Judge Winkler taps Cincinnati lawyer Steve Goodin to replace suspended Cincinnati City Councilman Jeff Pastor

Cincinnati attorney Steve Goodin has been tapped to temporarily replace Cincinnati Councilman Jeff Pastor, who was suspended from City Council last week after being arrested on bribery charges. Hamilton County Probate Court Judge Ralph "Ted" Winkler made the decision. 

The selection process was unusual, but then there is nothing usual in a year where three sitting Cincinnati City Council members are accused in pay-to-play schemes. The Cincinnati Charter does not have provisions for removal if a member is accused or convicted in corruption cases, so the process has played out in the courts.

Pastor accepted a suspension, initiated by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. The second part of the suspension process calls for the county probate court judge to select the council member's replacement. A citizen has moved to remove Pastor from office, but it's unclear if that process will go forward. Under the law, the city solicitor must decide to take up the citizen's request, and then prove in court Pastor committed malfeasance. No decision has been made about whether the city will go forward.

Goodin is a temporary replacement until the court case is completed or Pastor is removed from office. Federal court cases are not typically quick matters, meaning Goodin could be in the seat for the rest of Pastor's term, which ends at the end of 2021.

Winkler said he considered several candidates and took care with his decision.

"Of all the candidates I feel like Steve Goodin has the experience to hit the ground running," Winkler said. "He has the honesty and the integrity to help everyone in Cincinnati – not just a select few, but everyone."

This is believed to be the first time in Cincinnati this suspension/selection process has been used.

Goodin said he did not accept this appointment to advance a partisan agenda.

"The crisis facing Cincinnati is not one of right and left – it is one of right and wrong," Goodin said.

He said he plans to introduce legislation and propose Charter amendments, addressing what he calls "systemic corruption" that has taken root in City Council.

"We must once again take up the important work of fostering a robust local economy; addressing violent crime in our streets; and creating a more just and inclusive city for all," Goodin said. "The current scandal-plagued council has neglected this important work. That this failure continues unabated during a pandemic – when every aspect of our community faces existential challenges – is inexcusable.

We cannot allow “business as usual” to continue at City Hall."

Goodin, a Republican like Pastor, is a partner at Graydon Law Firm, specializing in litigation. When Councilwoman Amy Murray left Council earlier this year to take a job with the Trump administration, Goodin was on the shortlist to replace her. But ultimately it was Councilwoman Betsy Sundermann, a former assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor and former Hamilton County Probate Court magistrate, who got the job.

Goodin graduated from Miami University in 1992 with a bachelor of arts in English and political science. He worked in a few jobs before going to the University of Cincinnati Law School, graduating in 1999. 

Goodin is a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserves, serving active duty as a JAG lawyer in 2007 and 2008, as well as short tours in Germany. At Graydon, Goodin does courtroom litigation, but has represented the city in the past, notably representing the city's pension fund since 2009. He's also represented the economic development department when it had to claw back incentives from a developer related to a Paddock Road development.

Goodin is expected to be sworn in this afternoon, which will allow him to begin work. Mayor John Cranley has closed City Hall until Dec. 14 to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

FBI agents arrested Pastor Nov. 10 for leading what authorities describe as a brazen bribery scheme involving payoffs for help with city development projects.

Federal prosecutors say Pastor, who joined council in January 2018, began soliciting money from developers within months of taking office and, in some instances, accepted bags of cash in return for his vote or other favorable treatment.

A friend of Pastor’s, Tyran Marshall, also faces federal charges and is described by prosecutors as "a middleman" who arranged for some payments and set up a charitable nonprofit through which Pastor funneled bribes.

Prosecutors say undercover FBI agents posing as developers used electronic surveillance and at least two whistleblowers to unravel the pay-to-play scheme, which included a trip to Miami with a developer and solicitations by Pastor for cash, investment opportunities and jobs.

Throughout the investigation, prosecutors say, Pastor suggested dollar amounts for the bribes and directed the agents on how to pay them.

After his arrest a citizen filed action with the probate court seeking to remove Pastor from office. A hearing on that matter is set for Monday. In the meantime, Yost sought the suspension, which Pastor agreed too on Nov 20.

Pastor, who was elected in 2017 to a four-year term that commenced in 2018, will continue to be paid his $65,000 annual salary during the suspension period.

Councilwoman Tamaya Dennard was arrested on bribery charges earlier this year and has since pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud and been sentenced to spend 18 months in prison, a sentence that will begin at some next year after the coronavirus pandemic threat has passed.

Dennard resigned and, as the city process calls for, a fellow council member designee she selected – P.G. Sittenfeld – choose her replacement, Jan Michele Lemon-Kearney. 

Sittenfeld himself was arrested Nov. 19 on federal bribery charges. Yost has begun the suspension process, which Sittenfeld is expected to fight. He said in a statement after his arrest that he is innocent and plans to continue to serve on council and run for mayor in the 2021 city election.

About Steve Goodin

Age: 51

Neighborhood: Clifton

Party: Republican

Education: Graduated from Miami University in 1992 with a bachelor of arts in English and political science. Went to University of Cincinnati Law School, graduating in 1999. 

Past work experience: After college, worked for Cox Newspapers; the Ohio Legislative Service Commission, where he was assigned to the House Republican Caucus under Bill Batchelder, who would go on to be speaker of the house; a year in the Peace Corp., The Cincinnati Business Courier and then to law school.

Community work: Board chair of the Center for Addiction Treatment, the area’s largest opiate treatment facility; serves on the Hamilton County Public Defender Commission and on the board of the new King Records Legacy Committee, which is restoring the historic studio site in Evanston.

Family: Divorced, three children ages 9-18