From left to right: Will Petrik, Troy Anthony Harris, Jesse Vogel, Kwesi Low and Morgan Harper
How did you choose to spend your Monday night?
Hopefully, you were one of over a hundred people who attended a meeting sponsored by “Our City, Our Say” at 1890 East Main Street, the new-ish and very impressive Center of Entrepreneurial Development or COED, with a focus on supporting Black entrepreneurs.
Our City, Our Say is fighting an uphill battle against Columbus City Hall to bring real democracy to your city. In Columbus, we have a rigged system, designed by those currently in office to ensure that big money and a small group of people control the future of our city. Different groups have tried, and failed, to sponsor a ballot initiative to force change (three that I can remember).
What’s the goal of Our City, Our Say?
Replace the “at large hybrid” system of electing members of City Council to a democratic and honest system where each district chooses the best person to represent them. Last November, District 7 actually elected Jesse Vogel (for both the primary and final election).
What District 7 wanted didn’t matter to City Hall.
They used the existing “At-Large Hybrid” system and counted everyone in the entire city instead of only District 7. With the loyal Franklin County Democratic Party steering the wheel, Jesse Vogel lost. District 7 made their choice; City Hall doesn’t care what they think.
Power and control are vital to running a city government that can be both inefficient and deaf to the needs of the people; all at the same time. City Council is supposed to work for us. Yes, I once told them that their reply was complete silence. Then again, it works perfectly for them so why should they care?
Members of Columbus City Council have no motivation to listen or help people in their own district. It doesn’t matter because they will always get re-elected. Who has the money or power to run a city-wide election?
Jesse Vogel tried and the sitting members of City Council transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to his competition. That’s not how democracy works, but it works greatly to control power and serve the wealthy.
“Who’s part of us?” asked Will Petrik last night to the energized crowd. Petrik being one of many Columbus progressive activists pushing this citizen initiative.
“That question of ‘Who is us?’” he said referring to the city’s “ColumbUS” marketing phrase, and like the city’s at-large district elections, is ‘fake..' “This movement is making Columbus for all. It’s a city that’s supposed to be for all of us, and we actually need a democracy that reflects that. So, what’s next? This week we are planning to file a petition with the city clerk’s office.”
How Will the City of Columbus Respond?
The ballot initiative needs to be approved by the city before signatures may be collected. Expect the city to:
- Create small editing problems with the ballot language that needs to be corrected. Therefore, delaying signature collection.
- City Council might change the city charter (as they have done in the past without citizen consent) and increase the number of signatures required to get it on the ballot.
- City Council also might change the city charter to only allow a limited number of people to collect signatures. Or create a new “training program” that must be passed before someone may collect signatures.
There are endless tools that City Hall can and will use to slow down or make this process more expensive. Always remember, they have their backs to the wall. If this is changed it will disrupt the flow of money out of Columbus to what my friend now calls “The Epstein Class.”
Magic Happens and It’s On the Ballot
With all of the required signatures and the ballot initiative passed on to the ballot box City Hall would call in the big money: Franklin County Democrats and the private donations of developers and real estate investors.
They will figure out a way to frame the ballot initiative as a negative decision; followed by a huge marketing campaign. Assume they will hire the same consulting company that got Phase 1 of “Zone In” passed in record time. They are also consulting Shannon Hardin in his run for Mayor so that would make it easier. Hardin is adept at repeating simple marketing phrases over and over (it’s repetition that matters most).
Don’t Give Up
I mentioned this to a few other people after the meeting. To give up at this point is to admit that our city has no future. It’s just as simple as that.
And for that reason I dare you to visit Our City, Our Say. City Hall should be expected to do more to make our lives better than they were yesterday. Now is the first step to creating better democracy for the future of Columbus.
