07/17/2001 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 7117/01 LETTERS AND CQMMjTNICATIONS :~~ ,,:~ Correspondence was received from State Representative Dale Miller and Florizelle B. Liser, Assistatrt U.S. Trade Representative for Industry and Telecommunications, acknowledging the legislation Council recently adopted with regard to the steel industry. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION Tom Hreha, 6418 Surrey Drive, spoke in support of the legislation which would place a Charter amendment on the ballot to allow for non-partisan elections. Mr. Hreha noted it would not go into effect unti12003, so it would not affect this election and no candidate would benefit from it. Non-partisan elections simply means that party affiliation is no longer printed on the ballot. There are only six communities in Cuyahoga County that currerrtly have partisan elections. Non-partisan elections would allow federal governmem employees, who are prohibited from running in partisan elections by the Hatch Act, to be candidates for election in North Olmsted. We have hundreds of residents who aze federal employees, and non-partisan elections would open up this talent pool. He would like Council to reconsider the decision to keep the legislation in committee and place the issue on the ballot for the citizens to decide. Councilman McKay commented that it is not the City Council of North Olmsted that prevents federal employees from being candidates. It is the federal government that is restricting them If citizens want to change this, they have the opportunity to put it on the ballot by petition. He is not going to make himself a liar because somebody warns him to run in anon-partisan election and say that he does not have any politics. He is proud to be a Democrat and has always been truthful about his political affiliation. Bill Kelley, 4161 Canterbury Road, commented that the recommendation regazding non- partisan elections was not a unanimous decision from the Charter Review Commission. As a member of the commission and a Democrat, he voted against it as did the chairperson of the commission who is a Republican. He believes that calling elections non-partisan does not remove partisanship from elections. Councilman Limpert commented that, as he understands it, non-partisan does not mean that a candidate cannot indicate party affiliation on campaign literature or signs. Dennis Lambert, 25057 Carey Lane, said the Charter gives a distinct advantage to party affiliated candidates versus non-partisan candidates. There aze people in the community who might not want to contribute to a particular political party. They just want to use their talents to benefit their community. Council is not being asked to condone non- partisan elections but only to let the people vote on it. It is about giving the people the choice. Shannon Hoff-Smith, 5113 Hampton Drive, spoke as a representative of the Citizens for Non-partisan Elections Committee. The committee is a coalition of Democratic, Republican and Independent citizens fighting to have their right to participate and the democratic process restored. The committee will be circulating petitions to have an issue 7