Council reduced to 5 members; wards eliminated

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By Ed Richter, Staff Writer Updated 6:25 AM Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Middletown voters Tuesday, Nov. 3, approved an amendment of the city charter to reduce the size of City Council as well as eliminate the ward system of representation.

According to final, unofficial results from the boards of elections in Butler and Warren counties, the amendment was approved by a vote of 4,623 for to 4,151 against.

The measure will reduce the size of council from seven members to five members who will all be elected at-large beginning with the general election in 2013.

The way the charter amendment was placed on the ballot was the source of controversy over the past few months after council reversed itself to place the amendment before voters.

The city’s 2009 Charter Review Committee recommended placing the amendment on the ballot by a 13-2 vote. However, when it came before council, it was initially rejected because council could not muster the two-thirds vote, or five votes, to place it on the ballot.

A group of residents then circulated a petition to place the amendment on the ballot but the Butler County Board of Elections ruled the petition lacked sufficient signatures of registered voters.

The effort swayed 4th Ward Councilman David Schiavone to change his vote to place the amendment on the ballot in an 11th hour decision.

After the Tuesday’s vote, Dora Bronston, president of the Middletown NAACP, said there’s lots of time in between this election and when the amendment goes into effect in 2013.

“It doesn’t mean that this issue won’t be back,” she said.

Jeff Michel, the resident that initiated the petition drive to put the issue back on the ballot, said “the people have spoken and that’s what they chose. I’m pleased.”

“I think it’s fabulous, and the city has a bright new future,” he said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or at erichter@coxohio.com.

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