As various groups push for a change in how Columbus City Council elects candidates, the Council will consider a measure to clarify campaign finance disclosure requirements for candidates running for any city office.
The council agenda says since amendments were made last year to the city’s campaign disclosure requirements, multiple questions from candidates have made it clear the language needs to be modified.
City Council President Zach Klein says the council wants to make sure there’s no question about what’s expected from candidates for city government.
“The most notable part of these revisions is it makes it explicitly clear that even if a candidate doesn’t have a primary opponent, they still need to file a financial disclosure form,” Klein says.
The ordinance does not add any additional campaign finance disclosure requirements.
“Our goal is then from the beginning that we have openness and transparency in city government,” Klein says. “And this ordinance simply clears up any ambiguity so that everyone can understand what’s expected from our candidates for city government.”
The new language will go into effect as soon as the law allows.
