Editing Ralph Perk (section)

===Controversy===
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Perk also appointed Richard Eberling in 1973 to chair a committee to redecorate the mayor's office in City Hall, a move that proved unpopular with numerous sources. In 1974, ''[[The Plain Dealer]]'' exposed Eberling's record as a petty criminal in a front-page story; Perk defended Eberling, and approved the financing of project until the amount significantly over-reached the budgeted amount. Eberling's lover, Obie Henderson was hired as Perk's personal secretary.  Eberling was later found guilty in the death of Ethel M. Durkin, a Cleveland area widow; he also linked himself to the [[Sam Sheppard|Marilyn Sheppard]] murder in [[Bay Village, Ohio|Bay Village]], in 1954. Circumstantial evidence also links Eberling to at least four other murders committed over a period from 1946 to 1970 that involved his stepfather, his purported girlfriend, and both of Mrs. Durkin's sisters.