Today’s full page plus story in the Columbus Dispatch titled, “Group: Road done for developer not safety” reveals the never ending unethical, underhanded unbridled perpetual deal making that goes on in Columbus City Hall.  

Former Columbus City Council candidate Joe Motil says, “Like Centerplate, Redflex and Colemans house sale to a Chinese businesswoman, the Little Turtle road project reeks of political corruption that runs rampant through the Public Service Department, City Attorney’s office and exposes Coleman's reign over City Council President Shannon Hardin and other City Council members.”   

Vacating the northbound traffic lane for future development for Mo Dioun is a gift from longtime friend and Dioun’s lobbyist former Mayor Michael Coleman who will no doubt be paid handsomely for his scandalous actions. It was Coleman’s economic development arm, the Columbus Urban Growth Corporation, that awarded Dioun the $80 million project to transform the former 75-acre Northland Mall site in 2007. With Coleman’s handpicked City Council President Shannon Hardin at the helm and Public Service Department officials joining in and others, the fix was in. It even appears that Mo Dioun’s attorney David Kopech was in collusion with the city attorney’s office. On November 9, 2021, Kopech who was seated about 10 feet behind the city attorney's table in the courtroom said out loud, “hearsay, hearsay,” during the testimony of Little Turtle President Darlene Slater. Columbus City Attorney Michael Halloran then objected to her testimony by saying, “hearsay.”

Motil who has been in attendance for the three days of witness testimony states, “I have never in my life heard so witnesses claim they 'don’t recall' or they 'don’t remember' any specifics of meetings that were held for instance between Coleman, Dioun, President Hardin and Councilwoman Favor.”

“Public Service Director Jennifer Gallagher even went as far to state that she didn’t know if her husband John Gallagher performed the traffic studies for the project, whose idea it was to vacate the north bound lane, where the idea surfaced or who made the decision. But yet she is the head of the Public Service Department,” Motil said. John Gallagher worked for Carpenter Marty Transportation on the Little Turtle project)              

Motil  filed an ethics complaint with City of Columbus Chief Ethics Officer Renata Ramsini on November 17, 2021 against Director Gallagher claiming that “evidence appears to show that Director Gallagher signed off on at least one if not more city contracts that were awarded to Carpenter Marty Transportation. The contract in question is city of Columbus Ordinance 0856-2018 which reads 'To authorize the Director of Public Service to enter into a professional services contract with Carpenter Marty Transportation for the Roadway Improvements - Little Turtle Way project; to authorize the expenditure of up to $350,000.00 from the Streets and Highways Bond Fund to pay for this contract; and to declare an emergency. ($350,000.00).'”

Motil cited Mayor Ginther’s Executive Order on Ethics and Conduct under section(A) Prohibited Conduct(1)(f) which reads:

(1) A City of Columbus public official or employee shall not engage in prohibited conduct,

which includes, but is not limited to:

(f) Voting, authorizing, recommending, or in any way using one’s position to secure

approval of a City of Columbus contract (including employment or personal

services) in which an official or employee, a family member, or anyone with whom

an official or employee has a business or employment relationship, has an interest.      

Motil concluded that, “Coleman, Hardin, Mo Dioun and David Kopech all refused to comment for the Dispatch story, thus confirming their shame and guilt having now been exposed to the public for their dishonest actions.”