County Prosecutor Bill Mason yesterday dropped $50,000 into the lap of one of Cleveland’s premier political law firms – Climaco, Lefkowitz, Peca, Wilcox and Garofoli.

The firm also is a heavy political contributor via a political action committee (PAC). The Climaco firm PAC is typically prominent in political filings of campaign contributions.

Mason represents a powerful political force in Cuyahoga County politics.

The $50,000 was ratified by the County Commissioners to hire the Climaco firm to give legal counsel on four bond issues for various kinds of work on Cuyahoga County facilities.

It was a no-bid contract. Legal counsel work on bonds is lucrative work once typically given Cleveland’s premier law firms, particularly Squire, Sanders & Dempsey.

The Climaco firm has always had close relations with Commissioner Tim Hagan.

Dennis Wilcox, Cleveland Heights Councilman, a Climaco partner also represents the Gateway Economic Development Corp. The firm has done business for Gateway since its inception and has probably earned business in the hundreds of thousands of dollars if not $1 million or more.

It was a favored firm also during George Forbes’ reign as Cleveland Council President. There the firm got more than $1 million in business.