Understanding Lakewood’s 5 proposed charter amendments

The No Kings rallies on October 16 were expressions of support for constitutional democracy on a national scale in advance of Election Day, November 3. On that day, eligible Lakewood residents will vote on five proposed amendments to the city’s charter, the document that is essentially the constitution setting forth how the city is governed.

The five proposed amendments, which, if approved, will go into effect Jan. 1, 2027, address when the salaries of the mayor and members of city council are to be determined, how revisions to ordinances and resolutions are communicated to citizens, clarify procedures for filling council vacancies and determining voting districts, and establish how amendments to the charter are brought to a vote.

Lakewood’s first charter was adopted in 1914 and has been amended many times since. The current charter, adopted in November 2017 and amended two years later,  contains a provision for a Charter Review Commission to be convened every 10 years. The Commission is to be composed of citizen volunteers who were nominated by Lakewood Mayor Meghan George and members of city council.

The most recent commission submitted its final report in July 2024, but instead of placing the proposed amendments on the 2025 municipal election ballot, Lakewood City Council opted to wait a year in anticipation of a higher voter turnout for this year’s midterm election. In the interim, nine meetings were held at which the public could learn about and comment on the commission’s recommendations.

Not all of the proposed amendments  made the ballot. One proposed amendment would adopt ranked choice voting for Lakewood municipal elections.  Dean Jackson, a Lakewood public policy consultant who was a member of the commission, said, “There was a lot of uncertainty about legislation that at the time was pending in Columbus, but later passed, that might strip local funds from municipalities if they used ranked choice voting. We wanted to encourage experimentation with that system but also recognized that the city needed flexibility and might need to be able to change course.”

Issue No. 48, the amendment regarding salary recommendations, addresses an issue that was brought to the commission’s attention by former Lakewood City Council President John Litten in 2023 when he declined to seek re-election.  The proposed amendment would move the salary review process to years in which a municipal election is held so that potential candidates can know the salary and other compensation of the office they might seek before filing to run.

Issues No. 46 and 49, would add specific language to the current, (some argue) vaguely-worded sections of the charter addressing how vacancies on council are filled and how redistricting is conducted, respectively. Issue No. 50 sets forth three methods by which amendments to the charter make their way to the ballot, while Issue No. 47 requires that revisions or amendments to ordinances or resolutions highlight the proposed additions or deletions to the existing text rather than reading both in full. “This makes it much clearer to the public, to council members and to the law department of what would change if passed, and it will shorten the dockets, which will also make those easier for folks to follow,” said Lakewood City Council President Sarah Kepple.

If these issues don’t appear to address urgent or fundamental municipal issues, that is the point, said Kepple.  “This is the sort of quiet, not flashy, but very important work of government. I think it’s good for people to see that their local government is trying to be thoughtful and proactive and controlling what we can control in a good way to protect our city. So, it’s good governance. Sometimes people lose faith in governing, but I think these are examples of government working how it should.”