But He’s Our Felon, Town Says of Mayor

So the mayor is a felon. So?

Yes, there’s that little matter of Ohio state law. It disqualifies felons from holding any public office “of honor, trust or profit.” That would seem to include the mayoralty.

And true, some folks here don’t like the idea of a man convicted of fraud running their town hall.

But many in Maineville love their mayor. They want him to stay in office.

So he’s a felon. So what?

“We all know what he’s accused of and what he’s admitted to,” said Pat Dressler, who runs the Crossroads Cafe. “But if we elect him as our mayor, it should stand.”

Maineville will, without a doubt, elect John Michael to a second term as mayor in November. After all, he’s the only candidate. And Michael will, without a doubt, become a felon shortly after the election, when he’s sentenced on a single count of mail fraud. After all, he’s pleaded guilty. (Under Ohio law, he’s not considered a felon until sentencing.)

This, then, is Maineville’s dilemma.

It’s a modest little village in southwestern Ohio, just 1,000 residents and two half-blocks of businesses, not even a Main Street to speak of. It’s a quiet place. Could even be called apathetic. In the past, it’s been hard to rustle up enough candidates to fill the six-seat Village Council.

So now that they’ve finally found a gung-ho, go-get-’em mayor to lead them, many here don’t want to let him go.

“He has done more for this village than anyone has in decades,” said Steve Harmon, a councilman and pastor of Maineville Baptist Church.

Indeed, as mayor, Michael launched a village festival that now brings in 12,000 visitors a year. He also started a popular “lobby hour,” a monthly forum where residents can air their gripes to the council. Michael created awards for good citizens. He bakes Christmas cookies with local kids. He donates his $1,000 village salary to fund community events. He even started a dining club that travels the region seeking out good restaurants.

“Basically, he brought Maineville out of its shell,” said Donna Lambert, a lifelong resident and council member. “A lot of people are very upset” at the prospect of losing him.

An insurance broker and published poet, Michael won’t talk about the case against him, except to say he’d “love to tell the whole story.” He pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud in June, after federal authorities accused him of submitting bogus expenses to win $45,000 in unjustified reimbursement from Prudential Insurance Co.

Sipping coffee under a framed copy of the certificate verifying his first election, Michael says he’ll resign if he absolutely must: “My intent is to do what is right by law.” But he insists that “from what I’ve read, there is nothing clear-cut about this.”

To Warren County Prosecutor Tim Oliver, it’s absolutely clear-cut: Even if Michael receives no jail time, he has to step down when sentenced. “The statute says you’re disqualified when you’re convicted. It’s not about whether [constituents] want to keep you,” Oliver said.

Still, Michael keeps hoping there’s some way--an official pardon, perhaps?--that community support can sustain him in office.

Maineville does have its share of residents who wish he would have resigned long ago. “He stole a great deal of money,” one said, outraged. “When a law’s broken, regardless of who does it, you need to pay the price.”

But this is a small town, and those opposed to a popular mayor often don’t feel comfortable speaking aloud. Michael’s fans have been far more vocal.

If they want to keep their mayor--knowing full well what he’s done--then they can’t understand why the state should object.

“With all the corruption and crime that goes on in Washington,” Council Member Ethel Whitaker said, “I just find it unfortunate that they’re going to stick to the book in a little town like this one.”