COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus City Council received 27 applications to fill the seat of existing member Elizabeth Brown, the council’s President Pro Tempore. The deadline for submitting applications was Friday.
What You Need To Know
- 27 people have applied to replace Elizabeth Brown on Columbus City Council
- Brown accepted a job with YWCA Columbus, which begins on Jan. 2
- Her replacement will be decided after a nomination and hearing process, starting Jan. 3
Brown has served on council since first being elected in 2015. She announced her intent to leave on Nov. 10 after accepting the position of CEO and president of YWCA Columbus. She starts the new position on Jan. 2, 2023.
The existing council members will review applications and conduct interviews before submitting a list of up to three candidates by Dec. 21.
After that, a public hearing will be held on Jan. 3 to discuss the finalists and hear public testimony. To provide in-person or written testimony, residents must submit remarks by noon on the day of the hearing.
Council will then meet on Jan. 9 to make official nominations and vote on an applicant, with a majority needed for a nominee to be accepted and sworn in.
With 2023 being an election year for council members, their criteria could reflect that.
“As we prepare for historic changes at Council, moving to a nine-member hybrid district system to better represent our neighborhoods, I believe the City would be best served by an experienced civic leader who can act as a caretaker,” said Council President Shannon Hardin in a memo explaining the process. “While I am only one member of this body, I will be looking for applicants to finish the one year remainder of Council President Pro Tem Elizabeth Brown’s term rather than applicants planning to campaign for the seat in the 2023 elections.”
One applicant who could fit that bill is former council member Mitchell J. Brown, who held the position from 2016 until his retirement in 2021, when he declined to seek re-election. He was 74 when he left office.
The remaining 26 applicants, per the Columbus Dispatch:
- Densil Porteous
- Rick Shuster
- Christina Pelletier
- Olubunmi Adekanbi
- Patricia Duckworth
- Eli Bohnert
- Kelly Lombardo-Matthews
- Josh Leach
- Larry Druggan
- William Dodson
- Kurt Looper
- Martin Alvarado
- Tom Price
- Chelssy Alvarez
- Hugh Butler, III
- Charity Martin-King
- Forrest Neuswanger
- Aaron Neumann
- Lucy Gettman
- Charles Nabrit
- Kristen Hosni
- Ilhan Dahir
- Eric Duffy
- Angela Meddock
- Sean Ruffin
- Stephanie Matthews
