Armond Budish wins Cuyahoga County Executive Race
New Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish named some additions to his staff on Thursday.
(Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer)
Nailah Byrd
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish on Thursday announced the nomination of Nailah Byrd, who currently serves as the county's ethics watchdog, as the county's new clerk of courts.
Byrd would replace former clerk Andrea Rocco, whom Budish announced last month he would not retain. The clerk is the official keeper of records for the county's Common Pleas and Domestic Relations courts, as well as the state's 8th District Court of Appeals.
She would make $140,000 a year as clerk of courts, about $6,400 more than her current job.
Budish also announced other staff hires.
They are:
"As we build a strong Cuyahoga County with sustained success for years to come, it is important that we continue to establish a highly-skilled, diversified leadership team," Budish said in a written statement. "Nailah Byrd is an extremely effective administrator who will serve the Clerk's office well. And Eddy Kraus is a well-respected leader who knows how to build strategic partnerships and will continue to develop the Department of Regional Collaboration."
Byrd and Kraus's appointments require confirmation from County Council.
Council President Dan Brady said council is "very familiar" with Byrd from her work as inspector general.
"We'll be having hearings and we'll have a process. I'm going to withhold opinions about it, and let the process run its course," he said.
County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty said in a written statement of Budish's nomination: "I applaud the County Executive for appointing another clerk who believes in reform, transparency and accountability. Efficient management of that office can save millions for the taxpayers."
Common Pleas Judge John J. Russo said in an email he spoke with Byrd after Budish announced his choice.
"We discussed the importance of better collaboration and open lines of communication between our Bench and her office. I look forward to Ms. Byrd being sworn in, and I am very excited for our Court as we move in a positive direction with the new clerk to better serve the citizens of Cuyahoga County," said Russo, the court's administrative and presiding judge.
Brady said that while Kraus is not as well known to council, "He's been very much involved in the transition process and as a suburban councilman. It looks like a reasonable pick for the position. I don't really see any controversy there."
Budish also announced he will retain a couple of high-ranking officials hired under former County Executive Ed FitzGerald in 2011 -- Jeff Mowry will remain the county's chief information officer, and Thomas Gilson will remain the county's medical examiner.
Otherwise, Budish continues to assemble his staff. Positions that remain officially unresolved include the county's fiscal officer, sheriff and treasurer.
There also no timeline to replace Byrd, who has served as the county's first inspector general since FitzGerald nominated her for the job in January 2011. The agency oversees ethics training and contractor registration, and is responsible for investigating fraud, waste and abuse in the county government.
While appointed by the county executive and confirmed by county council, the inspector general is supposed to have the independence to investigate either branch of county government.
Byrd, 43, moved to Cleveland from New York in 2002. She worked at the Squire, Sanders & Dempsey law firm and was senior counsel at National City Bank before joining the Northern District office of the U.S. attorney in August 2010. Previously, she was an assistant district attorney in New York City.
She is the daughter of former Cleveland schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett.
During Nailah Byrd's term, she unsuccessfully pushed for her office to be given the power to issue subpoenas. County council twice voted down a measure that would have asked voters to incorporate the agency into the county's governing charter.
As inspector general, Byrd occasionally attracted criticism that she was not sufficiently independent from the FitzGerald administration. But in a September 2014 report, she found Jeannet Wright, whom FitzGerald had nominated as county treasurer, violated the county's ethics policy by not properly disclosing rental income from houses she owned. And then in October, she issued a critical report against FitzGerald himself.
The FitzGerald report, issued one week before the Nov. 4 election, found the county executive committed a "breach of the public trust" by driving without a valid driver's license. It also stated that a secretary's "improper" destruction of a log showing 2012 usage of vehicles assigned to the executive's office had impeded the office's investigation.
Most of the controversy surrounding Byrd's tenure was connected to donations to FitzGerald's unsuccessful run for governor.
Byrd drew criticism from council members after her office issued a report on Dec. 24, 2013 clearing a $1,000 donation to FitzGerald's gubernatorial campaign from an investment banker he had recently nominated to serve on a county development board.
Byrd, following requests from FitzGerald and Republicans, investigated the donation. She said the contribution, since returned, did not run afoul of county rules prohibiting appointees from county boards from giving to politicians who appointed them because the donation was made before the donor's appointment was confirmed.
State Republicans and others also criticized Byrd last March for performing a monthly review of FitzGerald's gubernatorial contributions. Byrd and the FitzGerald campaign said the arrangement was made out of an abundance of caution, but Republicans said the review amounted to taxpayer-financed compliance work the FitzGerald campaign should have paid for itself.
In July 2013, Byrd reprimanded county councilwoman Yvonne Conwell for parking in a lot behind the former county administration building without paying the $85 monthly fee, which Conwell said she didn't realize council members had to pay.