Morehead sentenced to jail

by M. Stewart
According to the Lisbon Morning Journal, former county health commissioner Bob Morehead was sentenced to 60 days in the Eastern Ohio Correctional Center in Wintersville after pleading guilty to theft in office.

Although I'm a bit surprised that Morehead got the jail time, the most alarming aspect of Friday's sentencing is the reaction of the health board and Morehead’s “supporters"--a reaction that reveals a defiant culture of cronyism in Lisbon that should result in a giant red flag placed atop the county courthouse.

Aside from having a thief removed from public office, we should be pleased that the legal system did work, but it required a Youngstown journalist and a Canton Judge to get it done. Left on our own, Morehead would still be abusing his office and using our credit cards as his own.

Because county health commissioner is an appointed office, and because the board of health clearly has betrayed its function as an oversight body, county residents have no direct recourse when such abuses occur—that is, we can’t vote a bad guy out of this type of position. As such, Columbiana County taxpayers owe a sincere debt of gratitude to journalist Norman Leigh, who did the work that ultimately nailed Morehead.

In handing down the sentence, Canton Judge John Milligan put much of the responsibility for Morehead’s “pervasive pattern of abuse” with the health board itself, referring to the five members as “enablers” who were “asleep at the wheel.” (see Morning Journal)

Just in case anyone had any doubts about what Judge Milligan said about health department enablers, board president Dr. Jack Amato and department nursing supervisor Barbara Knee continued to voice support for Morehead on Friday. Quoted in the Morning Journal, Knee said, “Most of the staff here today took a vacation day to show their support.”

We should recall that Morehead pleaded guilty to charges of theft in office, which included allegations of more than 100 illegal purchases. We have no choice but to conclude that these county employees "support" the theft of public funds by a health commissioner. Is there any other way to interpret this?

Let’s make sure we all understand what was not included in Friday’s discussion of enabling. Go back with me to the Dec. 13, 2008 Morning Journal. These data came from the county auditor and refer to Morehead’s income AFTER he “retired”:

“… Morehead received a check of $25,903 for his accrued vacation time and $41,404 for his accrued sick time when he retired. His regular paycheck totaled $3,454 every two weeks even after he retired and was collecting from the Public Employees Retirement System. His total pay from the county health department [for 2008] as of the last pay totaled $84,628. With his pay and the accumulated sick time and vacation time combined, his total income from the county so far this year [2008] totals $152,627.” (Morning Journal 12-13-08)

As of Dec. 12, Morehead still owed the county $10,700. (Vindicator)

If there are more “supporters” of Bob Morehead out there—especially if you work for the county and live on taxpayer dollars—by all means voice your support for Mr. Morehead here at ORL. But please leave your real name. We all want to know who you are.