Ohio: Jimmy Dimora Corruption Trial Begins

Witness list in Jimmy Dimora corruption trial should provide some surprises: Mark Naymik
By Mark Naymik, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

Former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora's public corruption trial just got a whole lot more interesting for me.

It has nothing to do with charges of bribery, prostitution, gambling trips or taped phone conversations, which illustrate how little Dimora and his buddies cared about the public's interests.

What excites me is the witness list, revealed publicly for the first time Wednesday during jury selection.

The list includes many obvious players, such as former Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo and J. Kevin Kelley, the big weasel in all this who pleaded guilty early in the investigation to acting as a middleman in bribery schemes involving Dimora and Russo.

But the list also contains a lot of people who could know a lot but from whom we have heard little.

For example, I can't wait to hear from Cleveland Councilman Martin J. Sweeney.

He's generally so approachable that he's comes across as bumbling at times. But he's repeatedly refused to talk about his interaction with a businessman implicated in the case and whose description in court papers match that of Michael Forlani, who headed Doan Pyramid Electric. Forlani is accused of bribing public officials.

Sweeney, whose name appears on subpoenas for records served on several companies in the corruption probe, has dodged questions about Forlani and his company for more than three years, since a Plain Dealer investigation showed that Doan helped to build a $50,000 addition to Sweeney's home in 2002. He's said that he received nothing for free, but he has failed to fulfill his promise to show his receipts. Without subpoena power, The Plain Dealer has had little leverage to make him talk.

The witness list doesn't reveal who the witnesses will be called by, the prosecution or defense. Some witness – like those who have pleaded guilty – are obviously there to help prosecutors.

While its unclear how Sweeney will be used, it will be nice to finally hear from the second most powerful official in Cleveland. I wish I could throw in a few questions when he's under oath.

I also look forward to the testimony of Joe Nanni, former Human Resources Director for the county and now chief of staff to the county council. He was responsible for keeping track of personnel changes at the county. He could testify that Dimora tried to treat government like a hiring hall. Or, perhaps even more interesting, he'll say everything ran by the book. Of course, that would have to mean there was a book, and we now know the county had few rules for hiring before voters launched a new government last year.

Tom Day, Bedford Clerk of Courts, who matches the description in court papers of Public Officail 13, is also worth watching. A prominent figure inside county Democratic Party circles, he's quietly built an influential political base in the southeast suburbs. He was close to Dimora and is a political ally of county prosecutor Bill Mason.

Day certainly knows plenty.

We are also sure to gain insight into Dimora's personality and habits from Patrick Smock, Dimora's former campaign treasurer and county executive assistant at the time federal agents raided Dimora's office in 2008.

Smock has never been implicated. You have to wonder, though, how much he saw and if he and others, such as Day, are among the 10 confidential informants who helped federal investigators. Their identities remain under court seal.

The county's former top administrator, Dennis Madden, also could testify. He had oversight on everything that passed through the county commission's hands. What does he know?

The witness list also includes a suburban mayor or two and others who can color in Dimora's time as party chairman, regardless of whether the prosecution or defense is calling them to the stand.

There are others witnesses whom we know little or nothing about.

Will witnesses say they were paid to have sex with Dimora? Will they say Dimora was nothing more than a gentleman.

Will someone surprise us with testimony that reveals Dimora gave far more attention to good government issues than he's been given credit for thus far?

This trial is likely to give us daily revelations about how our government worked. I expect it will be riveting.