A top manager in Cleveland’s Department of Finance has been on paid leave for four months while the city investigates more than a dozen allegations against him, including that he viewed sexually explicit material at work and misused a city business credit card. Records show the paid leave began in June, and the manager was paid $100,729.41 from city tax dollars even as disciplinary documents say he routinely failed to work a full eight-hour day.
Allegations Span Misconduct and Missed Work
The findings come from an investigation first reported by the FOX 8 I-Team, which found that a top manager at Cleveland City Hall had been on leave for four months under investigation. According to the station, disciplinary documents accuse the manager of looking at “pornographic or otherwise sexually explicit material while at work,” along with “improper use of the City of Cleveland’s business credit card.” The city said the manager connected a personal electronic device to a city computer and sent sexually explicit material through the city’s computer system.
The Department of Finance, which handles city expenses and tax dollars, built its internal case on time records, parking records and reports from the IT department, the station’s report notes. Disciplinary paperwork says the manager routinely failed to work an eight-hour workday and, in doing so, placed the city at significant operational risk. The internal investigation also found that the manager failed to show up for an appointment he had set up with the mayor to address concerns.
City Business and Public Records Left Waiting
Beyond the workplace-conduct allegations, records indicate the manager sometimes failed to process documents needed to move city business through City Council and didn’t always do his job to move along requests for public records. The same investigation notes the I-Team itself has waited months for records it requested from the finance department about city spending.
Separately, a community group waited more than a year to get grant money from the city meant to help make streets safer. A leader of that group described being passed from person to person while trying to figure out who was responsible, calling the situation very aggravating and frustrating. The leader said they hoped conditions would keep improving so organizations could get back to providing community services.
Discipline Pending, Police Referral Still Under Review
City Hall has said the disciplinary process is complete, and a final determination on punishment is expected soon. Officials have not decided whether to refer the matter to law enforcement, saying that review remains ongoing.
Cleveland’s own personnel rules outline how such cases are supposed to proceed. The city’s Human Resources Policies and Procedures reference a Progressive Discipline Policy and require that time records properly reflect any unauthorized absences. Separately, the Rules of the Civil Service Commission note that even temporary employees are subject to the same disciplinary action as a regular appointee, underscoring that the city’s process applies broadly across its workforce. Neither document addresses this specific case, but together they outline the framework under which the manager’s discipline is expected to be decided in the coming weeks.
