Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther today announced nine members of the Charter Review Committee. The committee is charged with leading the discussion on the structure of City Council.
Council member Shannon Hardin says the committee will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the way Council is structured and how to best serve city residents.
The committee is expected to hold seven public meetings during the next six months and report its findings to the mayor in February.
The members of the Charter Review Committee are:
- Stefanie L. Coe of southwest Columbus has been selected as the chair of the Charter Review Committee. Coe is general counsel at MPW Industrial Services and chair of the Southwest Area Commission.
- Lourdes Barroso de Padilla of Merion Village is the former executive director of City Year Columbus and has been involved in City Year for nearly 20 years.
- Jennette B. Bradley of Far East Columbus served Lieutenant Governor of Ohio from 2003-05 while Bob Taft was governor, former Treasurer of Ohio, former director of the Ohio Department of Commerce, former chair of the Ohio Housing Finance Agency Board, and an 11-year member of Columbus City Council where she chaired the City’s Utilities and Public Safety committees.
- Frieda L. Gilyard of Eastmoor is community activist involved in the Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence.
- Tyrone A. Lawes of the Hilltop is the presiding pastor of the Philadelphia Baptist Church of Love and Faith.
- Keary McCarthy of Clintonville is the President and CEO of the non-profit policy think tank Innovation Ohio.
- Frederick E. Mills of Northwest Columbus is a retired partner of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP and former leader of the firm’s government relations group.
- John C. Rosenberger of German Village is the president of the Central Ohio Community Improvement.
- Robert Vitale of German Village is the editor-in-chief of Outlook Magazine, an LGBT news and entertainment publication.
Efforts to reshape Columbus' city council into a ward-based system was widely defeated during a special election last month.
In July, a month before the special election was to be held, Ginther announced plans for the charter review commission.
