BELLAIRE, Ohio — Bellaire Mayor Robert Dodrill Sr. is disputing a series of claims about village finances and the role of the Fiscal Officer posted online by members of village council, calling much of the information inaccurate and misleading — and saying he never had a chance to respond before it spread.
“In my opinion, it was disinformation.” Dodrill said.
The controversy centers on a list of 15 points shared on the official Bellaire Village Council Facebook page on April 14, one day before an April 15 emergency council meeting where Dodrill announced the serious nature of the village’s financial situation and disclosed that the State of Ohio Auditor’s office was investigating.
Dodrill identified Councilwoman Janet Richardson, who also serves as council president pro tempore, as the author of the post.
“in my opinion, Janet Richardson is the one who wrote these and posted these 15 points to my knowledge,” Dodrill said.
The mayor stressed that the document was not official council meeting notes, as the meeting had not yet taken place when the post went up.
“A lot of it wasn’t real… I have documentation on everything,” Dodrill said, adding that he has prepared a point-by-point rebuttal to the 15 claims. “It’s like a rebuttal to those 15 points… they’re all wrong, pretty much.”
Dodrill said three other council members — Elizabeth Dugmore, Bill Schmitt Jr. and Donny Maupin — were aware of the post before it was published, while council members Jack Evans and Roger Connors had no involvement.
“There were four of them that were aware of it,” the mayor said. “Evans and Connors didn’t have anything to do with it.”
By the time Dodrill was aware of the post, he said, it had already gained significant traction online.
“We didn’t have a chance to even say anything about it because it hit so fast,” he said.
Among the claims Dodrill disputes is one alleging a village sanitation truck sat idle for four days since former Village Adminstrator Scott Porter could not reach then Fiscal Officer Ginny Favede for a $200 purchase order to tow the truck in for repairs.
“There’s one on there about one of our trucks being broke down for four days. That was totally false,” he said.
Former Fiscal Officer Favede, who just started in that role in January, submitted her resignation two weeks ago, citing a “hostile working environment.” Dodrill’s rebuttal states that Favede was available and had previously “processed purchase requisitions remotely while attending an Auditor of State conference in Columbus.”
Dodrill said many of the disputed claims stem from complications tied to a state-directed transition to a new accounting system and the financial record issues that prompted it.
“We were doing what the auditor told us to do,” he said.
As for the village’s path forward, Dodrill said interviews are underway for a new fiscal officer, with several candidates already applying. He also acknowledged the village is dealing with broader staffing shortages across multiple departments.
“We’re trying to move forward… get everything situated,” he said. “We are short-staffed.”
Despite the ongoing scrutiny from the state auditor’s office, Dodrill said he does not believe Bellaire is in danger of being placed under a formal fiscal emergency.
“I don’t think they’re going to actually do that right now because we’re working to get everything up and running,” he said.
The mayor said his focus remains on stabilizing village operations and moving past the current turmoil.
“I’m trying to move forward from all the stuff in the background right now,” he said.
River News is in possession of Dodrill’s written rebuttal to the 15 points and will report on its specific findings in a follow-up story.
