At the Marion City Council meeting, the rape allegations against the councilman were not mentioned

On Tuesday evening, a member of the Marion City Council appeared at a council meeting for the first time since his arrest for the rape of a 13-year-old girl – but neither the other council members nor the public said a single word about the criminal case during the meeting.

Ayers Ratliff, a Democrat who was first elected to the city council in 2005, was arrested on May 20 after the young woman told police that Ratliff had raped her the night before. He is currently out of jail on $500,000 bail and will appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday morning.

Members of the public who spoke during Tuesday’s meeting weighed in on issues such as the city’s choice of financial services provider and an ordinance that could impose a six-month moratorium on recreational marijuana vendors opening in the city. The City Council, for its part, continued business as usual.

“I guess it’s just a matter of waiting and seeing,” Mayor Bill Collins told The Dispatch after the meeting when asked about Ratliff’s position, adding that a decision on Ratliff’s firing would likely have to be made by the council.

Council President Mary Stoneburner told The Dispatch after the meeting that she was not aware of any discussions about removing Ratliff from the council and that such a move before a criminal conviction was “probably premature.”

“He is entitled to due process,” Stoneburner said.

She could not say how a city council member could hypothetically be removed from office and referred further questions on the matter to the city’s law director.

The only way Ratliff’s position can be vacated at this time is if Ratliff himself resigns, City Councilman Jason Schaber told The Dispatch after the meeting. If Ratliff is convicted, he could be fired from the state of Ohio, Schaber said.

Immediately after Ratliff’s arrest, Marion County District Attorney Ray Grogan released a video statement pledging to treat Ratliff like any other defendant, regardless of his political status. But the city government remained silent at the time about Ratliff’s future as a city council member.

Following Ratliff’s arrest, The Dispatch contacted several members of the city government, including Mayor Collins, Council President Stoneburner, numerous City Council members and Law Director Mark Russell, asking if any action would be taken against Ratliff. None responded to calls or voicemails, and the city has not issued a public statement regarding Ratliff.

Tuesday’s City Council meeting began like any other, with a prayer from a local pastor. Council members discussed repairs to City Hall and entering into an agreement with Veritas Solutions Group for financial services and other city matters. Ratliff voted on each ordinance.

The council also passed an ordinance imposing a six-month moratorium on recreational marijuana dispensaries, growers and processors in the City of Marion.

In a phone interview a day after the arrest, Rocky Ratliff, a cousin and attorney for Councilman Ratliff, said the allegations against his cousin were false and accused District Attorney Grogan of bringing the charges with insufficient evidence and for political reasons. He said Ayers Ratliff and his legal team were trying to keep his seat on the council.

Rocky Ratliff also identified the girl to a Dispatch reporter, calling her a “troubled teenager.” The Dispatch does not name any alleged rape victims.

A judge in the case ordered that some documents filed by Ratliff’s lawyers be redacted because those documents, which were publicly available online, contained an identifying detail about the girl.

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