By April Rodgers, Freelance Journalist | FreeWire — Your News, Your Voice
The Ohio Court of Claims has recommended a ruling against Elmer Copp of Galion, who filed two separate public-records complaints against the City of Bucyrus and Bucyrus City Council earlier this year.
Copp’s first complaint involved a request for text messages and phone records from Bucyrus City Council member Clarissa Scheffler-Slater during the April 1 Bucyrus City Council meeting. The council responded within two days, providing some text messages. Scheffler-Slater later signed an affidavit swearing there were no additional texts related to city business. The special master found that Copp provided no evidence to suggest otherwise.
The second complaint stemmed from a statement by Bucyrus City Law Director Brandon Gobrecht, who said Copp was employed by a company that had sued the city. Copp filed a public-records request asking for proof of that claim. Gobrecht replied that his source was Copp’s own Facebook page. Because personal social media pages are not considered public records, the court determined that no violation occurred.
In both cases, Special Master Todd Marti concluded that Copp failed to meet his burden of proof and recommended that the court enter judgment in favor of the City of Bucyrus and City Council. Marti also advised that Copp be responsible for the costs of filing the cases.
The ruling, issued under consolidated case numbers 2025-00552PQ and 2025-00684PQ, is a recommendation to the Court of Claims judge. The decision will become final once the judge reviews and adopts the report, unless objections are filed within seven business days.
Photos of Elmer Copp, Galion from the City of Bucyrus Facebook page. Court documents from Ohio Court of Claims Portal.
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