BY RICHELLE THOMPSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON -- With Tuesday's recall of Councilwoman Mary-Ann Cole, Lebanon has a new council member -- John McComb. In the next few weeks, the city also could have a new mayor.
The Rules of Council dictate the seven-member board hold a reorganization meeting when a member is added, City Manager Richard Hayward said Wednesday. During the reorganization, council could elect a new mayor and vice mayor as well as change committee appointments.
Mayor James Mills said he expects to be voted out as mayor "at the first chance they get."
Mrs. Cole's recall shifted the balance of power away from the majority who generally supported him as mayor. The new majority, including Mr. McComb, former Mayor Jackson Hedges, Amy Brewer and Gil Jarrard, has publicly disagreed with Mr. Mills on a number of issues, including whether to proceed with a $5 million telecommunications project and whether to fire Mr. Hayward.
"I'm going to do everything I can to make this thing work," Mr. Mills said. But "if people don't have a change of heart and do things that are supposed to be done, it'll never change."
Councilman Michael Coyan, who frequently is grouped with Mr. Mills, Mrs. Cole and Mark Flick, said he wouldn't be surprised if the other members of council ousted Mr. Mills from the mayoral position. Mr. McComb said he's still weighing whether to support Mr. Mills. While "I have some difficulty in voting for him," he said, "I'm not interested in total destruction of the council."
Mrs. Brewer and Mr. Flick could not be reached for comment. Mr. Jarrard suffered a light stroke Monday and was recuperating at Bethesda North Hospital. He expects to be released today, a family member said.
Mrs. Cole said she hopes council members would continue to support Mr. Mills. She thinks the political process was warped by Tuesday's election and "the city lost."
Mrs. Cole was targeted for recall by People for a Brighter Future, a group of residents angered by the perceived four-person voting bloc, of which she was a member. Only Mrs. Cole could have been recalled because state law says council members cannot be recalled if in their first year of a term. That was the situation for Mr. Coyan, Mr. Mills and Mr. Flick, the other members of the four-person group. Mr. Hedges, who declined to comment on his support of Mr. Mills, said the real challenge for council members is to "learn from this horrendous and regrettable experience and . . . go on in a positive manner."
But some residents doubt council members found any lesson in one of the most expensive and brutal campaigns in Lebanon's history. "I don't think that's the end of it," said resident Nancy Campbell, who supported the recall. "I think there will be more because of the total unrest they've caused in the city."
Debbie Dangler opposed the recall, but she expressed similar sentiments: "I don't know if it'll ever be over. There's too much little small-town politics."
She said people already were talking about another recall, this time of Mr. McComb.
Even if the recall didn't settle political differences, it did have some immediate results. Funding for the $5 million telecommunications project is expected to be approved within the next few weeks. Mr. Hayward, whose job was on the line, can enjoy a bit more security. Mr. McComb, who holds the swing vote on these issues, supports both the telecommunications venture and Mr. Hayward.
Another consequence is the loss of an estimated $6,000 to $10,000 of city money. State law requires Lebanon to pay for the cost of holding a special election. Up to $15,000 of campaign money donated by private citizens is gone, spent filling local newspapers with ads and plastering yards with signs.
Resident J. Scott Nixon could have done without all the campaigning and the fighting. Despite the recall, he said council still will be a tug-of-war.
The best sign he saw throughout the ordeal was simple and homemade.
It said: "Peace."
