Ex-mayor sues Chauncey

The perpetually troubled village of Chauncey has now been sued by its former mayor, who resigned from office after both village residents and village council members filed legal petitions against her.

Ginger Mender, her husband and her two daughters filed suit Dec. 30 in Athens County Common Pleas Court, naming as defendants the village and 11 current or former village officials. The other plaintiffs are Stace Mender, Melissa N. Nicholson of The Plains and Cassie A. Gardner of Nelsonville.

The lawsuit contains a laundry list of complaints against the village, most stemming from the ongoing and bitter dispute that Mender had with her council and other village officials including Solicitor Robert Shostak practically from the moment she entered office, and which ended only with her resignation last year.

Shostak could not be reached for comment over the weekend.

It also alleged that the village discriminated against Mender because she is female; forced her out with "intolerable" working conditions; defamed her; intentionally interfered with her job; committed abuse of the legal process in trying to force her out; conspired against her; violated Ohio's whistleblower protection statute; violated public policy; intentionally inflicted emotional distress; denied her husband and daughters her companionship and "consortium"; and in Shostak's case, committed legal malpractice.

Among the allegations is that the defendants falsely claimed that Mender had had an affair with the village police chief while she was mayor, and that she had asked the village for money in exchange for her resignation.

The suit also rehashes a long list of allegations that were made against Mender as mayor, and which she claimed were false, including that she misused a village cell phone; changed the amounts on her water bills and let other residents do the same; ordered her water re-connected after it was shut off for non-payment; interfered with the fiscal officer and administrator's duties; encouraged residents to disregard village ordinances relating to water bills; revealed the contents of Village Council executive sessions; told lies; and claimed that she was being "hit on" by male village employees and residents.

After Mender was sued to get her out of office, she said in the suit, she had to hire private legal counsel because Shostak would not defend her. After the suits against her were dismissed, she resigned.

Her suit also claimed that the defendants told lies about her to the Athens Messenger, including that she had prevented Chauncey from attaining FEMA flood-plain compliance; had secured unapproved water adjustments; and had tried to dissolve the village.

The defendants have asked for at least $25,000 in damages. Dustin S. Lewis is serving as attorney for Mender and her family.