Bronzeville Neighborhood Association Hosts Community Forum
The Bronzeville Neighborhood Association hosted a community forum on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, to discuss Issues 8 and 9 and their potential impact on the city’s future. Held at the elegant Lincoln Theater a robust discussion was had between City Councilman Nicholas J. Bankston-District 5, Will Petrick of Our City Our Say (OCOS) and concerned residents. Unlike this writer who lives in Delaware County most everyone else resides in Franklin County. The meeting convened at 6:00 pm and ended at 8:00 pm.
The event did not attract the overflowing crowd that was expected, yet the evening proved informative and enlightening to all who attended. Dana Moessner, vice president of the Bronzeville Neighborhood Association got the meeting started with opening remarks. Those who may or may have been familiar with the work of the organization were made abreast of the group’s work and its latest attempt to drum up support for Issue 8.
Will Petrik followed Moessner’s brief remarks with a presentation that centered on the importance of substantive representation, meaning representation that is both accountable and responsive to the people responsible for that councilperson’s success. The city’s at-large system was the target of the audience’s attention. The consensus seemed to be that at-large city council elections undercut the voting strength of historically marginalized groups. Some also made the argument that at-large elections favor those candidates with more robust war chests over candidates with thin wallets. In other words, at-large elections require candidates to campaign over a larger swath of territory, thus requiring a more active fund-raising apparatus.
The affable and seemingly sincere City Councilman Nicholas J. Bankston spoke at length about the hard work that was done by the Bronzeville Neighborhood Association and other political operatives responsible for getting this measure on the ballot. All told, a whopping 23,000 signatures were collected. Bankston spent the bulk of his time comparing and contrasting Issues 8 and 9 making it clear that he sees merit in both. Issue 8 is straightforward.
Simply put, residents would only be allowed to vote for the council member that represents their district. Issue 9 incorporates Issue 8 supporters’ biggest concern which restricts voter support to the candidates running in their district. However, there’s a twist. Supporters of at-large districts want to expand the council by adding four new at-large members which would require the redrawing of the city’s district map in 2028. If Issue 9 passes that would also change the number of signatures required for candidates to get on the ballot. Bankston assured the audience that Issue 9 is not an attempt to circumvent the goals and objectives of Issue 8 but rather a genuine attempt to achieve balance. Whether he assuaged the audience’s concerns is unclear.
Bronzeville Neighborhood Association President Willis E. Brown closed out the event by imploring everyone to get out there and vote. As heavily invested in the city’s future as any politician Brown made clear that at-large elections have not only outlived their usefulness but have for years been used by the city’s influentials to mute the voices and voting power of the average citizen. In a sidebar conversation with this writer Brown exclaimed, “the time has come to do away with the current system . . . voting out this at-large system is long overdue . . . vote for Issue 8.”
Judson L. Jeffries, PhD, MPH, is Professor of African American and African Studies at The Ohio State University.
