LINCOLN HEIGHTS, Ohio — A Lincoln Heights Village Council member has been reinstated to his position after a judge ruled his removal from office was improper and violated the village charter.
Daronce Daniels, who has served on the council since 2017, was removed from his seat in October 2024. Village Solicitor Deepak Desai cited Daniels's unpaid taxes as grounds for the removal, notifying him only through a letter.
Daniels maintained his taxes were paid in full and challenged the decision in court.
On Wednesday, a judge sided with Daniels and reinstated him to the council. The court found that the village charter required "five members concurring" to pass a resolution vacating Daniels' seat, which did not occur.
WATCH: Daniels shares more about his reinstatement in the video below
"Daniels's removal was improper under the charter and of no effect," the court ruled.
Daniels said he is now focused on moving the historically Black village forward and addressing stalled infrastructure projects.
"We have to deal with the things that are left on the table, i.e., the wifi grant, the memorial field grant and getting those things done," Daniels said. "Making sure a strong pipeline for recreation in our community; wifi to engage and communicate with them."
One of the key issues Daniels wants to tackle is a public Wi-Fi project that has been stalled since 2021. The program, funded by a $150,000 grant from Hamilton County, remains only in phase one.
Residents report they are still unable to connect to the public Wi-Fi network and are unaware exactly how it works.
Daniels also said the council needs to address law enforcement for the village's 3,300 residents.
"(The) police contract we got to talk about, fire contracts we got to talk about," he said. "There are some things we have to talk about to set the platform for the next three months."
Regarding the council members who supported his removal, Daniels said their actions were disappointing.
"To the councilmembers who felt like removing was the easiest path to push an agenda, I would say it's disappointing," Daniels said. "Because the ultimate agenda we should be following is the one that's coming from the people."
Daniels said he is happy to put the controversy behind him and that "the truth came out."
