Trotwood Mayor Resigns

Trotwood Mayor Resigns, Vice Mayor Cameron To Fill Term

By Bruce Kettelle

Following a hastily called special city council meeting tonight, Vice Mayor Joyce Sutton Cameron announced that Trotwood Mayor Darreyl Davis has resigned. Cameron will be sworn in on March 1st to complete the unexpired portion of his term through the end of 2011.

Davis has been under fire since the release of a January investigation report from the Ohio Inspector General. The investigation revealed that Davis had conducted city business for Trotwood while on the clock at the Ohio Department of Transportation. Davis worked for ODOT for 30-years before his resignation last fall after the allegations came to light.

"City council will accept the resignation at the regular meeting in March and swear in the vice mayor to fill the remaining time of his term," said Cameron in a prepared statement. The resignation letter did not give any reasons for his decision.

"We will interview and appoint someone to fill my seat," Cameron said. By the city charter the city council has 60-days to make that appointment.

Cameron said the investigation has only had one negative impact on the city causing a delay in the next phase of design work for the Salem Mall site.. The investigation revealed that the city's design contractor for the mall site had given a friend of Davis a $5,000 finders fee for helping to land the contract. Davis himself did not receive any of that money.

"We want to come out from this as a whole council," said Cameron optimistically. "We intend on moving ahead together." She hopes the residents will have more confidence in their elected officials as they move forward.

Davis did not return phone calls for comment. His letter ended "I wish the City of Trotwood much success in the future."

Trotwood resident Janice Chinn said, "It's sad that this change had to happen this way." Chinn, a critic of the Mayor and unsuccessful city council candidate thinks the citizens will get behind the new mayor.