The political legacy of Carl B. Stokes and Louis Stokes came to an ignominious end on December 22, 2015 with the resignation of Angela R. Stokes from the Cleveland Municipal Court. Thus ended over 50 years of Ohio history in which a member of the Stokes family held elective office, service that started with the election of Carl B. Stokes to the Ohio legislature in 1962. Hopefully the political demise of the former Cleveland Municipal Court judge, the daughter of the late congressman, will do nothing to tarnish that great legacy of her father and uncle.
The resignation of Angela Stokes came after years of complaints by the public, lawyers, police officers, court employees and just about anyone who came in contact with Stokes on the bench. In 2013 over 300 formal complaints were filed with the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel, which is the arm of the Ohio Supreme Court that governs the actions of lawyers and judges, asserting various forms of judicial misconduct by Stokes. In response Stokes asserted that she did nothing wrong, alleged a conspiracy against her and commenced a defense that resulted in the hiring and firing of six sets of lawyers, all on the taxpayers’ dime. After months of investigations and hearings, in December of 2014, the Ohio Supreme Court found the allegations against Stokes so egregious that they took the unprecedented step of imposing an interim suspension of her law license which removed her from the bench — something that has never happened to an Ohio Judge.
First elected to the bench in 1995, Stokes was reelected in 2005 and 2011. In her 2011 reelection bid, the Plain Dealer and every bar association gave Stokes the lowest ratings and urged voter NOT to vote for her. The years of complaints had finally been taken seriously by the Plain Dealer and the Bar Associations, but not the voters.
Some 35,700 citizens disregarded the warning and got caught in the name game, putting Stokes back on the bench. Those voters should now take stock of what their vote cost the City of Cleveland and the State of Ohio. When they have to wait a little longer for police to respond, or seek the help of an ambulance or snow plow, they should be reminded of dollars the city has spent thus far on the defense of Angela Stokes. They should also be reminded that not one member of Cleveland City Council had to guts to speak up and question the blank check given Stokes by the Cleveland Law Department for her legal fees. Nor did they inquire as to how Stokes was allowed to pick and chose lawyers. Would the average city employee have the same discretion? I think not. But when your name is Stokes, I guess you have certain privileges.
Assuming that the city was correct in paying Stokes’ legal fees, shouldn’t it have occurred to someone on city council that legislation might be in order to make sure that the city is not forced into this kind of situation again? Wouldn’t it be logical to have legislation that would put a cap on legal fees for city employees; a monitoring process; and a required repayment in a situation where the employee fails to prevail in their defense? That’s what the Ohio Supreme Court does when it provides lawyers for judges accused of misconduct.
Thus far the City of Cleveland has spent more than a million dollars in legal fees for Stokes as she switched lawyers almost as frequently as she hired and fired bailiffs while on the bench. In addition, the State of Ohio, through the Disciplinary Counsel of the Ohio Supreme Court, has spent untold dollars on prosecuting the case, also a taxpayers expense.
The bulk of those legal fees have gone to Stokes’ latest lawyer, Larry Zuckerman, who was hired by Stokes this past June. Action 19 News revealed that he has billed the city for more than $700,000 and there are still several months of legal bills to be paid.
In an article appearing in the Plain Dealer the day of the settlement, Zuckerman bragged that the case was over because of his outstanding legal skills and was unapologetic when questioned by Action 19 News regarding the legal fees he earned from the City. He further pontificated that the Disciplinary Counsel had a “weak case” against his client: what happened to his client was a tragedy and that he was saving the city money by reaching a settlement.
Really? I’m not sure what planet Zuckerman resides on, but as he gloats all the way to the bank with legal fees earned on the backs of the poor people of Cleveland, he should be reminded of a couple of salient facts:
If the case presented by the Disciplinary Counsel was so weak and his client had done no wrong, why did throw in the towel? Continued assertions that the case against his client was without merit also gives rise to another issue. Is Zuckerman saying all 300 complainants are lying under oath? These complainants include judges, lawyers, court employees, responsible citizens and the almighty camera that captured her actions in live time.
Angela Stokes resigned from the bench and promised never to run for office again or seek any position in a judicial capacity. That doesn’t sound like an exoneration nor is it a slap on the wrist. She gave up a lot.
Angela Stokes lost her law license as a result of a summary decision by the Ohio Supreme Court. She has to re-apply to get it back and while the Disciplinary Counsel says they will not oppose it, there is no guarantee that she will get her license back. Once again, not a slap on the wrist.
Stokes’ final decision to resign probably lies with the issue of court cost. With 300 counts, it is assured that had this matter gone to trial, Stokes would have been found guilty of something. Take a look at some of Action 19 News’ video clips. You don’t have to be a great legal mind to know that judges don’t act that way. Just one finding of guilty would have meant that Stokes had to pay the cost of the proceedings — which are probably in the range of $75,000 or so — from her own pocket, not the city’s.
And speaking of Zuckerman’s legal fees, as a result of a public information request, the city has released Zuckerman’s bills for the period of June 2015 – October, 2015. Although the specific acts are redacted, its interesting to note two examples of his billing. On Saturday, August 15, Zuckerman billed the city for a total of 21 hours. At $175 per hour for his associates and $250 for his services, that’s a nice junk of change for one day. On the day of Congressman Louis Stokes’ funeral, Zuckerman charged for 3.7 hours. One can only speculate as to what he did on that date.
And one more caveat about legal fees. Now that Stokes has resigned and is no longer a city employee, I urge the law department of the City of Cleveland to come to the realization that her gravy train of free legal services is over. We the tax payers should stop paying. When and if she applies to regain her law license, if she needs a lawyer, that should be on her dime. The rumored use of City Law Department secretarial and administrative staff should also be over. With the signed resignation, Stokes reverts to a private citizen and the city should not do anything more for her than it would do for any other citizen.
The name Stokes has been magic in this community and rightfully so. Both Carl and Louis Stokes were persons of the highest caliber and integrity and made Cleveland and Ohio a better place because of their public service. I join with all the residents of Cleveland when I look with pride on the Louis Stokes wing of the Cleveland Public Library, the Louis Stokes Veterans Hospital and the Carl B. Stokes Federal Court House or drive down Stokes Boulevard.
Hopefully Angela Stokes will fade into the background and become a footnote in the history of a distinguished family. She has done enough damage to the citizens of this community and to the coffers of the City of Cleveland. If there is a legacy to her tenure on the bench, it should be that your vote counts; do your homework in voting for judges; and don’t just play the name game. If 10,000 Cleveland voters had done so, the taxpayers of the City of Cleveland and the State of Ohio would be much richer and the persons who appeared before now former Judge Angela Stokes and the public at large would not have been subjected to abuse by a person who was clearly not suited to wear the robe of a judge.
C. Ellen Connally is a retired judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court. From 2010 to 2014 she served as the President of the Cuyahoga County Council. An avid reader and student of American history, she serves on the Board of the Ohio History Connection and was recently appointed to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument Commission. She holds degrees from BGSU, CSU and is all but dissertation for a PhD from the University of Akron.
One Response to “The Resignation of Angela Stokes: The End of a Political Dynasty by C. Ellen Connally”
Bobo
Angela Stokes,proof that even a blind squirell finds a nut!