Do You Agree With Karen Prasser's Lawsuit Against Solon?
Discuss what you think about the lawsuit filed recently by the former director of the Solon Center for the Arts against the city.
Karen Prasser
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Sunday, March 10, 2013
Saturday, March 2, 2013
READ: Karen Prasser's Lawsuit Against Solon
Read the lawsuit filed by Karen Prasser against the city of Solon.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Karen Prasser Files Lawsuit Against Solon, Mayor Susan Drucker
Karen Prasser, who resigned last year from her job as director of the Solon Center for the Arts, has filed a five-count lawsuit against Solon Mayor Susan Drucker and the City of Solon
Former Solon Center for the Arts Director Karen Prasser has filed a lawsuit against Solon Mayor Susan Drucker and the city, according to court records. The lawsuit, filed Feb. 27 in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, alleges that Prasser was subjected to age discrimination, defamation and other charges against Drucker and other city employees, including Human Resources Director Tom Cornhoff and Finance Director Dennis Kennedy. Prasser is represented by Caryn Groedel, a Solon attorney who handles employment law. Prasser seeks at least $25,000 in damages, payment of lost wages and any punitive damages the court awards her. Court records also show that Prasser has demanded a jury trial. We are working to get the lawsuit posted on the site…
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Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Top Stories of 2012: Solon Arts Center Under Investigation
Solon Patch reviews its most-read stories of 2012.
Our top story of the year, both in terms of readership and discussion, was the announcement that the Solon Center for the Arts was under investigation. Have you heard there's something going on at the Solon Center for the Arts but don't know the details? Solon Patch has been reporting on the story, and has a number of articles that can get you caught up. The gist: Executive Director Karen Prasser resigned in early September. The next week, the city announced that they were investigating "irregularities" at the arts center under the city's new fraud policy. Let's be clear: It has not been confirmed that Prasser's resignation is linked to the investigation, and city officials aren't talking. Russell Schneider, an assistant recreation …
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Friday, December 7, 2012
Chagrin Solon Sun Editorial: Should Karen Prasser Be Punished For Not Knowing the Rules?
The editor of the Chagrin Solon Sun opines that Solon leaders have a dilemma on their hands about the Solon Center for the Arts investigation.
The editor of the Chagrin Solon Sun says in an editorial that the Solon city leaders have a dilemma on their hands in how they handle an investigation into irregularities at the Solon Center for the Arts. The editor writes: Upon reviewing the documentation provided by the city, it would seem if Prasser was guilty of anything, it would be excessive naivete. There were many procedural errors she committed because she did not realize she was doing anything wrong. The question facing Solon officials as this investigation continues is to determine to what extent Prasser should be punished for these errors. The newpaper editor goes on to ask that, if Prasser did not know the rules, why didn't city leaders teach her? "If Prasser truly did not …
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Anonymous
10:29 pm on Friday, December 7, 2012
Karen lived and breathed the Solon center for the arts. It was her heart and soul. This entire situation is heartbreaking. This is such a shame knowing everything she has done to grow the center and bring art and culture to this city. The good she has done, in my opinion out weighs the mistakes made. This investigation seems like a bit of a witch hunt and a ridiculous waste of city resources. The… more ›
Investigators Focus On Arts Center Secretary's Work With Friends Group
For years, Karen Prasser's secretary helped manage the financial accounts for the non-profit Friends of the Solon Center for the Arts. It wasn't until May 2012 that city leaders put a stop to it.
From 2006 until her retirement in June 2012, Joan Long was secretary to Karen Prasser, the former director of the Solon Center for the Arts. During that time, Long also helped manage the books of the Friends of the Solon Center for the Arts, a private nonprofit group that fundraises for the arts center's programs. Long also received checks from Friends, which Prasser said were only for re-imbursements, according to city documents. That mix of public and private work by Long was not proper, city officials told Prasser in a May 2012 memo, and is now a key issue in the city's investigation of "irregularities" at the Solon Center for the Arts. (Read the memo attached at the right.) After that May memo, Long had to give up the Friends duties. …
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Rocco
10:50 pm on Tuesday, December 11, 2012
They will, Harry. I think we're getting closer to the answers. more ›
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Read the Memos At the Center of the Arts Center Controversy
A series of city memos, obtained by public records request, are a window into what happened before Karen Prasser resigned in September and before the city began its investigation.
Documents in Karen Prasser's personnel file reveal reasons for why she resigned as director the Solon Center for the Arts and shed light on the city's pending investigation under the fraud policy. Read the documents in the window above. The documents attached include: Some of the contents of the documents were first reported by the Chagrin Solon Sun. In May, Finance Director Dennis Kennedy sent Prasser a memo detailing his concern about the arts center's accounting practices with Friends of the Solon Center for the Arts, a non-profit that fundraises for the SCA but is not affiliated with the city. Prasser resigned in Sept. 6 and days later the city announced it was investigating the arts center for "irregularities" under the fraud policy. …
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Anne
10:14 am on Sunday, March 17, 2013
Kelly, again, the arts center is a city department. It has NOT been designated as a regional arts center. Look at the city and arts center websites. Change in status must be done legally and we would hear about it at city meetings and the media. For now, regardless of what anyone says or thinks, it is a CITY DEPARTMENT. more ›
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
UPDATED: Only Months Before Scrutiny Began, Karen Prasser Received Excellent Review
Karen Prasser's two performance reviews on file in Solon City Hall, while not perfect, paint the picture of an employee who city leaders felt had reshaped the Solon Center for the Arts in a positive way.
UPDATE: Solon Patch has obtained a copy of another performance review for Karen Prasser. This review, conducted by Mayor Susan Drucker for Prasser's performance from January until December 2011, shows that as of early 2012 Prasser was viewed by the administration as an excellent employee who used her talents -- and the help of the Friends nonprofit group -- to take the Solon Center for the Arts to new heights. That was only a few months before Prasser came under scrutiny from city officials about her management of the center and the fact that Prasser's secretary was managing the books for a nonprofit group that fundraised for the center's programs. That sort of mingling of government and private money was against rules, according to a May …
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Rocco
9:25 pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Anne, you said it! I agree - the part about finding out what happened when this is all over. I think coucil has been told not to talk at all. more ›
City Halts Arts Center Patio Project; Returns Donor Funds
People who donated to fund an improved patio at the Solon Center for the Arts will get their money back, as the project is not going forward.
The Solon Center for the Arts is not moving forward with a project to improve the patio outside the center and that anyone who donated will receive a refund. It's the latest change to an arts center beset by it since former executive director Karen Prasser resigned and the city officials announced they were investigating "irregularites" at the arts center. Councilman Bill Mooney announced Monday that the patio project is not moving forward and that donors will receive refunds. The city council voted to return a $25,000 donation from the Corrine L Dodero Foundation for Arts. The project had only been in the concept stage. The finance committee had signed off on an architect to create formal plans, and arts center officials were working to …
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Rocco
10:10 pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2012
I think that's the Rotary logo on the picture of the Build a Brick sign, right? more ›
Friday, November 30, 2012
Chagrin Solon Sun: Documents Reveal Arts Center Investigation Details
The Chagrin Solon Sun is reporting details on why Karen Prasser resigned as director of the Solon Center for the Arts.
Documents in Karen Prasser's personnel file reveal reasons for why she resigned as director the Solon Center for the Arts and shed light on the city's pending investigation under the fraud policy, reports the Chagrin Solon Sun. The newspaper reports that in May that Finance Director Dennis Kennedy sent Prasser a memo detailing his concern about the arts center's accounting practices with Friends of the Solon Center for the Arts, a non-profit that fundraises for the SCA but is not affiliated with the city. Prasser resigned in early September and days later the city announced it was investigating the arts center for "irregularities" under the fraud policy. Other details reported by the newspaper, including information from an anonymous …
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queen of the may
6:19 am on Tuesday, December 4, 2012
harry, you sound like someone who used to be on our board... ???? more ›
Solon Bull
11:29 am on Friday, March 8, 2013
high time Solon demands an end to the awful behavior of this terrible mayor. She and her colleagues treat the city (and its coffers) like a personal fiefdom. Seasoned professionals are running out the door at city hall, tired of the screaming temper tantrums from the mayor's office. Enough! more ›