OTTAWA — Some voters in the Franklin County Commission 4th District will hold a public hearing to discuss Commissioner Steve Harris’ absences from commission meetings. The meeting will be 7 p.m. Friday at the Harrison Township Community Center. Harris was named by the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs to a special task force to suggest an overhaul of the troubled Veterans Administration hospital system. Since he began serving in mid-April, Harris hasn’t attended any commission meetings. However, he said many of his commission duties occur outside of the meetings, and that he’s able to continue representing the district. However, most of his fellow commissioners haven’t been willing to set up a telephone hookup to allow Harris to participate in the commission meetings nor have they been willing to hold evening meetings to accommodate his schedule. The group holding the meeting believes Harris can’t properly represent the district without attending the meetings, said, Steve Cox, one of the organizers of the meeting. He said some may ask Harris to resign or they’ll start a recall drive. He said Harris has been invited to the meeting, and that he expects Harris to attend.
Tuesday, June 21, 4 p.m.
