WARREN — The self-proclaimed “bounty hunter” for open meetings violators in Ohio has set his sights on three Trumbull County school districts that he says skirted the law in establishing policies for public meeting notifications.

Brian M. Ames of Ranfield Road, Mogadore, on Feb. 15 filed three separate civil actions in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. Named as defendants are Girard City Schools, and the Weathersfield and Howland local school districts.

In each case, Ames is asking a judge to order the respective districts pay him a $500 civil forfeiture because of the alleged violations.

In the past two years, Ames had settled out of court with various Trumbull County communities he had sued because of alleged Ohio Open Meetings Act violations.

Ames has denied the tactic is a money-making scheme — he said he just wants the public bodies “to follow the law.”

In the latest cases, Ames is charging the three districts with violating the Ohio Revised Code by their failure to establish a rule for notifications of public meetings that is compliant with the terms of the open meetings law.

In each lawsuit, Ames alleges each of the three school boards established a policy that is silent as to any method or manner of notifying the general public of the time, place and purpose of special meetings.

In each case, Ames points to an Oct. 29, 2020, decision signed by Mahoning County Common Pleas Judge R. Scott Krichbaum, in finding a public meetings violation against the Lowellville school district, finding its policy was not compliant with the state’s open meetings law because of a failure to establish a rule for notification of meetings.

In August 2020 during the pandemic, the Lowellville superintendent decided to switch to remote-only learning to start out that school year. The decision eliminated parents’ option for in-person learning for the first nine weeks. In a lawsuit, Chris and Gina Crilley alleged that the district did not properly notify the public of a special meeting in which the decision was made. They said they learned about the meeting only after reading comments online after the meeting was held.

gvogrin@tribtoday.com