Columbus City Council and Mayor Andrew J. Ginther Announce Charter Review Committee Members
Nine Member Committee to Conduct Review of
Columbus City Council Structure and Governance
[COLUMBUS-OH] Columbus City Councilmember Shannon G. Hardin and Mayor Andrew J. Ginther proudly announced the nine members of the Charter Review Committee today at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. The Committee members were selected from applications submitted over the last three weeks. The Committee is charged with leading the discussion on the structure and governance of City Council
“This is an opportunity to review how to best serve all residents in every corner of the city,” said Councilmember Hardin. “The Charter Review Committee will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the structure of Council and how to effectively serve our constituents.
“The members we have selected for the Charter Review Committee reflect a range of backgrounds and neighborhoods,” said Mayor Ginther. “I am confident they will lead a thorough and thoughtful discussion of how City Council can best represent Columbus in the future.
The work will begin this month with a minimum of seven public meetings. The Committee will report its findings to the Mayor and Council in February of 2017. Any recommendations made by the Committee to amend the City Charter will require a vote of Council and the approval of Columbus voters.
The members of the Charter Review Committee are:
• Stefanie L. Coe
• Lourdes Barroso de Padilla
• Jennette B. Bradley
• Frieda L. Gilyard
• Tyrone A. Lawes
• Keary McCarthy
• Fred E. Mills
• John C. Rosenberger
• Robert Vitale
“The Committee has been charged with the important work of making sure all residents in all neighborhoods have a say in the future of governance,” said Coe, a long-time neighborhood leader who will serve as the Committee’s chairperson. “I am grateful to Mayor Ginther and City Council for the opportunity to serve with this diverse group who cherish Columbus as much as I do.”
“These members are ready to hear from the community, examine the national best practices and facilitate a citywide conversation so that all Columbus residents can have a say in the structure of their City Council,” said Hardin.
Charter Review Committee Member
Stefanie L. Coe of Southwest Columbus has been selected as the chair of the Charter Review Committee by Mayor Andrew J. Ginther and the City Council President. Coe is general counsel at MPW Industrial Services and chair of the Southwest Area Commission. Coe’s previous experience includes serving as an assistant city attorney for environmental prosecution, helping prosecute misdemeanor code violations throughout the city
Lourdes Barroso de Padilla of Merion Village is the former executive director of City Year Columbus and has been involved in City Year and the youth of Columbus for nearly 20 years. A first generation American of Cuban decent, Barroso de Padilla was born and raised in Columbus, OH
Jennette B. Bradley of Far East Columbus is the managing partner of J. Bradley Partners, LLC. The former Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, former Treasurer of Ohio, former director of the Ohio Department of Commerce and the former chair of the Ohio Housing Finance Agency Board, was also a member of Columbus City Council for 11 years.
Frieda L. Gilyard of Eastmoor is a community activist involved in the Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence. Gilyard works with faith-based institutions to raise awareness, promote education and empower women and men to make changes in their churches and communities to create a culture that does not tolerate family violence.
Tyrone A. Lawes of the Hilltop is the presiding pastor of the Philadelphia Baptist Church of Love and Faith. Lawes is a member of the Baptist Ministerial Alliance of Columbus and the Vicinity and former associate minister of the Mount Vernon Avenue Baptist Church. Lawes began his call to ministry at the age of 18, in which time he and his wife have served as foster parents to many children throughout the city
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. Mills is a member of the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission, tasked with developing recommendations to the Ohio General Assembly for improving and modernizing Ohio’s Constitution. He is the former Majority Chief of Staff, Majority Legal Counsel and Clerk for the Ohio House of Representatives as well as the former Ohio Superintendent of Banks.
Keary McCarthy of Clintonville is the President and CEO of the non-profit policy think tank Innovation Ohio. McCarthy served on the transition teams for two Cuyahoga County Executives as they sought to define the new position and make county government responsive to residents. McCarthy has also served as Minority Chief of Staff to the Ohio House of Representatives.
John C. Rosenberger of German Village is the president of the Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation – a non-profit corporation designated as the land reutilization corporation for Franklin County, which also serves as the County’s land bank. A practicing attorney, Rosenberger has extensive community experience guiding the Capital South Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation. He has also served as special counsel to the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
Robert Vitale of German Village is the editor-in-chief of Outlook Magazine, an LGBT news and entertainment magazine publication. Vitale was a former beat reporter for the Columbus Dispatch assigned to Columbus City Hall and has worked at several other news outlets throughout the eastern United States.
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