Patrick "Two-phones" Coyne goes down

Today we hear another one of Jimmy Dimora's many shoes drop as the FBI arrests Strongsville Councilman Patrick Coyne as part of the ongoing Cuyahoga County mop-up. I'm calling him by his brand-new nickname "Two-phones" which I just gave him after seeing this photo.

This is how Democrats do conference calls I'll bet.

Coyne resigned his council seat Friday without explanation. He was implicated, although not by name, last year in a bribery scheme involving Hinckley real estate developer David Terry.

Terry pleaded guilty to paying $20,000 to a Strongsville politician who matches Coyne's description to "influence and reward" the official for various dealings in 2007.

Terry's attorney Jerry Gold has said that his client bribed Coyne for past and future political influence and that Coyne helped some of Terry's relatives find jobs.

Coyne is a well-connected Democrat who worked in the Cuyahoga County treasurer's office before going to work for County Prosecutor Bill Mason in 1999. He joined the County coroner's office in 2007.

County Coroner Frank Miller fired Coyne from his $120,000 job in October, shortly after he was implicated in the Terry bribery scheme. Miller also accused Coyne of stealing campaign money.

Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald has been conducting a review to determine whether Coyne improperly used his influence in the hiring of several county employees, including his former campaign chairman and a niece.

The comments are good; in them it is noted that Patrick Coyne was the new County Exec's driver during his campaign. So he'll be taken care of, no doubt. Funny how he resigned a day before the spaghetti hit the fan. So he had more warning than OBL about what was coming. Also it is suggested that Coyne will plea deal and turn evidence on Bill Mason and that's the real prize here. I haven't been following it closely enough, but that sounds right.

Jimmy Dimora on "all of this 'Good Government' stuff"

H/T Red State. Dimora's true colors are displayed when he gets angry at Plain Dealer reporter Henry Gomez and he starts casting aspersions on Gomez's wife.

Moe Lane points out rightly that the PD did report what Dimora claims they didn't, viz., that Taylor hadn't released the state audits, and that the article includes a quote from Dimora himself!

Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor has yet to release state audits from 2007 and 2008 because of corruption-related questions surrounding county finances. As discussion over the rehired retirees batted back and forth Thursday, Dimora blamed politics for the delay. Taylor is a Republican.

"No one wants [the audits] released more than me," Dimora said. The long wait, he complained, is "holding hostage Cuyahoga County taxpayers. It's not right, and it's not just."

So when Dimora accuses Gomez of lying he's totally full of it.

This took forever to load, and I can only hope that it is because everyone in the county is watching this pathetic meltdown.


Why do I live in Cuyahoga County anyway? Maybe it's so I can have a front row seat when Dimora gets flushed down for the turd he is.

Kucinich's departure will be different. The Great Mothership will come down and hover over Lakewood as it beams up the little guy for his glorious return voyage. I'll cry like I did at the end of ET.

FYI: Cuyahoga County Tax Relief

The Cuyahoga County Board of Revision Complaint site is a good resource for those in Cuyahoga who bought houses recently and the assessments are way too high. I just filled it out and all you really need is the parcel number of your property which you can find here if you need it. (Frank Russo's pic, aye-yai-yai...)

I've been told that it's a good bet that they will lower the assessed value if you can demonstrate a lower market value. There's even a spot where you can state that you will have a professional appraiser present testimony if the house hasn't been sold recently. I have to still get the thing notarized, but I'll let y'all know how I do.