Bob Hoch has proved a relentless advocate for Akron firefighters. That was especially so as the Fire Department endured a decade-long lawsuit involving its process for promotions. The City Council member pressed hard for a settlement and clashed with Don Plusquellic as he did. That testy relationship set in motion the messy end of the Plusquellic tenure as mayor.
Now, nearly two years later, Hoch finds himself in legal trouble, indicted last week on charges of violating state ethics laws.
Recall that the Plusquellic administration triggered the investigation of Hoch. In March 2015, the law department sent a letter and documents to the Ohio Ethics Commission outlining what it viewed as ethical violations. So the episode still carries an impression of the former mayor settling a score, striking back against a council member who challenged his judgment and leadership.
That said, city officials warned Hoch at the time about his conflict of interest. The letter to the ethics commission noted that the councilman has two sons who are firefighters. The letter added that one son served as an officer in the firefighters union. Both were part of the contract negotiating team.
The law allows a public official to approve a contract when a relative is a union member — except when the relative is a board member, union officer or part of the negotiators. The city added that Hoch overstepped in pressing for a settlement, even contacting by letter the federal judge presiding in the lawsuit. (The judge’s clerk politely told Hoch to cease.)
The ethics law bars a public official “from participating, formally of informally, in any matter that directly affects a family member’s employment.” Hoch has said in the past that he understands a conflict of interest exists when there is an element of “personal gain.” He also has a duty to know what the rules are, and even signed a city form acknowledging that he did.
What deserves particular attention in this matter is that Hoch took his actions fully in the open. He wasn’t hiding his advocacy for firefighters. He wanted to bring notice to their cause, and the difficulties facing the department due to the prolonged legal fight.
Neither was he acting on his own. The City Council as a whole approved the labor contracts, Hoch hardly a tiebreaker.
Better that Hoch had stepped back. He wouldn’t face the charges he does now. Still, the matter in question wasn’t just about compensation or duties or promotions. The councilman and many others were concerned about the deterioration of the department, something aggravated by the approach of the mayor and the judge.
In that way, Bob Hoch was engaged in an important public debate, or what is expected of a council member, and he brought valuable knowledge and perspective. All of which reinforces how unfortunately things have played out, then and now.