Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason hired Northeast Ohio lawyer needing work to collect public pension

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason hired a politically connected lawyer for a part-time job that allowed the attorney to qualify for state-retiree benefits.

The attorney, Michael Climaco, needed three additional years of work to qualify for a state pension and health care. He met the requirement by stringing together 10 years of public work dating to 1972, when he became a Cleveland councilman.