Writing about, and at present attempting to live in Ohio and Columbus is a daily challenge. It is not for the progressive, civil libertarian, fainted-hearted, sanitarian, diverse community members, or the unsteady walker or driver. As my wife and I ponder how much longer we can remain in radically right-wing Ohio and broken, dirty, corrupt, and mismanaged Columbus, I turn to humor.

Both Ohio and Columbus may rival other states and cities in these achievements despite today’s competition from many names and many lies of Congress-person Santos et al., many ballots of Kevin-athon McCarthy, mis-reader of children’s literature Ted Cruz, and know no rights-know no history Ron DeSantis (aka DeSatan).

Immediately following his election to the US Senate, I first offered to trade Senator (it pains me to type that title) J.D. Vance to three friends in Texas, for Ted Cruz. Cruz makes me laugh, Vance does not. They all turned me down cold.

Then I offered our newbie to friends in Florida for Marco Rubio. Without hesitation, they refused as well. We are stuck, Ohio. A six year sentence, at least.

America, America . . . God kicks thee in the head.

The twisted irony here — the irony of the brutal murder of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee last month — is that his killers were the ones hired and trained to keep the city safe. Instead, they created half an hour of hell for the young man, kicking and beating and tasing him to death a short distance away from his mother’s house, after a random, and perhaps unjustified, traffic stop.

One of the last words he uttered, as recorded on a pole-mounted police surveillance video of the incident, was a desperate cry: “Mom-m-m-m-m!”

Should we outlaw hell? Or maybe at least defund it?

Former Columbus City Council candidate and long-time community activist Joe Motil is submitting more than 2,000 petition signatures to the Franklin County Board of Elections at noon on Wednesday February 1, 2023. This officially confirms his campaign for mayor in the 2023 non-partisan May primary election.  

As a community leader dedicated to fairness, opportunity, equality, and justice, Motil has been involved with city government for 37 years in numerous capacities. His advocacy and commitment is well known and respected throughout Columbus’ neighborhoods. He is recognized especially for his fights against the city’s tax abatement policies, proposing solutions for truly affordable housing, advocating for the unsheltered, exposing corruption and the unethical conduct of city officials, reforming police, and advancing the rights for all Columbus citizens voices to be heard.       

Former Columbus City Council candidate and longtime community advocate Joe Motil is submitting petition signatures this Wednesday to run for Mayor of Columbus in the May 2, 2023 primary election.

Motil states, “(Yesterday’s) Columbus Dispatch story, “One year on, Ethics Commission probe into Little Turtle contract appears ongoing” further puts into question the unethical actions of Public Service Director Jennifer Gallagher. Mayor Ginther should have demanded her resignation over a year ago.”