Have you ever felt like Cincinnati City Council members seem like they’re in perpetual campaign mode, spending six months out of each two-year term trying to explain to voters why the stuff they did during the previous year and a half has earned them a second year-plus before they have to start campaigning again? Us, too.
Good thing Council members in February went into a Government Operations Committee meeting and came out with two different options for four-year terms. They have scheduled three upcoming hearings seeking community input on the proposals. One option involves all nine members running in the same election every four years, along with a “staggered terms” option that would involve four or five members running every two years. Both options retain Council’s eight-year term limit.
A majority of Council supports four-year terms, according to Councilwoman Laure Quinlivan. The chosen proposal will go on the November ballot, and, if passed, will go into effect with the 2013 election.
“Council will be more productive and collaborative with four-year terms,” Quinlivan said in a news release. “Leaders in every major city in Ohio and most every city we compete with have four-year terms to enable strategic planning and long-term vision.”
An online survey is available here for those who cannot attend a hearing. The following is the schedule of remaining public hearings:
Tuesday, April 24: 6 p.m. at Southern Baptist Church, 3556 Reading Road, Avondale
Monday, May 7: 6 p.m. at Oakley Recreation Center, 3882 Paxton Ave., Hyde Park
Tuesday, May 22: 6 p.m. at Price Hill Recreation Center, 959 Hawthorne Ave., Price Hill
