CLEVELAND — It has been nearly two years since former Brecksville City Councilman John “Jack” Petsche was indicted on multiple charges. Now, court records show Petsche’s bench trial begins Monday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
The trial comes after Petsche was indicted in the case back in June 2020 on the following charges:
- Three counts of having an unlawful interest in a public contract
- One count of attempted having an unlawful interest in a public contract
“As a member of the council, Petsche voted on at least three matters regarding the funding of a contract involving a construction company with which he had a business interest,” the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office said back in June 2020. “However, Petsche failed to disclose the nature of that relationship to the city until August 2019, after his company had been paid $142,000. He also engaged in discussions with another construction company for a separate project. The City of Brecksville forwarded the allegations to the Ohio Ethics Commission.”
The prosecutor’s office said an investigation revealed that in May 2014, the city of Brecksville had entered into a three-year contractual agreement with a construction company to build a new police station.
“That company subsequently reached a $154,000 subcontractor agreement with USA Roofing – a company owned by Petsche – in December 2017, after he was elected,” the prosecutor’s office continues. “Investigators uncovered that on at least three separate occasions between April 2018 and March 2019, Petsche voted to allow the city to acquire finances to pay the construction company, which then paid Petsche’s roofing company for their work.”
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office also said the investigation revealed that in May of 2019, the city of Brecksville began taking quotes for renovations to the city’s Aquatic Center.
“The day after bidding opened, Petsche contacted another construction company and engaged in subcontract discussions on behalf of his roofing business.”
Petsche was elected to Brecksville City Council back in November of 2017.
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Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in an unrelated article on Feb. 23, 2022.
