Toledo City Councilman faces civil lawsuit from former campaign volunteer

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - A Toledo city councilman is being sued by a former campaign volunteer.

She’s alleging that she’s owed money by councilman John Hobbs. This coming just about two months before voters decide whether he’ll retain his seat.

Councilman Hobbs is in the midst of running to keep his Toledo city council seat in District 1. Now before people hit the ballot box, he’ll be headed to a courtroom.

Part of the team helping to keep Councilman Hobbs on the council was Lisa Sahadi-Davis.

“He is the cousin of my husband so of course I felt obligated to,” Davis said.

Davis was asked to oversee volunteers. That work, she says, morphed into paying for meals and tables at events. She was expecting reimbursements for things that were not meant to be donations to the campaign.

“When I started questioning things there was a text that came through: ‘We thank Lisa for her service and we wished you well,” Davis said.

Without being reimbursed, she’s now filed a lawsuit in small claims court at Toledo Municipal Court. She says she’s owed $6000.

According to her filing from Wednesday, Davis says Hobbs “received numerous contributions to his campaign in cash and failed to report those including many in-kind contributions.”

Hobbs was asked by the I-Team to sit down for an interview Thursday. Instead, we got this statement saying, “I categorically deny these allegations and have referred the matter to legal counsel.”

Davis is listed on some campaign finance forms. On the most recent one, received by the Lucas County Board of Elections in early September, two in-kind contributions are listed with Davis listed as a contributor. Both amounts are $150 each from February and April.

“He could have called me himself and we could have gotten it straightened out. He could have paid me back. He could have done whatever,” said Davis.

A court date for the matter is scheduled for Nov. 1. Election day for Hobbs is Nov. 7.

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