A judge has now been appointed to preside over a case against a Lima mayoral candidate and the Allen County Board of Elections.
A complaint and notice of appeal was filed earlier this month by Lima Resident Alice Donahue to Allen County Common Pleas Court against Elizabeth Hardesty, all members of the board of elections, its director, and the City of Lima. However, a motion was submitted to remove the City of Lima from the lawsuit. That motion has since been granted.
The complaint states the Lima city charter requires all elected officers of the city to be “residents and electors” for at least 6 months. It states Hardesty has not paid city or state income tax. And she resided in Houston, Texas, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Houston again from 2006 until now.
The complaint goes on to further reference social media posts from Hardesty where she stated she was living in Houston, Texas.
Allen County Judge Jeffrey Reed then requested a visiting judge cover the residency complaint.
On Wednesday the Ohio Supreme Court announced the appointment of a judge in the case. James A. Brogan, a retired judge of the Second District Court of Appeals, has been assigned to preside over the case.
As of Wednesday, no date has been set for a hearing on the lawsuit.
