Ohio Mayors Alliance Statement Opposing August Special Election to Change State Constitution
May 9, 2023
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Board of Directors of the Ohio Mayors Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of mayors in Ohio’s largest cities, issued the following statement opposing a potential August Special Election to change the Ohio Constitution:
“As a bipartisan coalition of mayors, we agree with Ohio’s Republican and Democratic former Governors and state Attorneys General and oppose establishing an August special election to change the state constitution.
“This special election will cost the state $20 million and is likely to garner very low voter participation. As officials on both sides of the aisle have stated, this approach is not good for Ohio taxpayers or the civic health of our state.
“We are also concerned that a significant change to the state constitution would be hastily advanced without full consideration of the unintended consequences. One such consequence would be that it would make passage of statewide bond measures significantly harder.
“Over the last few decades, Ohio communities have benefited from voter-approved bond measures, which have helped to rebuild schools, invest in critical infrastructure, and create new economic development initiatives. Future bond measures such as these could be put at risk with a higher voter approval threshold, which is why this resolution must be properly considered.”
The members of the bipartisan Ohio Mayors Alliance Board of Directors are Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, Beavercreek Mayor Bob Stone, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn, Lancaster Mayor David Scheffler, Parma Mayor Tim DeGeeter, and Youngstown Mayor Tito Brown. For more information on the group’s policy priorities and its membership, please visit: OhioMayorsAlliance.org.
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