” Local lawyer and member of UA’s board of trustees Jack Morrison Jr. said Wednesday that he will not resign from his position on the Summit County board of elections. His firm refusal to step down came in response to an Oct 5. letter from Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner that called for his resignation.”
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Local lawyer and member of UA’s board of trustees Jack Morrison Jr. said Wednesday that he will not resign from his position on the Summit County board of elections.

His firm refusal to step down came in response to an Oct 5. letter from Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner that called for his resignation.

Brunner’s request for his resignation cited the circumstance and serious nature of Morrison’s conviction on two misdemeanor ethics charges and gave him until the close of business Wednesday to resign. Morrison was charged with the violations after he failed to report income from his son on financial documents filed with the Ohio Ethics Commission.

Morrison’s letter, received by Brunner’s office late Wednesday afternoon, clearly stated the reasons behind his decision not to step down.

I am not compelled to resign the post, because I did nothing wrong, Morrison’s letter said.

Morrison continues to say that he is not guilty of the charges and is confident that the misdemeanor convictions will be overturned on appeal.

”My conviction was founded upon an error in what constitutes ‘income,’ Morrison wrote. At worst, it was a mistake in how I categorized information that I had already provided to the ethics commission. There was no deceptive intent.”

Morrison may now face an administrative hearing before Brunner.

Basically, the secretary of state could offer a complaint, basically alleging certain things. An administrative hearing before the secretary of state or her designee could be scheduled, Jeff Ortega, Brunner’s assistant director of communications, said. After this process, Morrison could be removed from his position on the board.

Morrison’s letter requested that Brunner allow his appeal, which he filed with the 9th District Court of Appeals Sept. 9, to run its course before taking any further action.

Morrison’s four year term on the board, which began in March of 2006, will end in March 2010. His appeal is expected to take six months to come to a conclusion.

He could not be reached for further comment.

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