Ohio County Bans Contractors With Legal Troubles

Officials in Cleveland’s Cuyahoga County say they’ll blacklist contractors that have had run-ins with the law.

The county council voted Tuesday to ban companies that have been convicted of a crime or have been the target a civil judgment within the past five years. The measure bans those companies from receiving public contracts for up to five years.

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reports that bans of three years or 18 months could be imposed for a variety of lesser offenses.

The ban comes in response to a years-long corruption investigation that resulted in the convictions of more than 50 people, including former County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora and ex-County Auditor Frank Russo.