Columbus City Council
Four incumbents have made a winning team for the city
Columbus has a city council that functions well as a team and in
collaboration with Mayor Michael B. Coleman and other central Ohio leaders. As
voters consider four seats up for election on the seven-member body, The
Dispatch has strong confidence in the four incumbent Democrats running to
retain those seats. Andrew J. Ginther, Hearcel F. Craig, Michelle M.
Mills and Zach M. Klein would continue to serve the city effectively.
Voters can return them to office with confidence.
Ginther, who in January became the council’s youngest president in 50 years, continues his impressive growth as a public servant. After six years on the Columbus Board of Education, he was appointed to the council in 2007 and elected to a full term later that year. Rapid turnover on the council made Ginther, at 35, its senior member by January of this year, when he was named president.
The first challenge he faced — naming two appointees to replace departing members Charleta B. Tavares and Michael C. Mentel — showed he was ready for his new position. Out of a typically crowded field of applicants, Ginther chose Mills and Klein, who have hit the ground running and proved to be two of the stronger appointees in recent years.
Ginther’s thoughtful leadership, enhanced by his inclination to study issues carefully, inspires confidence among those attempting to get things done at City Hall.
His relationship with Coleman is appropriately respectful and civil, which obviously helps city business run smoothly. But Ginther has no problem expressing disagreement with the mayor, as he has recently by saying he’s not sure the city should go forward with the curbside-recycling program promised in the mayor’s most recent budget. That willingness to differ publicly with colleagues is critical to good management of the city, especially in a one-party government.
Craig, Klein and Mills have helped form a strong team under Ginther’s leadership, and that in turn has allowed Columbus to prosper and improve, even in a bad economy.
The Ginther-led council’s inclination to cooperate with Coleman and Franklin County officials has helped improve the community with initiatives such as relocating central Ohio’s casino from the Arena District to a more-appropriate site on the West Side, which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.
Klein, a lawyer with the firm Jones Day, is an energetic problem-solver who already has built a solid resume in law and public service, with clerkships to a state appeals-court judge and two federal court judges, and a position with former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray.
Together with Mills, Klein has shown a willingness to engage Columbus residents on the issues; after spending time over the summer asking neighborhood groups what they want done about graffiti, Klein and Mills proposed a change to a proposed ordinance that would hold property owners responsible for removing graffiti. Instead of simply threatening graffiti victims with fines if they don’t get remove it, the two propose that the city offer to do the clean-up as long as owners sign a waiver stating that they won’t sue over any unintentional damage done to their properties in the cleanup.
As president and chief executive officer of St. Stephen’s Community House, Mills has proved herself a capable manager of a large and complex organization. The position puts her on the frontlines of the city’s battle against poverty and gives her tremendous insight into its social-service needs, as well as a special understanding of the challenges associated with the city’s growing Somali and other immigrant populations.
Craig has served central Ohio in many capacities, with a special focus on programs to help young people achieve their potential. He has worked as director of customer service with the Franklin County Clerk of Courts, as director of the Columbus Housing Partnership’s AmeriCorps program, with City Year and the Buckeye Ranch, among others.
Last summer, Craig helped coordinate the city intervention that rescued the South Side Settlement House from financial collapse. A Vietnam-era Army veteran, he heads the council’s new Veterans Affairs Committee, aimed at helping veterans access the services available to them through city, county, state and federal programs.
Of the challengers, Republican Daryl Hennessy offers the best credentials: He’s a seasoned financial manager with experience in federal and state budgeting. He also runs his family’s landscaping business. He is an active volunteer and advocate for his Westgate neighborhood.
Hennessy has thoroughly analyzed the city’s budget and suggested ways to improve its fiscal health.
But the current council members’ success in steering the city through a difficult year makes the case for keeping them on board.
Ginther, who in January became the council’s youngest president in 50 years, continues his impressive growth as a public servant. After six years on the Columbus Board of Education, he was appointed to the council in 2007 and elected to a full term later that year. Rapid turnover on the council made Ginther, at 35, its senior member by January of this year, when he was named president.
The first challenge he faced — naming two appointees to replace departing members Charleta B. Tavares and Michael C. Mentel — showed he was ready for his new position. Out of a typically crowded field of applicants, Ginther chose Mills and Klein, who have hit the ground running and proved to be two of the stronger appointees in recent years.
Ginther’s thoughtful leadership, enhanced by his inclination to study issues carefully, inspires confidence among those attempting to get things done at City Hall.
His relationship with Coleman is appropriately respectful and civil, which obviously helps city business run smoothly. But Ginther has no problem expressing disagreement with the mayor, as he has recently by saying he’s not sure the city should go forward with the curbside-recycling program promised in the mayor’s most recent budget. That willingness to differ publicly with colleagues is critical to good management of the city, especially in a one-party government.
Craig, Klein and Mills have helped form a strong team under Ginther’s leadership, and that in turn has allowed Columbus to prosper and improve, even in a bad economy.
The Ginther-led council’s inclination to cooperate with Coleman and Franklin County officials has helped improve the community with initiatives such as relocating central Ohio’s casino from the Arena District to a more-appropriate site on the West Side, which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.
Klein, a lawyer with the firm Jones Day, is an energetic problem-solver who already has built a solid resume in law and public service, with clerkships to a state appeals-court judge and two federal court judges, and a position with former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray.
Together with Mills, Klein has shown a willingness to engage Columbus residents on the issues; after spending time over the summer asking neighborhood groups what they want done about graffiti, Klein and Mills proposed a change to a proposed ordinance that would hold property owners responsible for removing graffiti. Instead of simply threatening graffiti victims with fines if they don’t get remove it, the two propose that the city offer to do the clean-up as long as owners sign a waiver stating that they won’t sue over any unintentional damage done to their properties in the cleanup.
As president and chief executive officer of St. Stephen’s Community House, Mills has proved herself a capable manager of a large and complex organization. The position puts her on the frontlines of the city’s battle against poverty and gives her tremendous insight into its social-service needs, as well as a special understanding of the challenges associated with the city’s growing Somali and other immigrant populations.
Craig has served central Ohio in many capacities, with a special focus on programs to help young people achieve their potential. He has worked as director of customer service with the Franklin County Clerk of Courts, as director of the Columbus Housing Partnership’s AmeriCorps program, with City Year and the Buckeye Ranch, among others.
Last summer, Craig helped coordinate the city intervention that rescued the South Side Settlement House from financial collapse. A Vietnam-era Army veteran, he heads the council’s new Veterans Affairs Committee, aimed at helping veterans access the services available to them through city, county, state and federal programs.
Of the challengers, Republican Daryl Hennessy offers the best credentials: He’s a seasoned financial manager with experience in federal and state budgeting. He also runs his family’s landscaping business. He is an active volunteer and advocate for his Westgate neighborhood.
Hennessy has thoroughly analyzed the city’s budget and suggested ways to improve its fiscal health.
But the current council members’ success in steering the city through a difficult year makes the case for keeping them on board.
