Attorney Ira Mirkin, legal counsel for the Association of Classified Employees, wasn’t notified of Tuesday’s hearing involving the union’s former treasurer Carol Hovanes, who pleaded no contest to one count of theft.
Mirkin represents the union that Hovanes stole from but wasn’t notified.
Really?
Mirkin then realized that he was accused of being uncooperative in the investigation leading up to the plea entry after reading Wednesday’s edition of the Vindicator.
“The notion that [the union representatives] weren’t cooperative is complete and utter nonsense,” Mirkin said.
Copies of certified mail and receipts affirming their arrival at the office of Bob Bush, assistant county prosecutor, prove Mirkin’s effort.
“YSU-ACE requests that I be notified at once of the times, dates and locations of all court proceedings relating to charges against Ms. Hovanes so that YSU-ACE may present its objects to the court if necessary,” a hand-delivered letter from Mirkin read.
It was written on July 14, 2010.
“We’re going two years back here,” Mirkin said.
Mirkin made constant attempts to communicate. He wrote formal requests for hearing notices and hand delivered thousands of pages to Bush.
All Mirkin did not do was camp out in front of the courtroom.
The city is cracking down on loiterers downtown, so that probably would not have worked either.
“The documents that Mr. Mirkin provided us was the result of a grand jury subpoena and all files were in relation to Ms. Hovanes,” Bush said. “We were looking for other people of interest. They were not in the file.”
Despite what Bush may feel about Mirkin’s cooperation and legitimacy for an objection to the plea bargain, nearly 400 union members were stolen from and as a representation in a legal system that is intended to represent justice, fairness and equality, their voice should have been heard.
