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Council size not an issue for most Ohio cities
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By Ed Richter,
Staff Writer
1:01 AM Sunday, November 1, 2009
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
That was the consensus of various officials across Ohio who represented charter cities with populations of 40,000 and 72,000 when it came to changing the size and/or structure of their city councils or commissions.
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, voters in the city of Middletown will decide if they indeed want to reduce the size of the city council from seven members to five, as well as return to an at-large council membership system after 16 years of having four ward seats.
In most of the cities contacted by The Journal, officials said the issue has never been raised by council members or citizens.
Fairfield Mayor Ron D’Epifanio said the current council structure of three at-large and four ward representatives has served his city of more than 42,000 residents well since 1955.
“If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it,” D’Epifanio said.
In Newark, City Council President Bruce Bain said no one has brought that idea up, nor has there been a discussion about it during his 24 years on council.
Newark, which is east of Columbus and the seat of Licking County, elects seven members to represent its wards as well as three members and a council president who are elected at large. The city, which has a population of more than 46,200 as of the 2000 census, also directly elects a strong mayor to lead the city. All terms are for four years.
“The citizens wouldn’t like it,” Bain said. “They like having individual ward representatives and they are used more (by residents) than the at-large members.”
Bain also said one argument that has been raised by opponents of the Middletown proposal is the fear that a majority of council members would come from one area of the city.
“The general feeling here is that they (the citizens) want their representation spread out,” he said.
In two of the state’s larger cities, Toledo and Cleveland, voters have made some decisions.
In September, voters in Toledo rejected a proposal spearheaded by three council members who sought to reduce the size of Toledo City Council from 12 members to nine.
According to the Toledo Blade, voters said no to a proposal that would have changed that council’s structure from six at large and six district (ward) seats that has been effect since 1993 to six district seats and three “super-districts” that would represent two districts each.
Last year, Cleveland voters approved a charter amendment to reduce the size of its council from 21 to 19 members, or one representative per 25,000 residents, according to The Plain Dealer.
In 1981, Cleveland voters approved a charter change in 1981 to drop the size of council from 33 to 21 members.
For most of the city’s history, Middletown was governed by a five-member commission that was elected at large. Elected ward representatives took their seats on council 16 years ago, following a charter change in 1990 narrowly approved by voters.
In 1993, Bob Lambert, Robert “Sonny” Hill Jr., Guy E. Stone II and incumbent 4th Ward Councilman David Schiavone were elected as the city’s first class of ward representatives. They were seated in January 1994.
Those Ohio cities with larger council representation also have an elected or appointed council president as well as a separately elected, full time strong mayor with veto powers over council actions. Many of those councils also have a combination of at large and ward representation.
Unlike Middletown, very few of these cities have had to deal with proposals to reduce the size of their councils or commissions.
A check of several cities across Ohio indicated this issue has rarely come up as possible charter amendments. In fact, many officials said their residents seem to approve the system they live under.
Hamilton, with a population of more than 60,000 as of the 2000 census, has six at-large city council members and an at large, directly elected mayor.
Councilman Pat Moeller, who is running for mayor this fall, said the ward representation topic “is brought up every once in awhile.”
Moeller said the last charter change was for the direct-election of the mayor which replaced the former top vote-getter that became mayor.
“We’re not set in our ways not to change things,” he said. “It works out well how we’re doing it now.”
Moeller said if there was enough interest in making a change, it would be referred to the city’s Charter Review Committee.
In Springfield, council Clerk Connie Chappell said the only change in the past few years on that city’s at large five-member commission was designating one seat to be directly elected to serve as mayor. Springfield has a population of more than 65,000 as of the 2000 census and has had a charter-form of government since 1913.
“There’s always been five members and there hasn’t been any discussions to change it,” said Chappell, who has been the clerk for 22 years.
The idea to restructure Lima City Council and drop it from eight to seven wards was briefly made but nothing happened, said longtime Clerk Sally Clemans.
Lima City Council has eight ward representatives and an at-large council president. The city, with a population of just more than 40,000 as of the 2000 census, also directly elects a strong mayor as its chief executive.
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