Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Mayor Richard Homrighausen (right) looks over his shoulder while waiting to read ’Twas the Night Before Christmas’ at the Dover Christmas Parade, Dec. 4, 2021 in Dover. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Richard Homrighausen almost made it to 30 years of service as the mayor of Dover, Ohio – a small Appalachian town in northern Ohio, about two hours from Cleveland. Mayor Richard Homrighausen (right) looks over his shoulder while waiting to read ’Twas the Night Before Christmas’ at the Dover Christmas Parade, Dec. 4, 2021 in Dover. Pictured at left is his son, Nick (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen returns to his office Dec 21 in Dover after firing Service Director Dave Douglas at the end of the business day. When questioned about the events, the mayor said he was, "just taking care of the cities' business." He then went on to fire two more people: his executive assistant, and the safety director, thereby gutting the core of city operations – actions viewed as retaliatory for the filing of sworn affidavits by those employees affirming charges of corruption against Homrighausen. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen hands paperwork to Safety Director Gerry Mroczkowski after firing him, the mayor's secretary, and the safety director, Dec 21 in Dover. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Nick Homrighausen, the mayor's oldest son, and wife, Linda, converse during the City Council meeting, Jan. 3 in Dover. The embattled mayor is under investigation by the State of Ohio for a lengthy list of reasons surrounding documented corrupt practices. A book of ordinances from 1976 went missing from the room the two are pictured standing, and Linda was discovered in the room after hours by the mayor's former secretary, whom he fired along with the service director and safety director just days before Christmas – now referred to by City Council as 'whistle-blower retaliation.' (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen listens to questions after the City Council meeting, Jan. 3 in Dover. He departed, only before answering, 'no comment.' (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Eva Newsom chats with Gerry Mroczkowski as Dave Douglas listens in, at right, during a special session of Dover City Council, Jan. 31. All three were employees fired by Mayor Homrighausen just days before Christmas – an act now referred to by City Council as 'whistleblower retaliation.' (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”The Homrighausen family is seen enjoying the Dover boys basketball game against University School. According to some locals at the game, the Homrighausens had not previously been seen at a game for nearly 30 years. Meanwhile, city council was holding an emergency session to discuss the potential reinstatement of the employees fired by the mayor just before Christmas. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”City Council President Shane Gunnoe gavels out a special session of the Dover City Council, Feb. 8, to discuss and pass emergency ordinance 722 addressing the potential reinstatement of the three employees fired by Mayor Homrighausen just before Christmas of 2021. The State of Ohio Ethics Commission had ruled in favor of the employees, granting them reinstatement because the mayor's actions had been deemed retaliatory. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”City of Dover Law Director Douglas O'Meara answers questions related to the ongoing investigation into Mayor Homrigausen, far left, during a normal session of Dover City Council, Feb. 21. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Dover resident Jennifer Flaherty addresses Mayor Homrighausen directly during a normal session of Dover City Council, Monday, Feb. 21. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Dover School Board member Brian Hanner pieces together the resignation letter he penned, and delivered in person to Mayor Richard Homrighausen during a normal session of Dover City Council. The letter was hand written and contained only one word: "resign." (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”City of Dover employees Gerry Mroczkowski, Eva Newsom, and Dave Douglas return to work March 25, after an agreement between the Ohio State Personnel Board of Review and the city was approved. The employees alleged that Mayor Richard Homrighausen violated whistleblower statues for providing testimony included in last year’s investigation into the mayor’s behavior. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Mayor Richard Homrighausen arrives for a meeting with city superintendents at the Dover Water Works Plant, March 25. Journalists were informed that the meeting was open to the public, but instead were locked out. When asked what the meeting was about, the mayor replied, "It will all be settled in a court of law." Shortly before the meeting, the employees he had fired were reinstated. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen sits in the courtroom of Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos for his arraignment on 15 counts related to theft in office among others, March 30 at the Tuscarawas County Courthouse in New Philadelphia. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”After learning of the suspension of Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen, Eva Newsom, the mayor's executive assistand and Gerry Mroczkowski, the public safety/human resources director take phone calls and seek legal advice about how to proceed in the matter at Dover City Hall. Newsom, Mroczkowski and Dave Douglas (not pictured) were the three city employees fired by the mayor shortly before Christmas of 2021. The three employees alleged that the mayor violated whistleblower statues for providing testimony included in last year's investigation in to the mayor's behavior. They were subsequently rehired after a State board approved a settlement between them and the City of Dover. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”After learning of the suspension of Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen, Public Safety Director Gerry Mroczkowski affixes crime scene tape at the mayor's office door, at Dover City Hall. Mroczkowski, Eva Newson and Dave Douglas (not pictured) were the three city employees fired by the mayor shortly before Christmas of 2021. The three employees alleged that the mayor violated whistleblower statues for providing testimony included in last year's investigation in to the mayor's behavior. They were subsequently rehired after a State board approved a settlement between them and the City of Dover. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Shortly before his corruption trial, suspended Dover Mayor Richard P. Homrighausen (left center) in suit, converses with family members, Nick and Linda while Interim Mayor Shane Gunnoe, at right in tie, also socializes Nov. 9, in the Tuscarawas County Courthouse. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Suspended Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen (center) looks over written documents during his trial, Nov. 15 in Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos’s courtroom at the Tuscarawas County Courthouse. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Tuscarawas County Prosecutor Ryan Styer speaks to Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos about getting a last-minute defense witness – the only defense witness – into the court to testify at 1 p.m., on day three of the trial of suspended Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen’s trial, Nov. 15 in the Tuscarawas County Courthouse. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”A list of wedding fees are displayed from an overhead projector on day three of the trial of suspended Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen’s trial, Tuesday in Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos’s courtroom at the Tuscarawas County Courthouse. The fee schedule became a critical contentious piece of evidence as the special prosecutor noted that Mayor Homrighausen instructed his executive assistant, Eva Newsom, to remove the list from plain view while state investigators were present in the office. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Attorney Mark R. DeVan presents closing arguments on day three of the trial of suspended Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen’s trial Nov. 15 in Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos’s courtroom at the Tuscarawas County Courthouse. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Suspended Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen reacts to being found guilty of theft in office Nov. 16 in Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos’s courtroom at the Tuscarawas County Courthouse. Pictured standing at center is defense attorney William Livingston. Pictured at right seated is Richard Homrigausen's son, Nick, his wife, Linda and an unknown supporter of the family. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
Ohio Understanding Award - First Place, “Mayor of Dover”Suspended Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen (second from left) meets with family, supporters, and attorneys after being convicted of theft in office, Nov. 16 in Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos’s courtroom at the Tuscarawas County Courthouse. (Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter)
