A conflict within East Cleveland city government has led to the appointment of a second mayor in the embattled suburb of Cleveland.
On Sunday, East Cleveland Councilmember Patricia Blochowiak swore in Council President Lateek Shabazz as mayor, citing the city charter.
“Which says that if the mayor’s gone, the next person to take office is the president of council," she said, "and that’s Lateek Shabazz."
Interim Mayor Sandra Morgan said in an interview Monday with Ideastream Public Media she will not step down, pointing to the Ohio Supreme Court's rejection of attempts to challenge her appointment before King was convicted.
"They have taken things into their own hands and now it feels a bit like a power grab," said Morgan. "It doesn't seem reasonable to me and it's more of the same of what we've had in East Cleveland for so many years."
Inside City Hall Monday, a law department official said Morgan, the interim mayor appointed in February, was still in charge.
"The mayor is interim mayor Sandra Morgan," said Heather McCollough, East Cleveland's assistant law director. "Until a judge says otherwise, she will be in that room."
The power struggle appears to stem from a conflict between the city charter and the state law that was recently used to remove former Mayor Brandon King from office on corruption-related charges.
State law indicates Morgan will remain in office while Shabazz cites the city's charter as naming him to step-in following a conviction.
Under the state law used to suspend King before his trial, Morgan would remain as interim mayor until the next election, which is in November.
"I think the best thing would be for [Shabazz] to work from the mayor's office as he is the mayor," said Blochowiak. "And I think that Sandra Morgan should look at the Ohio Revised Code section that applied to her appointment, and she should step aside."
Ohio Revised Code Section 3.16 says that Morgan's appointment, if King is not acquitted, lasts until a new mayor is elected. But Blochowiak is referring to another part of Section 3.16 that says, "For the duration of the public official's suspension, an interim replacement official shall be appointed by the probate judge of the court of common pleas if the suspended public official is an elected official of a municipal corporation, township, school district, or other political subdivision, to perform the suspended public official's duties."
"Brandon King's suspension is over," said Blochowiak. "He was convicted. He is out. And because of that, this Ohio Revised Code section that was used to appoint Sandra Morgan is no longer appropriate, no longer valid."
For years, East Cleveland residents have been caught in the crossfire of political turmoil and corruption.
The upheaval and mismanagement have shattered the public's trust in city government, said Walter Melton, 59, who runs a nonprofit in East Cleveland.
"We no longer will... stand for corruption in our city. The people deserve better," Melton said.
"How can we teach our kids to do better when our kids [are] seeing other people [are] doing wrong?" he said. "How can we expect for everybody to pull together in our community when our community [is] being corrupted?"
Longtime East Cleveland activist Mariah Crenshaw said the outcome of the dispute is unclear.
"I got to hand it to them. That was a boss move," she said of the decision to swear in Shabazz. "I don't know what their plans are now."
Shabazz filed suit in the 8th District Court of Appeals Monday morning, seeking an expedited ruling that Morgan was wrongfully holding office and that he should hold the office of mayor.
East Cleveland City Council has its next scheduled meeting on Tuesday night, and Morgan plans to attend as mayor.
"I'm still happy to work with council, even in this strained situation," said Morgan.
