Explanation
On July 8, 2019, petitioners Barbara J. Reardon, Michael J. Davala, Matthew Bowersox, Emily Devol, and Rebecca Gentile ("petitioners") filed with the City Clerk a petition to amend the Charter of the City of Columbus. Petitioners filed 803 part-petitions purporting to contain 22,095 signatures of Columbus electors.
The people have established in the Ohio Constitution and the Charter of the City of Columbus a requirement that petitioners file valid signatures of no less than 10% of the electors in the last preceding municipal election to submit such a petition to the electors of the City. Since 110,292 Columbus residents voted in the last general municipal election on November 7, 2017, petitioners must present 11,030 valid signatures.
On July 22, 2019, the Franklin County Board of Elections, following a thorough, timely review, communicated to the City Clerk that the petition contains 10,746 valid signatures. Furthermore, the Franklin County Board of Elections indicated that petitioner Emily Devol was not a qualified elector of the City of Columbus as required under established law. On July 25, 2019, the City Attorney communicated to Council and the City Clerk his opinion that the petition is insufficient as a matter of law. The petitioners fail to meet the mandatory minimum standards established by the people in the Ohio Constitution and the Charter of the City of Columbus and, as such, their proposed charter amendment is legally insufficient and shall not be submitted to the electors of the City of Columbus.
Title
To declare the insufficiency of a petition to amend the Charter of the City of Columbus filed with the City Clerk on July 8, 2019; and to declare an emergency.
Body
WHEREAS, the Ohio Constitution, Article 18, Section 9, and the Charter of the City of Columbus, Section 45, vest with the people the right to amend the City Charter via a citizen-initiated charter amendment petition; and
WHEREAS, petitioners are charged with the r...
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