What’s going on in Whitehall? A contemporary political mess in a 21st century Columbus suburb

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article appeared on this site that had included speculation outside of the original author's intent.

Whitehall’s election recall effort stands as a clear example of why some refer to our local politics as “a cesspool.” And why the “debate” which played out online and in conversation sounded and looked more like a real-time trashy reality TV show than actual civic engagement. 

Conversely, our political reality, national and local, is increasingly looking, both literally and figuratively, more like The Apprentice. Add the advent of AI generated memes, a newly revitalized Columbus NAACP, and an ongoing feud between its leader, Sean Walton, and that of the local Fraternal Order of Police, and what you ended up with is an embarrassing mess Whitehall and the FOP made of the whole political and civic process.

At the same time, some might argue that the Whitehall recall was the result of rapid growing pains, something most Central Ohio suburbs are experiencing. 

The special election, which drew around 2,200 registered voters to the polls (or 10 percent of Whitehall’s population), resulted in all three of the incumbents keeping their seats. In the process, though, the coarseness – and sometimes blatant racism – from those who supported the recall, coupled with the winners’ superficial (though admittedly effective) approach to their campaign, exposed the pettiness that is currently driving politics. One fallout I fear will be how the general electorate in Whitehall will further disengage from the process. During a time when the voting rights of citizens are threatened by an emboldened and desperate Trump regime. 

But more on the national effort to some other time. This local example of chicanery, incompetence and cynicism was bad enough – for a vote that was decided by a razor-thin margin. 

The FOP Capital City Lodge #9 and its president, Brian Steel, conspicuously involved themselves in the failed recall effort to oust Mayor Michael Bivens and Councilmembers Amy Harcar and Lori Elmore. The recall, which was launched on January 6, 2026, was led by former Whitehall City Council candidate Holly Stein and Patricia Balser. They said publicly their reasons for the recall focused on misconduct and mismanagement on the part of Bivens, Harcar and Elmore, and Whitehall’s push for more rental housing density. 

Stein and Balser’s official organization is called Whitehall for All with a Facebook page named Whitehall Deserves Better. If their launch date doesn’t strike you as a dog whistle to MAGA, maybe their AI generated Trump-like insults posted on Whitehall Deserves Better will. By the way, their email address was whitehalldeservesbetter@fop9.org, and their website was FOP9.org, or the very web site of FOP Capital City Lodge #9, which also donated $2,500 in support of the recall. 

The fast-growing Whitehall is among the most diverse suburbs in Central Ohio, with about a 40/40 split between Black and white and about 10 percent of Latinx and mixed-race population, according to latest US Census data. Bivens, the former city attorney, is Whitehall’s first Black mayor. Elmore is their first (and longest-serving) Black councilmember. And Councilmember Harcar, a white woman, earlier this year introduced resolutions supporting immigrants and also gender-affirming care.

Among Stein and Balser’s most shared or prominent posts was an AI rendering of a smiling immigrant-looking family superimposed with the images of Bivens, Elmore and Harcar with large red “X”s over them (complete with a soundtrack with the lyrics “heroes never die//gonna make it to the finish line.”) The meme stated, “This is not about race.” 

Those who insisted that this recall effort had been racially motivated were naturally met with breathless contradiction by the recallers, at least among their leadership (such as Brian Steel). Comments on their Facebook posts, however, belie this assertion. 

I get it – simple and insulting messages win elections these days, and, frankly, most of the electorate are swayed by simple, emotion-driven messaging. And some who painted the supporters of the recall – as I do – as pure nationalist bigots might be jumping to conclusions.

On the other hand, what’s obvious is often true, and perhaps why Sean Walton and the NAACP began supporting Bivens, Harcar and Elmore. 

One question which continues to hang over Whitehall is, why did Brian Steel and FOP Capital City Lodge #9 play such a prominent role in this election recall which cost taxpayers $40,000? 

Steel’s major complaints against the elected officials he sought to unseat stem in part from Whitehall Police Chief Mike Crispen and Mayor Bivens blocking his FOP email from city servers. Steel also claimed Crispen was demanding his officers, which are FOP #9 union members, to meet traffic ticket quotas. 

It gets messier – Steel has suggested the arrest of Whitehall Councilmember Gerald Dixon on pedophilia charges as a “political arrest” and “investigative failure.” After Dixon’s arrest, both Harcar and Elmore voted to expel Dixon, who, just as of this week, is facing his own recall election.    

It was recently announced that Dixon blames Crispen for being investigated and his recall is led by Tiffanie Charles Haver, who lost against him for the ward seat he now occupies in the last election. The investigation launched by Chief Crispen regarding accusations that he had expressed and potentially pursued sexual contact with male minor. Charges were dropped in December. 

The Whitehall mess is proving to be a historical chapter most Central Ohioans don’t have the time or effort to fully understand. What is becoming clearer is how Steel sometimes employs racial dog whistles. Referring to NAACP President and civil rights attorney Sean Walton as a “poverty pimp” after he represented the family of Casey Goodson who was murdered by former Franklin County Sheriff deputy Jason Meade. “Poverty pimp” gives a further nod to the white nationalist MAGA base, even as Steel touts his membership in the very organization Walton now leads. 

David Harewood is on Substack and a member of the Dispatch Editorial Board Advisory Committee.