Scioto County Commissioners voted 2 to 1 to transfer files pertaining to county economic development and the Southern Ohio Port Authority from county systems over to the systems of the embattled SOPA agency.
“There are some things I’d like to say, but I think it falls under executive session,” Commissioner Scottie Powell said. “Seeing how it aligns with some current litigation.”
Commissioners went into an executive session to discuss the matter, so what they discussed was not made public. Commissioners returned to public session about thirty minutes later. They appointed Donna Daniels to fill a vacancy on the SOPA board.
Commissioner Cathy Coleman said that, “I’d like to make a motion to release the Port Authority files and economic files as requested. Due to their needs to continue the work of SOPA and the repercussions it could create for the board of commissioners and the county.”
Commissioner Bryan Davis seconded the motion. Coleman and Davis voted in favor of transferring the files. Commissioner Powell said, “Due to the opinion of our legal counsel, I will be voting no.”
The Southern Ohio Port Authority and County Economic Development Director and SOPA head Robert Horton are at the center of an investigation by the Ohio State Auditor’s Office that saw search warrants served at county offices last year. No charges have been filed.
