County won't explain

TIFFIN — Tally it up and Seneca County officials have answered zero questions in the week since an article was posted at a county website attacking a reporter from the Advertiser-Tribune. Frankart The reporter wrote a news story, "Frankart has family dispute," which was published in the A-T on Oct. 12. It provided details from police reports and court records about stalking allegations and about a custody battle between commissioner Bill Frankart and his former daughter-in-law. The woman, who lives in Mason, Ohio, (near Cincinnati) was granted full and permanent custody on Sept. 3, and the alleged stalking, according to police reports, began after she won custody, The A-T's news article reported. The county's attack story in response to the news article, written by Sheri Trusty, an independent contractor hired to be the county's media coordinator, was posted at the county website two days later, on Oct. 14. It was removed from the website the next day after issues arose about it. The article is still available on the internet, however, and county officials refuse to say if they will take steps to further remove it. Trusty also has refused to answer questions about who asked her to write the false article, who asked for it to be posted and then removed, and other questions the A-T sent to her. Frankart also has not responded to questions about the attack article, or about the stalking allegations or the custody case. An attorney who did respond for him previously said those matters were wholly unrelated to Frankart's role as a county commissioner. Frankart did talk to Trusty at some point, it appears, because he is quoted in the attack story the county posted. An attorney representing his former daughter-in-law in the custody case told the A-T he asked Seneca County Prosecutor Derek DeVine to review whether the attack story was a misuse of county resources designed to benefit Frankart in his ongoing legal woes. A resident also contacted the A-T the day the attack story posted and said he called DeVine and also asked him to look into it. But DeVine also is ignoring questions about it, and he's declined to say if he will ask for an independent investigation since he's conflicted because he represents county commissioners as commission's legal counsel. DeVine also won't say if he's secured any emails Frankart and Trusty might have exchanged in which the attack article was planned or discussed. The A-T made a public records request for any emails they exchanged between Oct. 1 to Oct. 15. County administrator Barb Patterson initially responded, suggesting it might be difficult to find those emails. It's unknown why it would be difficult; the records request is still pending. Merry Christmas The A-T also asked to look at the county's personnel file and/or any other file containing employment records for Trusty. The only record provided in response to that request is a a one-year "Independent Services Contract" signed by Patterson and Trusty on Dec. 21, 2023. It is a contract in which the county agrees to pay Trusty $26,000 (in monthly installments of $2,167) to create and implement "media strategy and presence." There's no record who authorized the contract, which gives no further definition of work product and requires Trusty to bear all responsibility for any mistakes that lead to problems, lawsuits or other litigation. The contract expires at the end of the year. The A-T asked Trusty, Frankart, his fellow commissioners, Patterson and DeVine a series of questions, all of which remain unanswered. Here are those questions: — Who authorized Trusty to be hired? — How was her pay determined? — Was this contract vetted by the county prosecutor's office or other attorneys representing the county? — Is it a lawful contract?— Is there any record or description of what services would be provided in return for the $26,000 in annual pay? — Was there any discussion during any commissioners meeting about hiring Trusty and are the minutes or recording of that meeting available to review?— Does this contract remain valid and, if you know, will it be renewed for 2025?— Is there any record that defines the media strategy and presence requested, or the one that has been developed? See you in court Frankart's former daughter-in-law called the Mason police twice in late September and reported that a man identifying himself as a private investigator was stalking her. The man told police he was there to verify the woman's address and had been hired by an attorney who represents Frankart. Police recommended she seek a protection order from the local courts, which she did. A hearing in that case is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 22, in Warren County Common Pleas Court, where Frankart or someone representing him, is expected to appear. Frankart, who was granted some weekend visitation privileges once a month in the Sept. 3 custody ruling, is appealing the court's decision in that case, for his son, Zachary Frankart. Zachary Frankart, 25, convicted of attempted rape in 2020, is serving a 4-6 year prison sentence in state prison. The elder Frankart is listed in court documents as the intervenor on behalf of his son.