VILLA HILLS — Mayor Steve Clark has told the city's former attorney not to release records to a special counsel investigating the firing of two city employees.

        The refusal is in direct contradiction to a 4-1 vote by City Council, which has been locked in battle with Mr. Clark over the firings.

Clark

        Mr. Clark said Friday he has been advised by interim City Attorney Mike Duncan not to allow former City Attorney Lawson Walker to turn over the records to the special counsel.

        “My concern is to protect the city, not protect me,” Mr. Clark said Friday. “I am concerned about breaking the attorney-client privilege, but others on council are not.”

        Mr. Clark would not comment further.

        Last week council ordered Mr. Walker to turn over city files pertaining to the Dec. 28 firings to Covington lawyer Phil Taliaferro. Council has hired Mr. Taliaferro as a special counsel.

        “I do sympathize with Mr. Walker because he may be in a Catch-22,” Mr. Taliaferro said Friday. “However, council ordered the investigation and I believe it would be proper for him to comply with what council ordered.”

        Mr. Walker refused to comment Friday.

        Mr. Taliaferro said Friday he may advise council to go to Kenton Circuit Court and ask a judge to force Mr. Clark to comply with council's order and turn over the records.

        “If we need to go to court to see the files, I believe that's what we should do,” Councilman Mike Sadouskas said. “We need to see those files.”

        A majority of council members who have not supported the mayor's dismissals of Police Chief Michael “Corky” Brown and City Clerk Sue Kramer voted in January to hire Mr. Taliaferro.

        The council members — Mr. Sadouskas, Bob Kramer, Denny Stein and Tim Sogar — believe Mr. Clark retaliated against Mr. Brown and Mrs. Kramer for cooperating with investigators examining various allegations against the mayor.

        Mr. Kramer is married to the former city clerk.

        Mr. Clark has denied the firings were retaliation. But, citing concerns over employee laws and confidentiality, Mr. Clark has also refused to say why the two were fired.

        Last year a Kenton County grand jury and the attorney general's office investigated allegations that Mr. Clark misspent city money, but no charges were brought against him.

        Mr. Clark also was investigated by Mr. Brown and Mr. Walker after he was accused of sexually harassing a Clermont County woman who worked for the city as an independent contractor. But the woman, an accountant, never formally made any charges against Mr. Clark and he has denied sexually harassing her.

        In a letter he sent this week to council, Mr. Taliaferro said that because the mayor refuses to turn over records, council is prevented from learning details of the sexual harassment investigation.

        Mr. Taliaferro said that based on information he has received, the files will be turned over instead to interim City Clerk Mary Ann Breetz.

        Time and money are being wasted, Mr. Taliaferro said, “and I am hopeful that council can persuade (Mr. Clark) to change his mind and permit (Mr. Walker) to cooperate,” Mr. Taliaferro said.

        “It's obvious the mayor has something to hide,” said Shelly Espich, spokeswoman for a Villa Hills citizens group working for the reinstatement of the two fired employees.

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