Risk management

Cuyahoga County's prosecutor, Michael O'Malley, and Law Director Rick Manoloff have reached a tentative agreement outlining which legal duties belong to which office, following months of conflict and an Ohio attorney general's opinion that invalidated the informal memoranda of understanding the offices had relied on for over a decade. County Council is expected to call a special meeting before the September 4 filing deadline to decide whether to place the charter amendment on the November ballot.

The new language narrows the law director's authority to "non-litigation related employment matters" and limits legal advice duties to officials serving at the executive's pleasure, addressing concerns the prosecutor's office had raised about prior drafts. The negotiations grew contentious, with O'Malley accusing the law department and Executive Chris Ronayne's administration of acting in an "underhanded and dishonorable way" after a last-minute revision derailed an earlier version. A subsequent dispute arose over whether the officials' email exchanges were public records, with a councilman ultimately releasing them himself, citing transparency concerns. O'Malley says broader debate over the county's charter government structure will likely continue.