State ex rel. Strothers v. Wertheim

Today we are again called upon to decide what constitutes a “public office” and what records are “public records” for purposes of the Public Records Act. The Citizens of Cuyahoga County Ombudsman Office is a private, *156nonprofit corporation, supported by public funds, established for the purpose of assisting the citizens of Cuyahoga County in resolving complaints against agencies of the county government. The primary issue in this case is whether the Ombudsman Office is a “public office” as defined by R.C. 149.011(A) and thereby subject to the public records disclosure requirements of R.C.…