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Youngstown Charter Review Commission received flak for ignoring mayoral term limit
YOUNGSTOWN
It was what the Youngstown Charter Review Commission isn’t recommending that drew some criticism – and a loud rebuttal from one of the committee’s members.
During Tuesday’s public meeting, Clarence Boles, a former school board member and city councilman, and the Rev. Kenneth Simon, senior pastor at New Bethel Baptist Church, questioned why the committee didn’t address term limits for the mayoral position.
All seven commission members were appointed by Mayor John A. McNally.
Boles said the decision gives “the appearance of impropriety,” adding that he wasn’t “accusing [members] of anything.”
Scott Schulick, a commission member, shouted, “Take it up with the mayor. I take offense to that.”
Chris Travers, the commission’s chairman, said McNally “has had virtually no communication with this board.”
The previous charter review commission in 2012 proposed removing term limits for those serving as mayor, something council members that year put on the ballot and was approved by city voters.
Council members can serve two four-year terms and then have to leave office for four years before they can run for another term.
Nikki Posterli, a commission member, said a proposal for term limits for the mayor was rejected quickly because it was approved by voters only four years ago.
The public meeting didn’t attract many people. Fewer than 20 attended the session at the Covelli Centre’s meeting room, and that included four council members. There was a minimal amount of public input at the meeting.
The committee next will meet July 12 with McNally to get his input and then with city council July 19. It will make final recommendations at a July 26 meeting.
It’s up to council what recommended charter amendments they’ll put on the Nov. 8 general election ballot for voters to consider.
The 2012 commission proposed 17 changes. Council rejected 13, kept the language of two and made changes to two others.
This commission has six recommendations and plans to ask council to consider one other proposal.
The six recommendations are:
Requiring council candidates to live in the ward they want to represent for at least a year from Election Day. There’s a provision to allow a person to run if his or her home was redistricted into a different ward less than a year before an election.
Deleting a $12 fine for council members who miss regularly scheduled meetings. The fee likely has never been enforced. The commission wants council to determine if a fine should be levied and, if so, how much.
Requiring ward redistricting after every census if there is a 7 percent population variance between the most- and least-populated wards. The previous commission wanted to toughen this part of the charter, but council in 2012 put in ambiguous language calling for redistricting when there is a “reasonable population change.”
Changing language that the mayor “shall” convene a charter review commission every four years. The current language is the mayor “will” have the commission meet every four years.
Eliminating language requiring city employees to live in Youngstown as the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that unconstitutional in 2009, and the city no longer enforces it. The commission also included language permitting the mayor to appoint people to boards and commissions who don’t live in Youngstown if a qualified city resident cannot be found. Those out-of-city appointments would need approval from a majority of council.
Removing a requirement that a member of the park and recreation commission, a body eliminated by a 2013 charter amendment vote, serve on the city’s planning commission. Mayors have appointed citizens to that position.
The seventh possible recommendation is to eliminate language that the finance department disburse money only by check. It already doesn’t do that. The proposal also would add a provision requiring the city to make its finances more transparent. The proposal’s language is purposely vague to take into account changing technology, Travers said.