for Public Service Mr. Clark stated that this evening is an opportunity to recognize a special person who does special things. The following Proclamation was read by Mayor Koomar for Mr. William Ferry, who was present with his wife, Amanda, and son, Sam.

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 2 With great pleasure, the City of Bay Village joins The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland in honoring William Ferry; and Whereas, established in 1905, the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland is the oldest legal aid society organization in Ohio, and the fifth oldest in the United States. Today, the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland continues to secure justice, equity, and access to opportunity for and with people who have low incomes, through passionate legal representation and advocacy for systemic change; and Whereas, throughout Legal Aid’s history, many volunteer attorneys – such as Bay Village resident William Ferry – have ensured the mission stays alive through their pro bono efforts. More than 800 volunteers were active last year, reporting more than 10,800 hours; and Whereas, William Ferry was recognized by the Legal Aid Society during their Annual Meeting on November 24 this year for his significant pro bono commitment; receiving their 2025 Community Impact Award; and Now, Therefor, I, Paul A. Koomar, Mayor of the City of Bay Village, along with the support of City Council, do hereby extend sincere congratulations to William and acknowledge his tireless commitment to service and outstanding work with Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the City of Bay Village, Ohio to be affixed this 15th day of December 2025. /s/ Paul A. Koomar, Mayor COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ANNOUNCEMENTS ENVIRONMENT, SAFETY & COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE- Maier, DeGeorge, Horning. Contract with Stryker Medical Devices to purchase two (2) new “Lucas 3” manual chest compression devices for the Bay Village Fire Department Ambulances. Ordinance on the agenda for the Regular Meeting of Council this evening. Ms. Maier reported that the agenda for this evening includes a contract with Stryker Medical Devices to purchase two new “Lucas 3” manual chest compression devices. Ms. Maier called upon Fire Chief Lyons for further comments. Fire Chief Chris Lyons stated that the current “Lucas 2” devices were purchased in 2014/2015

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 3 and are no longer being manufactured or supported. Each ambulance has had an automated chest-compression device assigned to it for the past 10 years. The device is of great benefit to patients in need of CPR, as it provides consistent, uninterrupted, high-quality chest compressions throughout the emergency. The life expectancy of the devices being replaced is 8 to 10 years, which has been exceeded. Chief Lyons noted one occasion when a patient was kept alive for over 45 minutes with one of these devices and was able to regain his health and return to his family. Mr. Clark will recommend approval of the contract by ordinance this evening. Reappointment by Mayor Koomar of Deb Putnam to the Records Commission for a two-year term ending December 31, 2027. Ms. Maier will introduce a motion to confirm reappointment of Deb Putnam to the Records Commission for a two-year term ending December 31, 2027, at the Regular Meeting of Council this evening. Mr. Clark noted that Mrs. Putnam has served admirably in the past and the motion will be moved forward by Ms. Maier this evening. Extension of marijuana regulations until December 31, 2026. Ms. Maier will introduce a resolution at the Regular Meeting of Council to extend the moratorium on the consideration, approval, issuance, or authorization of any permits that would enable the cultivation, processing, or retail sale of adult use cannabis. The moratorium in effect at the present time will expire on December 31, 2025. The passage of the resolution this evening will extend the moratorium until December 31, 2026. Mr. Clark will seek approval of the resolution by vote of Council this evening. FINANCE AND CLAIMS COMMITTEE -Winzig, Greco, Rettig, Clark. Annual Appropriation Ordinance. Ordinance No. 25-121 on the agenda for the Regular Meeting of Council this evening for third and final reading, and consideration for adoption. (First Reading November 17, 2025) (Second Reading December 1, 2025) Mr. Winzig will seek adoption of the Annual Appropriation Ordinance this evening, noting that Finance Director Milton has made the final adjustments in the document. The appropriation measure is in the same traditional format as in the past and is ready for approval. This is the 2026 budget for the City of Bay Village, for both operational and capital expenses. On behalf of the Finance Committee, Mr. Winzig thanked Finance Director Milton, his staff, and all the city directors for their work in preparation of the budget. The process has undergone six weeks of review and has been very transparent with every detail of the budget thoroughly discussed. Agreement with McCaulley & Company, LLC, for Specialized Consulting Services. Ordinance on the agenda for the Regular Meeting of Council this evening for second reading and consideration

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 4 for adoption) (First Reading December 1, 2025) Mr. Winzig advised that McCaulley & Company is a lobbying group that will work on behalf of the City. Testing was done with them this fall, and it is the intention of the administration to bring them under contract for 2026. The fee for the services is included in the 2026 budget. Mr. Clark noted that Law Director Barbour had articulated some of the benefits of McCaulley & Co. services at the December 1 meeting of Council. The proposed agreement will be recommended for adoption this evening. Amended Appropriation Ordinance. Ordinance on the agenda for the Regular Meeting of Council this evening. Mr. Winzig advised that Finance Director Milton has made the necessary adjustments in the 2025 budget before year end, providing a detailed memorandum to Council outlining the legal levels of control needed. Mr. Milton commented that the adjustments requested are to make effective use of appropriations to purchase needed equipment and to ensure compliance with laws and regulations. November 2025 Financial Reports of the City of Bay Village. Motion on the agenda for the Regular Meeting of Council this evening to acknowledge receipt of reports submitted by Finance Director Milton. Mr. Winzig stated that Council has received the November 2025 Financial Reports of the City of Bay Village from Finance Director Milton. Revenue and expenses are included in the report. There will be some items closed out in the month of December which will be so indicated in the December financial reports. The Budget Books presented to Council at the end of the year will include the transferring of unfinished 2025 projects to carry into 2026 and will be distributed to Council in January. The Finance Committee agrees with this process. PLANNING, ZONING, PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS COMMITTEE- Greco, Maier, Rettig. Mr. Greco had no report this evening. PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS/STREETS/SEWERS/DRAINAGE COMMITTEE -DeGeorge, Horning, Winzig. Ms. DeGeorge had no report this evening. RECREATION AND PARK IMPROVEMENTS COMMITTEE –Rettig, Maier, Degeorge. Mr. Rettig had no report this evening.

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 5 SERVICES, UTILITIES & EQUIPMENT COMMITTEE –Greco, Winzig, Horning. Chagrin Valley Engineering Contract for Year 2026. Ordinance on the agenda for the Regular Meeting of Council this evening. (Second Reading and Consideration for Adoption) (First Reading December 1, 2025) Mr. Greco advised that Council has discussed the proposed extension of the contract for engineering services with Chagrin Valley Engineering through 2026, with minimal increases to the existing contract, and he will bring the ordinance forward for adoption this evening. Director of Public Service and Properties expressed agreement with a comment by Mr. Clark that Chagrin Valley Engineering has been a very outstanding and detailed consulting engineering firm for the City of Bay Village. Purchase of a Caterpillar Wheel Loader from Ohio Cat for the Service Department. Ordinance on the agenda for the Regular Meeting of Council this evening. Mr. Greco will present an ordinance this evening authorizing the purchase of a Cat Backhoe Wheel Loader for the Service Department, to replace an 18-year-old wheel loader. The dollar amount for the purchase has been budgeted and is ready for order upon passage of the ordinance. Delivery of the equipment is expected within one month after purchase. AUDIENCE Nancy Brown, Wolf Rd., stated that she has a couple of questions regarding the transition of the Police Department. Ms. Brown stated that we now have attendants versus dispatchers. My questions to Mayor Koomar as the Safety Director are what is the job description of the attendant, what is the rate of pay, what are the qualifications, and when and where will this job be posted? Mayor Koomar stated that he hasn’t memorized the job description, or the rates of pay. It is usually a salary range, and the rate of pay is similar to the jailer pay. Ms. Brown asked Police Chief Gillespie how many attendants are so employed. Chief Gillespie stated that there is a full time and part time officer. The administrative assistant is also located at the window, and the station is covered 24 hours per day, seven days a week. Ms. Brown stated that she, and other members of the community, have driven by the police station or been in the police station. Saturday night the police station was totally black. The only lights that were on were the outside lights in the parking lot. The Christmas tree wasn’t even on. How is that supposed to make a resident or anyone that wants to go to the police station because they are in fear of something, or need something and the building is black? What are the hours of the Police Department?

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 6 Chief Gillespie stated that they are, and will continue to be forever, 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. Ms. Brown asked if the mini blinds will be down all the time. Chief Gillespie stated he does not know. Ms. Brown asked why it would be closed. Chief Gillespie stated that now that the department is not staffing the phones this enables the person to do other things in the building. If the window is closed, that person is probably doing something else, i.e., payroll, evidence work, etc. That is why there is still the buzzer and the phone at the window. Ms. Brown asked if the officers stay in the station and wait to be dispatched out by the North Olmsted Police Dispatch, or are they out on the road? Chief Gillespie stated that they are on the road. Ms. Brown asked how many officers we have on each shift covering. Chief Gillespie stated that the minimum is two from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; three minimum from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., and two minimum on the road from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Ms. Brown asked with the transition of currently being dispatched from North Olmsted, many of the residents are aware of some issues that have occurred with the communication not coming through. She stated that she hopes this is not a training issue, or a technical issue. How promptly are these things being addressed? There is somebody in this audience, and it is not me, who didn’t have a call come through when she contacted North Olmsted Police, and our guys were waiting on the other end. It also happened to another resident who is not present here tonight who share in their frustration. I am thankful that nobody was hurt in either one of these incidents, but property damage did occur. I hope you are paying attention and when it comes time to renew this contract in one year, you give serious consideration to these things that are happening, and you listen to the people of Bay Village, taking into consideration how our tax dollars are being shipped to North Olmsted to provide the service when we are more than able to have that service in our city. Thank you. Mayor Koomar addressed Ms. Brown stating that if she would have a particular instance where she feels there is a glitch she should communicate that to Chief Gillespie. Ms. Brown stated that the residents were told to do that. Mayor Koomar stated that from monitoring dispatch, it has gone very well. It puts multiple dispatchers on calls versus our one, and it frees our officers that were sitting on the dispatch desk to be out in the community policing. It is a much more efficient use of our police resources. The department is fully in favor of moving in that direction. It has been done in other places, and it

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 7 puts our officers on the road. If you have a glitch get it to Chief Gillespie. If you are not getting satisfaction, get it to me. It has worked very well in the transition. Ms. Brown stated that she believes, like a lot of other people, we should have partnered with a community like Rocky River or Westlake because they are more like us, instead of sending this to North Olmsted. When it comes time to reevaluate this contract in one year, I hope everyone is transparent and truthful. In the meantime, I hope no harm comes to any resident or their property. Thank you. Hannah Groff, Forestview Rd., read the following letter she prepared: Dear Mayor Koomar and City Council Members, We are writing as a group of concerned residents to express our frustration regarding the ongoing, repeated and documented cases of bullying, harassment, false allegations and reports at the hand of resident Anna Foran, her 19 year old son, Keith Crayton, and her two minor children. In several cases, written evidence indicates that these actions were carried out with stated intent to retaliate and falsely report for perceived slights. More troubling, however, is that many actions of this family are criminal, some even rising to the level of felonies. Our intention is to highlight our growing concern of their patterns which will require leadership, attention, and decisive action to protect residents and uphold community safety. The volume of police reports both made by and filed against this family is, in itself, alarming. The pattern reflects a serious misuse of public safety resources, as well as a growing risk to the well-being of individuals, children, and families within our community. For example, six-foot signs on her house with false allegations for the entire town to see. Or threatening posts and comments on her personal social media and webpages for the city. Most disturbingly, the obsession with appearing in the media, which she alerts the moment she thinks she can gain attention, pity, or money. This situation has already caused significant, sometimes irreparable, harm, including: • Emotional and psychological trauma to adults and children. • Required meetings with school administration, including the superintendent, to clear their child's name, despite video evidence disproving the false allegations made by both Anna and her daughter. • Loss of income and disruption of employment from missing work to file police reports, attend meetings, make court filings, attend doctors’ appointments, etc. • Innocent individuals being subjected to criminal investigations. • Innocent individuals being subjected to investigations by other government agencies.

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 8 • A child forced to undergo a forensic psychological evaluation to refute a false allegation. •Multiple, unsubstantiated accusations of child abuse and child neglect. • Fear of losing custody of children, even temporarily. • Loss of quality family time. •Loss of employment. • Thousands of dollars in legal fees. • Public shame and humiliation for the innocent people she harasses. Not one of the numerous allegations made by this family has been substantiated by evidence. Yet each claim places an enormous burden on our police department, schools, and city agencies. It also sets an extremely dangerous precedent: that any resident may repeatedly weaponize emergency services without consequence. Most recently, as you are surely aware, an innocent man was arrested at gunpoint and jailed for nearly three days based solely on the word of a ten-year-old with a long history of lying and false allegations. He has received no recourse from the city through a dismissal of the charges based on overwhelming evidence of his innocence. Nor has the city done anything when felony doxxing was committed against him by the accuser and her family. Her 19-year-old son posted the purported suspect’s full name, photos, and vehicle descriptions alongside his home address on social media, causing absolute panic for the innocent man and his family, when they began to receive threats of violence and death. This has gone too far. The continued permission of this criminal behavior by the city puts every member of our community at risk—including children, teachers, school staff, parents, students, coaches, bus drivers, neighbors, and city workers. Without intervention, this cycle of harassment, false reporting, menacing, and misuse of public agencies that has already escalated will only become worse. We are urging the city to: • Conduct a thorough review of the repeated reports, patterns, and outcomes associated with this situation. • Evaluate the misuse of police and governmental resources, including unnecessary deployment of officers, school and police investigations, and emergency response. • Consider appropriate consequences, including charges where applicable, when false reporting or harassment is evidenced. • Ensure that policies are enforced consistently, so that no resident can continue to cause harm through unfounded accusations without accountability. •Increase transparency and communication regarding how such matters will be handled

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 9 moving forward to ensure public trust and safety. We greatly respect the work of our police department and city officials, and we recognize the strain this ongoing pattern has placed on them. We are questioning, however, after multiple occasions of false reports, lying to the police, the media and other government agencies why there has been absolutely no urgency from the city to evaluate these behaviors. In situations where the police have shown concern and what seems to be a desire to press charges in an attempt to curb this family's addiction to menacing, harassment, slander, libel, chaos, and drama, Prosecutor Gary Hotz continues to allow her behavior, waving it off as merely a “civil matter.” It could even be argued that her criminal behavior is encouraged and escalates when there are no consequences. The most recent false allegations of attempted abduction are proof. Thank you for your time and for taking this matter seriously. We hope you will take immediate steps to address this situation so that Bay Village remains a safe, fair, and trustworthy place for all who live here. Respectfully, Concerned Residents of Bay Village. Brittany Romes, East Oakland Rd., stated that she had an accident and there are issues that are ongoing still. Even after the police testing me and determined I was not under the influence of anything, this family continued to post things online publicly to humiliate me. Signs on their property. I had an outpour of people finding me because my plates and everything were on social media. That’s probably how they knew who I was. I am a very quiet, silent person; I don’t really use social media that often. I was literally hiding and personally traumatized on the worst day of my life. The son was filming me live and taunting me the other time while the police were doing their investigation. The only reason I am here is the outpour of people that have contacted me I thought were going to be against me and mad at me and they all said they had similar situations with this family. It is disturbing to know the extent of what these people have done. They even started a “Go Fund Me” and tried to raise money due to my accident, but my insurance paid it all. They don’t need any money; I didn’t damage the house that badly. However, it was mentally traumatizing to them somehow. I didn’t have to suffer through that – it was unnecessary. I deserved a person in that household to come out and check on me to see if I was o.k. They didn’t even do that. They waited until the police showed up so they could stick a phone in my face and run around and taunt me the entire time. I would like to ask, also, because firsthand, obviously, it was a complete accident, and on the corner of Bayfair, right past Speedway, you make a right there on Columbia Court and then drive around. There are guard rails on the one side, but not in front of their house. I ask the Council to look into putting a guard rail on that side. I am aware that a lot of children play on that corner just to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Thank you.

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 10 Lynne Burnett stated that her brother is the last victim of this family and she is appalled at everything. Ms. Burnett stated that she works in the court system downtown, and she can’t believe this is happening to him. I hope you guys do the right thing, and the police, the chief of police, they really look into this because it has been a nightmare for him and his family, and his daughter. From everything I know, this family is dangerous and I hope you are smart enough to do something about it. Robert Jackson, Salem Drive, stated that this last victim he knows very well. I would put my life on the line for him. He is a most admirable man, one of the most I know. For him to be accused by these people until they have all the facts and the follow-up, to me, I can’t understand it. I am standing up for this man and his character, and there is no way this man...in reading and hearing about the repeated charges by these people. That should be taken under consideration when determining how to proceed. Chase Wilcox, Osborn Road, stated that he also is here to support Dan. This is my daughter, Oona, and she has been to their house countless times for sleepovers, and I have nothing to say but the most positive things about Dan. To even have that thought enter in your mind that there was something like that he was capable of, I don’t even see that possible. It doesn’t jive with who that man is. He is a quality member of this community. This community is something special and I would hate to see it go down because of this family that is making all these allegations. I was wondering if, I don’t know if it is legal, but can we see a list of things that they have done? How many times have the police been to their house? And then hold it up next to Dan and let’s see what is going on. That would be the fairest thing you can do. Hannah Groff stated that there is a group of them that have concerns and also a group that have been personally violated by this family and we have just been finishing the final touches on a PowerPoint presentation that they would love to email you with everything we have gathered as well as multiple messages I have received mainly from people that were afraid to come public for fear of retaliation. Statements from other residents who have been affected as well as facts you may not be aware of. Our goal is to have as much awareness of what we know personally, not second hand, this is stuff that we have gathered. There was a lot of shame in these accusations. There are people like us, quiet people, who have never been in trouble, whose children have never been in trouble, who wish nothing but the best for anybody and everybody, that shame kind of keeps you quiet. It is like, just let me put my head down, and deal with this, and clear it and hope it goes away. It wasn’t until we were able to talk and share that we realize this is a lot bigger than all of us realize. Especially you. We all deserve to know and compare notes. And for people who are strangers, I am sure you have a story, I have a story, most people here have a story, but I think it is really important. The bottom line is that the end goal is our love for this town. It is our love for this community and this community’s members. And, knowing that it could literally be anybody for any perceived slight or offense. I don’t want to see what happened to your brother happen to my dad, or your husband, or my son. This is not a rant; this is a plea, and it is also a call for action. We can’t emphasize enough how much we love this town and that is why we are here. Because we love this town and we love this community. We are here for your brother.

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 11 Mr. Winzig stated that for anyone here, or anyone reading the minutes, to please take their communications to Joan Kemper, the Clerk of Council, and Joan will make sure they are distributed to Council. Mr. Clark stated that Council is here to lend a collective ear to the public. It has been one of our objectives over many of the years, and the times I have been here since 2010, is to make sure we hear our residents. We may not take action tonight because this is outside the scope of City Council, but it is important that each and every one of you are heard. We welcome the fact that people show up at meetings. This will be a public document. Joan will be working on the minutes through completion. They will be circulated to many people and posted on the City website as well. Heidi Wilcox, Osborn Rd., stated that she is also here, beside herself, because as my husband said my daughter is friend with Dan’s daughter. They have spent years together since first grade, and I would not think twice, even now with everything that has gone on, allowing them to spend time together and go ride horses and do the things they love to do. I was wondering if Bay Village is able to step up and stand beside Dan and vouch for his character during this legal issues in Rocky River, considering that Bay Village arrested him on the accusations of a troubling 10-year-old. That Bay Village would be able to do the right thing for him. Shari Buckingham, Lindford Lane, stated that her question is in all of this, and I have known Dan for over thirty years, he is a good friend of mine, the kindest, sweetest guy. My question and concern is that he was arrested immediately without investigation. That is my biggest concern, the way it all went down and why it went down that way. Why didn’t they stop and answer questions? Why did it happen the way it happened? That is my concern as a citizen and as a friend of his. Miranda Pederson, Osborn Road, asked why this man spent almost three days in jail. Lynne Burnett stated that it was two nights because it was a holiday. It was very unfortunate. I just hope everybody looks…he has never been arrested; he doesn’t have a record. He is 53 years old. He was on his way to pick up his daughter. Would he really stop and try to get a kid in a car while he is picking his daughter up from high school? If the police would just have maybe asked him questions, or something. Law Director Barbour stated that he will defer to the Police Chief, but the details, to the extent they can be discussed, because it is a pending legal matter. I would say if you have information about any criminal case or any defendant that you communicate back to the police at all times, including this family you have talked about. In Mr. Bell’s case, if you want to speak to his character get it touch with Mr. Bell. He has his attorney and to the extent that the information could be used in the case I am sure the attorney would be glad to have it. As far as the actions of the police, again, I will let the chief explain what he can. But, I will say, when 9-1-1 is called, the police arrive, they do, and I know for a fact that they did do an investigation in this case. They did speak to Mr. Bell, they spoke to some independent people that were at the scene, that is all part of the case. I am not sure everyone in the room knows all the facts; that is why we have a legal, court process. All of those facts will come out through that process and if you have

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 12 information to exonerate someone in that particular case, notify the police, notify the lawyer. If you have incidents with this family, which I am well aware of, I would urge you to continue to report them to the police. I know that gets frustrating and I am well aware of these situations from my time as a Law Director, my time as a resident, my time as a councilman. But, you have to continue to do it because some of the things that people in that situation do are complex and they don’t always neatly fit into a criminal case. But, one day they might. And, that is why you need to continue to report it. I know you are also here to try to stop it. This body, City Council, is limited in what they can do in that regard. But, it is extremely beneficial to all of the city administration to be aware of your concerns and the feelings that you have. Police Chief Gillespie stated that if you feel a crime has occurred, please contact us immediately. We do our best to hear every claim; it doesn’t always lead to an arrest or citation, but we do make reports of those…they do add up. We will investigate and cite or arrest if needed. They will have their day in court; that is what court is for. In the end if the jury or judge says they are not guilty, then they are not guilty. But, it is not something we can rehash right here, right now. Law Director Barbour stated that the police report for Mr. Bell’s incident, and all the officers were in Body Cameras all the time, that is not a public record during the pendency of a criminal case. Not just his case, but any and all cases. But, at one point that will become available, and that is available to the public when that case is concluded. Continue to report incidents. Provide information. If you want to be character witness on behalf of Mr. Bell, contact Mr. Bell and he can put you in contact with his lawyer. To the extent that it is relevant and useful, I am sure they will be glad to have it. Mr. Clark asked Chief Gillespie how it would be best for these people to contact him with these follow-ups. Chief Gillespie stated that he can be contacted at 440-871-1234. Chase Wilcox, Osborn Rd., stated that the chief stated that arrests are not always made, but it sure seemed to happen to Dan Bell, from the point of a 10-year-old girl as far as I know. What do we have to do to keep Bay Village the way it is? It is certainly not letting problem families harass our citizens. You arrested a guy without really investigating him. I could be wrong. I am not attacking you. But, if you saw the house that made the claims and you saw the Bell house, it doesn’t make sense. It just doesn’t work. I would hate to see Bay Village go down like the rest of the world by letting the people make the accusations, make all the noise, and get off scot free while the rest of us sit quietly and try to get by. Law Director Barbour stated that he will say that Mr. Bell’s case was investigated at the time and that is part of the full report that unfortunately we can’t share with you, but it will be part of the court case. That is all I can really say about that. I would just caution everybody…you are talking about two different things. You are talking about Mr. Bell’s case, which stands alone, and then you are talking about the conduct of a group of a people, a family, that has caused a lot of hurt throughout the community as evidenced by all of you being here. The family’s youngest member is apparently involved in this case. Please remember that they are separate and each thing has to

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 13 stand on its own. Continue to report instances that you have with this family, please. Mr. Bell’s case will make its way through the court. He is ably represented by a team of lawyers, and we have a prosecutor, and it will proceed as normal. Sue Partridge, Avon, stated that she lived on Bayfair for 41 years and have known Dan for many years. I am outraged that this happened to him and that he spent three days in jail, and now he is unemployed and can’t support his family. The investigation should be moved up and thrown out of court, now. Julie Pugliese, Wellfleet Drive, stated that she has a granddaughter that went to school with Keith. I have had my granddaughter since 2013 because we lost her mom. My daughter was harassed by him. You are going back to 2014 and 2015. She was harassed. She is biracial. She was called every word from that boy, Keith. She lived in fear. They didn’t like my granddaughter because of the color of her skin, and it was awful. When she went to Westerly it was better, but it was awful. I can’t talk to the other kids in the classroom because it was a school setting, but he would harass girls, touch them inappropriately. I have documentation from the schools for what I went through with Keith in her classroom. And, it was horrible. And, she was dealing with her mother’s death, also. It was pretty bad. I have been in Bay Village for almost 28 years. I know a lot of you from my kids. My granddaughter is 20 now, and doing good, but this family, the Foran’s, they did it, it was awful. I had to have my granddaughter in counseling. G. Winklehofer, Woodlane Drive, stated that she lived between the two houses on Bayfair since 2014, and I fear this family. I live just around the corner now on Bayfair and Woodlane, even closer to them. I have a list of stories. I had to call the police several times. There is so much disturbance coming out of that house constantly. They don’t get along with each other. There is all kinds of yelling. Their dog is always loose. My neighbors have had to call the police. It would be hard to find anybody on our street that doesn’t have a story about this family. This is so disturbing. It could happen to happen to anybody in this room. This is absurd. The Bell family is a wonderful, outstanding family. Dan Bell is an amazing human being. I understand the police want to hear our stories. Mr. Barbour stated that Ms. Winklehofer may want to get in contact with them and provide the information and they can put it in a more organized form and use it if needed. Mr. Clark stated that those interested in getting a copy of the minutes can contact Joan Kemper, Clerk of Council, at jkemper@cityofbayvillage.com and she can send those pursuant to the review and the sign-off of the minutes. Pat O’Boyle, Osborn Road, asked how many calls there have been to that complainant’s address. Is it over 100, or 200? Police Chief Gillespie stated that he would not be able to give that answer right now. Mr. O’Boyle asked if it was said that a private citizen can’t get any kind of body cam off of any kind of incident.

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 14 Mr. Barbour stated that is not correct. During a pending criminal case, as you are aware from your law enforcement background. But, when a case is over, then those become public record with some redaction for certain things that are spelled out in the Ohio Revised Code. Mr. O’Boyle stated that from what he understands these people put up allegations before they are proven false. I could be wrong, but it seems there is no recourse, they never get in trouble. I know Dan, I know Bayfair, and it seems like they can say whatever they want and everybody bows down to them. Mr. Barbour stated that he does not think anyone is bowing down to them. Mr. O’Boyle stated that if he really dug into it and what they said happened and it was proven a total lie, that nothing happened. I don’t know if Bay Village is afraid of being called racist, or whatever, I don’t know. You can tell me if I’m wrong, but certain people are first to play the race card. There are a lot of people here that agree with me. They don’t want to say it, but I will say it, I don’t care. There is no way Dan did anything to that girl. It sounds ridiculous, but if she is proven to be liar, charge her parents with some kind of crime. This has got to stop with these false allegations and using all the Police Department’s resources to go down to their house. The lady that ran into their house…that should have been investigated, the guy filming her and saying she is drunk, and she is proven not. They turned her life upside down, and nothing happens to them. They should have been charged with something, harassment, something. They don’t need to be getting away with that, and if they don’t like it they should move. That’s the way I see it. They shouldn’t take up all the City’s resources, the police and everybody else, and cause all sorts of trouble and be able to live here. Years ago, there was a guy named Andy Harusko, he was kind of kicked out of the City of Bay Village. He was a big troublemaker on West Glen Park. He had so much trouble against him. Well, if that’s true, you need to do something, when this is proven wrong, to get after the family. That’s all I have to say. An audience member asked if the people who have been falsely accused need to file a civil lawsuit. Mr. Barbour stated that they could, and in those instances where there was no criminal case, it is a civil matter. They can bring their own lawsuit. It is not free, and the chance of recovery is unknown. A criminal case is harder to prove than a civil case. That is the advantage of a civil case. All civil matters have a statute of limitations. At the moment, I can’t tell you what it would be for a particular case. There is a strict time when somebody needs to act to bring a civil case against any other party or entity, and if you don’t bring it within that time limit you permanently lose your right. Chase Wilcox stated that the case against Dan was a criminal case, he would imagine. I am not an attorney, but am I to understand they charged Dan with kidnapping and Dan’s only recourse is to file a civil case back? Mr. Barbour stated they were talking about harassment-type things. Whether Mr. Bell has a case against somebody that complained against him that led to criminal charges would depend on the detailed facts of that case, and I cannot answer that question or give you a response, because I don’t know, and it is a pending criminal case and we can’t talk about that. But, in these other cases

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 15 where things happened to people because they engaged in some type of discussion; however, these things start with this family, it is possible that a civil case could be brought against them for harassment, telecommunications, fraud, assault, multiple things, if it didn’t rise to a criminal case that we were able to prosecute or we were able to successfully prosecute them. But, there are problems with that because you would have to hire your own lawyer, there is a time limit, and as this gentleman pointed out, they don’t have any insurance that would cover it or source of recovery. You are not going to get any money. But, I also know, from my professional experience, that if you are sued enough you tend to change your conduct. I’m not telling you that you should be coming out of your pocket with money or doing anything, I am merely pointing out that this lady asked if we could bring a civil case, and we went down that path. Hannah Groff stated that she thinks she speaks for most of us. I am a victim, and I think we can all agree that for most of us who were humiliated or publicly slandered and proven false, I personally know of five false allegations. June – child abuse, false. October – child neglect, false. October – drunk driving, false. Attempted kidnapping. I don’t want to die. I want to see charges. That would bring me joy. I just feel there isn’t justice and my question would be if something is alleged and proven false, where does that turn from civil to criminal? Mr. Barbour stated that he is not the prosecutor. I am familiar with your case; I don’t want to talk about your case in detail, but I know it was reviewed by the detective, Sgt. Elish, who I think just talked to you again about it. Ms. Groff stated that she hasn’t spoken to him at all; not even once. Mr. Barbour stated that it was reviewed and it was determined that from the prosecutor, and then the county prosecutor, (they turned it to the county as well) that they didn’t think they could make a successful criminal case, based on the facts that happened in your particular instance. I can’t tell you at what point it becomes civil and criminal because I am not the prosecutor and I don’t handle criminal prosecutions. I don’t want to give misinformation. Ms. Groff stated that she understands that and appreciates that. For cases that are not pending, would there be a police reports are not allowed to be released? Mr. Barbour stated that certain information gets redacted from police reports that identifies people. Mr. Groff asked what about the person who actually wrote the report who is being denied access to her own report. One of the members of our group whose child was…so, in that case she doesn’t know the law, and she is being denied. Mr. Barbour stated that sometimes the identity of an uncharged suspect has to be redacted from a report. You are not supposed to give out reports that show information that can lead to the identification of a suspect of a crime that was uncharged. Sometimes the content of a police report are so intwined with the identify and uncharged suspect that the entire report would be subject to redaction. There are some instances where the entire report cannot be released because the contents of it, the location, all that kind of information would lead to the identification of somebody that, by law, not by policy, but by law, can’t be released or identified, whether that is an

Committee Meeting of Council December 15, 2025 16 uncharged suspect, a minor, and certain other instances that are laid out in the revised code. Public records are tightly governed by Ohio Revised Code Section 149.43, which has a whole lot of things in it about what we must take out of reports. That happens sometimes. Ms. Groff thanked Mr. Barbour. Mr. Clark stated that it has been a fulsome conversation tonight. On behalf of City Council, Mr. Clark thanked anybody and everybody who spoke this evening, noting that it is important their voices are heard. The minutes will be published. The non-emergency number to call the police department has been given, as well as the number to receive a copy of the minutes. Mr. Clark thanked everyone for taking time out of their schedules during the holiday season. A brief recess followed. MISCELLANEUS An Organizational Meeting of City Council, required by City Charter, will be held on Friday, January 2, 2026, at 8 p.m. The meeting is open to the public. The next Regular Meeting of Council will be held on Monday, January 5, 2026, at 7 p.m. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m. /s/ Dwight A. Clark /s/ Joan T. Kemper Dwight A. Clark, President of Council Joan Kemper, Clerk of Council