Progress with Economic and Environmental Responsibility, Inc. (PEER) announced that it will lead an Initiative Petition Drive to amend the Columbus City Charter. The Initiative will allow voters to elect an as yet undetermined number of district or ward representatives in addition to the current seven at-large council members. The goal of the Initiative Petition Drive is to ensure comprehensive representation for all of the neighborhoods within the City.

PEER supports a public policy agenda featuring truly representative government and efficient planning for Columbus and Central Ohio. PEER thus supports growth policies which allow for commercial and residential development but which also promote the reuse and redevelopment of the central city while preserving key environmental assets in the area.

PEER has already begun to collect feedback on its plan from community leaders and interested citizens. The Initiative Petition will be filed with the City Clerk on or before election day this November. Comments, questions, and suggestions can be directed to David Ditmars, President, PEER Ohio, Inc, P.O. Box 14313, Columbus, Ohio 43214 or to the organization’s website: www.peerohio.org.

“We anticipate strong support for expanded, improved representation on City Council,” said Ditmars. ‘We expect a vigorous debate of the merits of this proposed Charter amendment.”