William D. Mason
Encyclopedia
Bill Mason "William D." is the prosecutor of Cuyahoga County, Ohio
. He took office in 1999, succeeding Stephanie Tubbs Jones
. Mason was re-elected in 2004 and 2008.
Mason was born and raised in Parma, Ohio
, and was an accomplished wrestler in high school. After completing his undergraduate degree at Kent State University
, Mason went to the Cleveland Marshall College of Law where he graduated with a Juris Doctorate degree and became an assistant prosecuting attorney for Cuyahoga County, Ohio. While an assistant county prosecutor, he became involved in Ohio Democratic politics in 1993. Mason became a councilman in the city of Parma and was eventually elected the Law Director and Chief Prosecutor, serving for six years before taking his current position.
Mason is currently the chair of the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The Ohio ICAC now has 281 law enforcement partner agencies across the state and at least one ICAC law enforcement agency in each of Ohio’s 88 counties, making it one of the largest and most successful ICAC task forces in the nation. The United States Department of Justice
awarded Mason with the 2006 National Leadership Award, which was the first time presenting this award.
Mason chairs the Agency Council for Cuyahoga County Justice System Reform, overseeing committees implementing Justice Management Institute recommendations, a county-wide reform initiative aimed at making the justice system more efficient and effective. He also chairs the Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force which aims to create jobs by bringing renewable energy industries to Northeast Ohio. The first project he is spearheading is the Great Lakes Wind Energy
Center, a pilot project of several offshore wind turbine
s on Lake Erie
.
Mason was a delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention
. He co-wrote, with Jack P. DeSario, Dr. Sam Sheppard
on Trial: Case Closed (Kent State University
Press 2003). Mason supported John Kerry
at the 2004 Democratic National Convention
and supported Barack Obama
for the 2008 Ohio primary. He has been mentioned as a possible candidate for statewide office, or for county executive in the new Cuyahoga County charter form of government, which was approved by voters in November 2008.
Bill and his wife have four children aka Jordan Mason. Bill has 15 brothers and sisters.
Mason is currently under investigation by the Ohio Ethics Commission. In August, 2009, the OEC subpoenaed records from his office related to contracts his office awarded to Qwestcom Graphics, a company co-owned by Mason's business partner. In December, 2009, a Cuyahoga County Common Peas judge accused Mason of trying to intimidate her decision in the case of a childhood friend of Mason's. On December 30, Mason was the passenger in a car driven by his campaign manager Tom Regas when Regas was pulled over by Seven Hills police and arrested for drunken driving. Seven Hills police inexplicably did not put Mason's name in the report of the incident, though an officer did drive Mason home.
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Cuyahoga County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. It is the most populous county in Ohio; as of the 2010 census, the population was 1,280,122. Its county seat is Cleveland. Cuyahoga County is part of Greater Cleveland, a metropolitan area, and Northeast Ohio, a...
. He took office in 1999, succeeding Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Stephanie "Tubbs" Jones was a Democratic politician and member of the United States House of Representatives. She represented the 11th District of Ohio, which encompasses most of downtown and eastern Cleveland and many of the eastern suburbs in Cuyahoga County, including Euclid, Cleveland Heights,...
. Mason was re-elected in 2004 and 2008.
Mason was born and raised in Parma, Ohio
Parma, Ohio
Parma is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is the largest suburb of Cleveland and the seventh largest city in the state of Ohio...
, and was an accomplished wrestler in high school. After completing his undergraduate degree at Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
, Mason went to the Cleveland Marshall College of Law where he graduated with a Juris Doctorate degree and became an assistant prosecuting attorney for Cuyahoga County, Ohio. While an assistant county prosecutor, he became involved in Ohio Democratic politics in 1993. Mason became a councilman in the city of Parma and was eventually elected the Law Director and Chief Prosecutor, serving for six years before taking his current position.
Mason is currently the chair of the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The Ohio ICAC now has 281 law enforcement partner agencies across the state and at least one ICAC law enforcement agency in each of Ohio’s 88 counties, making it one of the largest and most successful ICAC task forces in the nation. The United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
awarded Mason with the 2006 National Leadership Award, which was the first time presenting this award.
Mason chairs the Agency Council for Cuyahoga County Justice System Reform, overseeing committees implementing Justice Management Institute recommendations, a county-wide reform initiative aimed at making the justice system more efficient and effective. He also chairs the Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force which aims to create jobs by bringing renewable energy industries to Northeast Ohio. The first project he is spearheading is the Great Lakes Wind Energy
Wind energy
Wind energy is the kinetic energy of air in motion; see also wind power.Total wind energy flowing through an imaginary area A during the time t is:E = ½ m v2 = ½ v 2...
Center, a pilot project of several offshore wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s on Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
.
Mason was a delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention
2000 Democratic National Convention
The 2000 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention for the Democratic Party. The convention nominated Vice President Al Gore as its candidate for President and Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman as its candidate for Vice President. The convention was held at...
. He co-wrote, with Jack P. DeSario, Dr. Sam Sheppard
Sam Sheppard
Dr. Samuel Holmes Sheppard was an American osteopathic physician and neurosurgeon, who was involved in an infamous and controversial murder trial. He was convicted of the murder of his pregnant wife, Marilyn Reese Sheppard, in 1954, while residing in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Sheppard served...
on Trial: Case Closed (Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
Press 2003). Mason supported John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
at the 2004 Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention
The 2004 Democratic National Convention convened from July 26 to July 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts, and nominated John Kerry and John Edwards as the official candidates of the Democratic Party for President and Vice President of the United States, respectively, in the 2004...
and supported Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
for the 2008 Ohio primary. He has been mentioned as a possible candidate for statewide office, or for county executive in the new Cuyahoga County charter form of government, which was approved by voters in November 2008.
Bill and his wife have four children aka Jordan Mason. Bill has 15 brothers and sisters.
Controversy
A 2008 Cleveland Scene article revealed a number of criminals who donate large sums of money to Mason's political campaigns.Mason is currently under investigation by the Ohio Ethics Commission. In August, 2009, the OEC subpoenaed records from his office related to contracts his office awarded to Qwestcom Graphics, a company co-owned by Mason's business partner. In December, 2009, a Cuyahoga County Common Peas judge accused Mason of trying to intimidate her decision in the case of a childhood friend of Mason's. On December 30, Mason was the passenger in a car driven by his campaign manager Tom Regas when Regas was pulled over by Seven Hills police and arrested for drunken driving. Seven Hills police inexplicably did not put Mason's name in the report of the incident, though an officer did drive Mason home.