Youngstown councilwoman calls residency investigation 'unwarranted'

Youngstown 7th Ward Councilwoman Amber White has responded to an investigation into her residency and whether or not she is eligible to serve on City Council.

Earlier in the week, Youngstown Mayor Tito Brown called for a second investigation into White's residency due to her owning a home on Tibbetts Wick Road in Liberty Township.

Now White has issued a response calling the investigation "unwarranted" and asserting that she has complied fully with all legal obligations and transparency requests.

"The city's Law Department already confirmed what I've always known - I live in the 7th Ward. The Board of Elections confirmed it too. This should have ended there, yet here we are, watching taxpayer money being spent on a third party investigation simply because the Mayor didn't like the outcome," White said.

A representative for the City of Youngstown previously told 21 News Mayor Brown did not believe the first study to be biased or not objective and said the second study was done after several requests and recent information on White's address.

However, White argues that the continued push to question her eligibility without new evidence and in "direct contradiction" to recent legal findings amounts to retaliation and undermines the legal process.

"When we allow politics to override law, we put every public service at risk. Today it's me, tomorrow it could be any of us," White said.

According to a news release from White's attorney Rhys Cartwright-Jones, Youngstown's City Charter provides no authority for initiating a third inquiry after two lawful determinations.

From there, the only legal mechanism to challenge an elected official's qualifications is through a quo warranto action in the Court of Appeals.

"Given the two bodies have already confirmed councilmember White's residency, any further legal action without new evidence could be deemed frivolous under Civil Rule 11 and could potentially give rise to a malicious prosecution claim," Cartwright-Jones said.

The second investigation is still ongoing at this time.