City Council of Confusion
The choice between Issues 8 and 9 have never been more important to our future, but thanks to Columbus City Council we now have a new level of confusion.
We have a citizen-led Issue 8 that would give Columbus the democracy that we deserve (because City Council refused to do that at the last charter review) and an exhaustive Issue 9 designed to serve the rich and powerful.
Issue 8 is the result of the Our City, Our Say citizen initiative making the nine Columbus City Council true ward-based seats. Each city district would have candidates running who live in the district, and only the people living in that district can vote for them. The ward-based voting is in contrast to the current system where you must live in the district to run to represent that district – but the voting is “at large” and the whole city votes for every seat.
Issue 9 was the proposed compromise that Our City, Our Say rejected. Issue 9 would give us the same nine true ward-based seats -- but with an added four at-large seats (people running for Columbus City Council that all the residents of Columbus could vote for.) After the rejection, the desperate City Council chose to put their compromise Issue 9 on the ballot IN ADDITION to the citizen initiative Issue 8.
Those four at-large seats will go to the candidates who have the most money to run a city-wide election or those hand-picked by the current regime and funded by the political party; therefore, purchased democracy. Less focus on the needs of the people and more servitude to greed and power. But wait, there’s more. Voters will have the option at the polls to vote YES or NO on either or both Issues 8 and 9.
To distract and confuse us even more, City Council has been telling voters that:
If both Issues 8 and 9 both pass then Issue 9 will take effect regardless of the number of “Yes” votes. It wouldn’t matter if Issue 8 had more yes votes than Issue 9. Issue 9 would become law.
Call it a mistake or a lie, but you are challenged to read the ballot language for Issue 9. There is nothing in the ballot language that makes their statements true.
Better yet, read the “Educational Handout” published by City Hall.
Nowhere in their document does it say anything about what would happen if both Issue 8 and 9 pass. No clarity. No organization and no transparency.
I called the Franklin County Board of Elections and at first they refused to comment (likely out of fear of reprisal?), but when I finally got an answer it was: “Well, if both Issues 8 and 9 pass then it will probably go to the courts to decide since Council forgot to put in the ballot language.”
Confusion for the voters is the goal of City Council
That’s why Council is also telling everyone to “Vote YES for both Issue 8 and Issue 9.” Why in the world would they do that?
To create more conflict and confusion
Ignore the propaganda machine that runs 24 hours a day inside City Hall. City Council exists to serve the rich and powerful first, and then themselves (remember the committee they established that magically recommended a 32 percent salary increase for themselves?).
I’ve reached out directly to City Council for clarification, but have only gotten my questions forwarded to other staff. It’s about as low of a priority as listening to public input for a city-wide zoning fiasco without a master plan.
- Read the misleading “Educational Handout” meant to confuse voters.
- Read the Issue 8 ballot language (clear and simple).
- Read the Issue 9 ballot language (complex and built for City Council).
Columbus deserves better democracy.