A Note from Marion Watch Investigates: Our team at Marion Watch was originally investigating a different matter concerning Marion’s City Council and other agencies in the late 1970s when we stumbled across a series of extremely concerning circumstances recorded in official council minutes, and newpaper articles. These formal records, combined with the input of community elders, often reinforce the quiet warnings passed down by town elders: that a complex web of mysterious “circumstances and events,” including long-standing allegations of criminal rings, prostitution, and illegal gambling, has often operated beneath the surface of Marion’s civic life, dating back at least as far as the 1940s possibly earlier. This history suggests Marion’s political battles are often about more than just policy; they’re about controlling the very systems meant to enforce law and order. Many citizens do not know this history, but many on the Marion Watch team have been firsthand eyewitnesses to some of these circumstances.

The John W. Long Scandal in Marion, Ohio (1974)

This report details the events surrounding the resignation and tragic death of Marion, Ohio Police Chief John W. Long in October 1974. It focuses on the political conflict, the questionable handling of the crisis, and the suspicious circumstances that left the community questioning the integrity of its own officials. The report is based on extensive local coverage from The Marion Star.

The Initial Conflict: Secrecy and Suspicious Council Action

The crisis began with deep-seated turmoil within the Marion Police Department. Five City Councilmen collected sworn statements from officers, citing dangerously low morale and poor administration by Chief Long.

The Allegations: The complaints centered on Long being a “poor administrator” and lacking “leadership”. Some reports mentioned minor “personal improprieties” while off-duty, but notably, there were no criminal charges.
Suspicious Circumstance (Council Secrecy): The councilmen refused to turn over the sworn statements to Mayor Donald E. Quaintance and City Solicitor George Piacentino. They claimed this was to protect the officers’ anonymity from reprisal, but this move effectively crippled the formal, legal investigation and was widely criticized as prioritizing political confrontation over due process.
The Aftermath: Caught in the middle of this public standoff, Chief Long resigned and tragically took his own life shortly after.

The Official Response: The “Collateral Matter” and Legal Warnings

The subsequent actions of the city’s administration and the final legal rulings fueled public and media suspicion regarding the handling of police misconduct.

The More Serious “Collateral Matter”: Adding to the suspicion, the City Solicitor was also investigating a separate “collateral matter” involving another police officer. This probe included allegations that were considered “more serious than the charges against Long,” including obscene photos and possible drug sales. The fact that this severe scandal was active—and only exposed during the Long crisis—suggested significant, underlying misconduct that the administration had potentially failed to address.
The Official Verdicts: Under intense public pressure, Solicitor Piacentino announced his final conclusion: the main charges that forced Chief Long’s resignation were “groundless” and had “no foundation.” The investigation into the more serious “collateral matter” was also closed without criminal charges.
The Strong Warning: The Solicitor used his final report to issue a dramatic warning to the City Council, stating that any future interference in police disciplinary procedure that bypassed proper legal channels could result in the councilmen facing an investigation or even criminal charges themselves. This aggressive stance against the council only further fueled suspicions about political responsibility for the event.

WEAPONIZED JUSTICE: A Pattern of Political Attack from 1974 to the Present

The political and procedural problems seen in 1974—where accusations were made in secret and the process was weaponized—continue today, suggesting a long-standing pattern of concerning behavior and political attack in Marion.

The Ratliff Fiasco: Weaponized Prosecution in the Digital Age

The legal troubles of Marion City Councilman Ayers Ratliff in 2024 serve as a contemporary example of “weaponized justice,” mirroring the procedural conflicts of 1974.

Following his arrest on serious felony charges, including Rape, Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan immediately released a public video statement declaring Ratliff was “not above the law.” Defense lawyers later characterized this public declaration as a “calculated act of ‘political character assassination'” designed to destroy Ratliff’s reputation regardless of the legal outcome. The controversy intensified when the alleged victim recanted her accusations; despite this, the prosecution dismissed the initial charges only to controversially re-indict Ratliff and his wife on charges like Witness Intimidation.

Many citizens believe the aggressive, prolonged handling of the case has served as “psychological warfare” intended to harass political rivals. The defense has further pointed to the prosecutor’s office having a “deplorable track record of providing discovery” (evidence). This fuels the public perception, including among members of the Marion Watch Citizen Action Network, that the ongoing legal threats constitute a tool of “forever threat” used by the political establishment, showing these tactics are a “long-standing Marion tradition.”

Ultimately, the only ones who know what truly happened are the Ratliff family, but the public strongly feels that the circumstances and the way this case was handled damaged the jury pool, defamed Mr. Ratliff’s character, and acted as the judge and jury in a single video.

The “Silent Sabotage” of Marion’s Finances

The local legal and political conflicts are underpinned by a decades-long crisis of financial mismanagement in the Marion City Auditor’s office—a pattern officially termed “Silent Sabotage.” This systemic breakdown has created the perfect environment for malfeasance to flourish and go undetected, suggesting a lack of accountability that directly impacts city operations.

Decades of Neglect: Official records prove the city’s financial problems began as far back as 1983. Auditors consistently failed to correct basic, repeated problems, such as weaknesses in bank reconciliation procedures, for decades.
Crippled IT Systems: The city’s main financial software (Tyler/New World, installed around 2007) had a core internal control—the bank reconciliation module—that was broken or disabled for an estimated 15 to 16 years (until 2024/2025). This long-standing flaw destroyed the ability of officials to track money accurately.
Concealment and Fraud: This IT system failure directly enabled catastrophic errors. For example, former Auditor Robert Landon III’s office failed to remit $1.28 million in federal payroll taxes to the IRS for months, leading to a $154,399 finding for recovery against him for penalties and interest. More alarmingly, the current Auditor, Miranda Meginness, went on record admitting to falsifying documents and improperly taking city funds to conceal an IRS penalty payment.
The Cover-Up: Our research reports that previous administrations allegedly engaged in “silent sabotage” by keeping knowledge of these major financial and information technology problems hidden from incoming administrations.

Conclusion: A Crisis of Accountability

The scandals that began with the death of Chief Long in 1974—where accusations were made in secret and the process was weaponized—continue today through politically motivated legal battles and financial offices plagued by decades of severe issues and possible cover-ups. The only way for the public to move forward and ensure justice is to demand a system rooted in transparency and accountability.

UP NEXT: The Shadow Economy of Marion

TEASER: The dark patterns of systemic abuse continue! Marion Watch Investigates is now pursuing the historical context of allegations concerning criminal rings, prostitution, cover-ups, and illegal gambling that town elders, most coming from highly influential families of the era, say have operated in Marion since at least the 1940s. Is there a connection between the political chaos and a secret shadow economy?

This is the first of several articles that will connect the dots regarding the historical operation of Marion on and off since at least the early 1970s. Stay tuned for the next phase of Operation Marion Unchained.