CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne has spent much of his first term casting himself as a doer — the leader who jump-started a long-stalled jail project. But the county prosecutor now says the work and the millions of taxpayer dollars poured into it so far are illegal.
After more than a decade of false starts, the county has secured a site in Garfield Heights, unveiled a general design and is just months from starting construction on a jail expected to open in 2029. Millions of dollars have already gone into the project, and the county is preparing to borrow nearly $1 billion to finish the job.
But in a sharply worded letter sent to Ronayne, County councilmembers and other justice officials late Thursday, County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said it shouldn’t have happened at all…