Mallory letter: No vote on charter change

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory wrote a letter Tuesday to the three Hamilton County party heads saying he will not place on the Thursday council agenda a proposal to change the city charter so that the legislative body could meet in closed-door executive sessions for selected issues. The decision means there will be no vote on the issue Thursday, eliminating the possibilty of a ballot referendum in November.

It would have taken six affirmative votes of council members to place the issue before voters.

Here's the letter:

September 5, 2006

George Vincent, Chair Hamilton County Republican Party
Michael Goldman, President Charter Committee of Greater Cincinnati
Tim Burke, Chair, Hamilton County Democratic Party

Dear Chairman Vincent, President Goldman, and Chairman Burke:

I write to you today in response to your letter concerning the proposal to place an amendment to the City Charter before the voters in the November election. The proposal would amend the Cincinnati City Charter to conform with the Ohio Open Meetings Act, allowing City Council to adjourn to executive session.

Adopted 1926, the City Charter is a landmark in city government reform and has made Cincinnati a national leader in good government. Amending the Charter is a very serious endeavor and must be undertaken with the utmost caution and only after extensive deliberation.

I have several concerns with the timing of the current proposal. I believe that before any amendment is placed on the ballot there should be extensive public input and debate on the issue. Public input is especially important since this proposal asks the voters to voluntarily exclude themselves from certain proceedings of city government. I first heard about this proposed amendment on Friday and just received your letter today, so I am sure that most citizens are unfamiliar with the proposed amendment.

The City of Cincinnati faces many serious and difficult challenges that must be addressed in the coming months. Our main focus should be addressing the priorities that are important to the citizens of Cincinnati and that will improve the quality of life in our region.

I do not believe that it is in the best interests of the city to put this amendment on the ballot without first conducting hearings in public. Therefore, I will not be scheduling this amendment for a vote at the September 7th meeting of Council. If you have any questions about this matter or if you wish to discuss it further, please fell free to contact me directly.

Sincerely,



Mark Mallory
Mayor of Cincinnati

Cc: Members of Cincinnati City Council