(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost today announced that former Put-In-Bay mayor Bernard “Mack” McCann has pleaded guilty to two counts of Conflict of Interest in a Public Contract, misdemeanors of the first degree.
McCann, 82, agreed on Wednesday to step down from his position as mayor as part of the plea agreement.
“We can’t have community leaders who prioritize their own interests above those of the public,” Attorney General Yost said. “Former Mayor McCann let power get to his head, choosing to use his position for the betterment of his own interests. His poor decisions have cost him his job, as well as the trust of the citizens who elected him to lead.”
The former mayor used his public position to secure waterline project contracts for a business associate. That waterline project also benefited several members of McCann’s family.
Two of his children, Melinda McCann Myers, the former president of Put-in-Bay Village Council, and Councilman Bernard Michael McCann also pleaded guilty to two counts each of Conflict of Interest in a Public Contract.
The charges stem from a joint criminal investigation conducted by the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and the Ohio Ethics Commission. The case was prosecuted jointly by the Ottawa County Prosecutor and the Ohio Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Section.
McCann is scheduled to be sentenced in Ottawa County Municipal Court on Friday, March 29 at 2 p.m.
MEDIA CONTACT:
David O'Neil: 614-728-6069
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