Summit County Council presented commendations Monday to Copley Township police officer Ben Campbell and Dae’Shawn Bagley for their bravery in the 2011 Copley shootings.
Township trustees Helen Humphrys and Dale Panovich accepted the commendation on behalf of Dae’Shawn, who was 9 years old at the time of the shootings.
Campbell shot and killed 51-year-old Michael Hance of Copley Township as he was on a shooting rampage through his neighborhood. He shot and killed seven people and wounded an eighth.
Dae’Shawn is credited with staying with one victim, 11-year-old Scott Dieter, who had sought shelter inside the Bagley home as Hance was hunting down his victims.
Dae’Shawn’s mother and her three children were trying to protect Scott Dieter before Hance found the boy in their basement and shot him.
Last month, Campbell was awarded the Congressional Badge of Bravery.
In other legislation, council approved funding to work with the city of Green to construct and finance sanitary sewers to serve Phase Three of the International Business Park at the Akron-Canton Airport. The project is to help attract investment in the area that is expected to bring in 800 to 1,000 new jobs.
Vice President and District 8 Councilwoman Paula Prentice introduced a resolution expressing opposition to the so-called “right to work” laws and the “Workplace Freedom” Constitutional Amendment. She said petitions have started to circulate in southern Ohio for this and described it as unfair labor practices.
“We need to let the state know where we stand in Summit County. This is a manufacturing community. We are supportive of unions. The right to work laws are an attempt to destroy the middle class and working families,” she said. “The states that have the right to work laws tend to have high unemployment and lower standard health insurance.”
The resolution passed 9 to 2, with the Democrats co-sponsoring the measure. The two Republican members voted against it.
Summit County also passed legislation:
• To rename the Consumer Affairs Board the Office of Consumer Affairs and to allow it to be part of the executive’s Department of Law, Insurance and Risk Management. An advisory panel would be appointed to offer input to the Consumer Affairs office instead of manage it.
• To enter into a month-to-month lease with Bridgestone Firestone for 4,250 square feet of office space for the Drug Unit Task Force. The contract runs through the end of the year at $3,276 a month, not to exceed $39,000 a year.
• To change the health-care policy for new employees that will allow new hires to have health insurance coverage within the first 30 days of employment instead of waiting 90 days.