The five Cincinnati City Council members who wrongfully exchanged text messages and emails about city business will not be allowed to decide who will pay legal fees involved.
The Ohio Ethics Commission says P.G. Sittenfeld, Tamaya Dennard, Chris Seelbach, Wendell Young and Greg Landsman can't discuss or vote on a motion requiring they repay taxpayers the 176-thousand-dollars spent defending them against a lawsuit that was later settled. The commission says the case poses a clear conflict of interest.