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<br />BY.• The Mayor and Entire Council
<br />--W
<br />CITY OF NORTH OLMSTED
<br />RESOL UTION NO. 2 D 01-1 S 9
<br />A RESOL UTION COMMENDING THE PUBLIC
<br />SERVICE OFMICHAEL R GAREAU, DIRECTOR
<br />OFLAW FOR THE CITY OFNORTH OLMSTED.
<br />WHEREAS, Michael R Gareau, after having served the City of North Olmsted with great honor and
<br />distinction as its elected Directar of Law for eight terms of offue totaling 28 years, has decided to retire from
<br />public service this year; and
<br />WHEREAS, Michael R Gareau, the son of former North Olmsted Mayor Paul Gareau, fust
<br />campaigned jor the office of Director of Law in 1973, when Richard Nixon was still Preszdent of the United
<br />S'tates, pledging that, if elected, he woug in addWon to performing the duties of the Diredor of Law as stated in
<br />the City Charter, attend all meetings of City Council and that either he, or another member of the Law
<br />Deparbnen4 would attend all medings of the Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals; and
<br />further pledging that he wou[d personally Ifigate all lawsuits filed against the City in order to keep the costs of
<br />hiring ezpensive outszde legal counsel to a bare minimum; and
<br />WHEREAS, Michael R Gareau, truly did what too jew other politicians have done over the course of
<br />such long public service careers- he kept his word to the voters! In addition to perfor»ring all of the duties of the
<br />Diredor of Law, as provided for in the City Charter, at a level of ezcellence, he attended virtually every meeting
<br />of the City Council over the last 28 years-until major surgeries in the years 1999 and 2000 literally took him out
<br />of his seat and forced him to miss several meetings. Moreover, over the past 28 year? he personally took charge
<br />of every lawsuit filed against the City, as he had promised, and vigorously asserted in each case every defense
<br />available to the City as an Ohio municipal corporation. In defending the City's interests, he always resisted the
<br />pressure from the plaintiJfs' trial bar to take the easy rorde and settle City lawsuits by "throwing" sdtleinent
<br />dollars at the plaintiffs Instead, Mike treated the pub[ic tax dollars as if they were his family's grocery money.
<br />He never selt[ed a case? unless there was no other reasonable legal option left to the City; and
<br />WHEREAS, over the course of his [ong tenure as Diredor of Law, Michael R Gareau successjully
<br />litigated many, many cases to judgment in the City's javor, including the following notable cases which made
<br />new law in the Starte ojOhio: Rush x City of North Olmsted (1981); City of North Olmsted v. Thompson (1983);
<br />City ojNorth Olmsted v. Police and Firemen's Disability Penszon Fund (I984); State, ez reL Corrigan x Noble
<br />(1986); Franchise Operations (Burger ging) x City of North Olmsted (1987); S[ivka v. City of North Olmsted
<br />(1988); State, ex reL Eliza Jennings v. Noble (1990); Faughender x City ojNorth Olmsted (1991); State, ex rel.
<br />North Olmsted Firefighters v City oJNorth Olmsted (1992); Stat.e, ex reL Cater v. City of North Olmsted (1994);
<br />Hughes v. City of North OGnsted (1996); State, ez reC Faltlar x Boyle (1998); and City of North Obnsted v.
<br />North Olmsted Land Holdings (2000); and
<br />WHEREAS, the las2 five Mayors of this City, the many City Council members who have served during
<br />Mike's tenure, numerous City administrative ojficials, all of the boards and commissions of the City, and the
<br />residents of North Olmsted have benefited immensely over the years by Mike's dedicated public service as the
<br />Diredor ofLaw; and
<br />WHEREAS, as Mike himself has stated-on more than just a single occasion, there is a time to sow and
<br />a time to reap; and, after having smvn so much good as a public offusal for the City ojNorth OGnsted for so
<br />many years, it is certainly Mike's time to begin, with his wife, Gayle, his children, Danette, gelly, DaviA Michael,
<br />Jr., and Allison, and his grandchildren, Meredith, Ashley, geith, Colleen, and Jacly to reap the benefits of his
<br />long and dedicated public service;
<br />NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORTH
<br />OLMSTED, COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA AND STATE OF OHIO:
<br />SECTION 1: That the Council oJthe City of North Olmsted personally and colledively, and on behalf of
<br />the Mayor and Administration and all the residents of the City, honors the public service oJMichael R Gareau,
<br />and ealends its debt of gratitude to him for his long and extraorcknary public service to the Cily of North OGnsted
<br />as its eleeted Diredor of Law.
<br />SECTION 2: Thcd this Resolution be spread in full upon the records of this Council and that the Clerk
<br />of Council is hereby directed to forward a duly autheniicated and executed copy of this Resolution to Michael R
<br />Gareau.
<br />SECTION 3: That this Resolution shall be in ejfed from and after the earliest period allowed by law.
<br />PASSED: ATTEST:
<br />B?UWARA L. SEMAN
<br />Cle-rk of Council
<br />APPROVED: /2
<br />S '
<br />?P A .1` /I 'Y.z I-lo-ex...
<br />J4 ET A. SARINGER
<br />esident of Council
<br />MAYOR NORMAN T. MiISIAL
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