Transcript Lorain County Charter Form of Government

CITIZENS FOR EQUAL REPRESENTATION
2014
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Why a Charter Form of Government?
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 Local Representation
 Home Rule Flexibility
 Lower Cost of Government
 Policy Formation
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Increase Number of Commissioners
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 Expand from 3 Commissioners to 7, for better
representation
 Create enough Commissioners to establish committees
necessary for working groups to delve into issues with more
intensity and report back to full board for action; however
every district votes on every issue
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7 Districts
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 Districts represent geographical areas to allow its
Commissioner to convey the needs and concerns for
that unique region and provide for fair
representation
 There is no additional cost for 7 Commissioners
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Total salary for all seven(7) would be the same as it currently is
for three(3)
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Each will make approximately $32,000 vs. $77,000 currently for the
part-time position
No fringe benefits for Commissioners, other than
required by law (PERS)
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7 Geographical Districts
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 Make sure everyone’s vote counts in Commissioner
races
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Currently, county wide candidates need only focus on the
high vote areas to get elected and re-elected
Districts will foster better access between candidates and the
citizens they represent
Easier to attract candidates because they run in smaller
districts where they are better known
The reduce footprint will lower the cost of campaigning
(Countywide- 302,000 vs. Districts- 43,000)
Increase faith in government by being better
informed through your local Commissioner,
who will be more accessible to you
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Home Rule
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 Ability to determine dozens of issues locally-not
mandated by Columbus in a one size fits all
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Organizational Structure
Job description
Pay issues
Benefit plans and rules
Charter language
County-Municipality interaction
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Modernize Government
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 Fiscal and Legal officials will continue to be elected to act as
watchdog on behalf of the citizens
 Make administrative functions fully accountable to
Commissioners and County Administrator, therefore the
people Appointed by Commissioners are continually
evaluated—not just at four year elections
 Built-in checks and balances on a day to day basis—not just
every four years
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Modernize Government
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 Business & Administrative functions will be appointed by the 7
Commissioners instead of being elected
 Treasurer, Recorder, Coroner, Engineer, Clerk of Courts – will all be
appointed positions by the 7 Commissioners
• Since the 2000 countywide election, these 5 positions had:
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60 Opportunities to have contested positions
36 times ran unopposed
 17 times had no candidate run for the position in the Primary
 Only 7 times have two candidates opposed each other
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12% of the time there were contested positions
53 out of 60 times voters did not have a choice
Establishment of Human Resource Department
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 Standardize County’s employment practices
 All employees will be hired through a central
employment (HR) office.
 Centralizes hiring and follow Ohio civil service rules;
this will provide equal opportunity for all Lorain
County residents for any employment openings
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Not Reinventing the Wheel
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 1979 Summit County becomes first county in Ohio to
operate with a charter government (Population
541,000)
• One elected executive with an 11-member County Council
 Eight of
those members elected from individual districts while the
other three are elected at large
 2009 Cuyahoga County successfully voted for a
charter government
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One executive and an 11-member council
 Sheriff, Treasure,
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and Clerk of Courts are appointed
Steering Committee Composition
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 Public and private sector members
 Bi-partisan
 Included Former Commissioner and Auditor
 Township, City, and Village members
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Committee’s Timeline
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 January 2013 a group of civic-minded individuals
met to discuss how to improve county government
 March 2013 had open conversations with LCCC
Public Service Institute and CSU Center for Public
Policy to investigate 5-7-9 districts
 May 2013 had meetings with newspapers on the
future of the project
 August 2013 completed Charter document and initial
showcase at Lorain County Fair
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Mapping The Districts
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 Approached Public Services Institute (PSI) at LCCC
who referred us to Cleveland State University’s
Center for Public Policy
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LCCC no longer has the software to “analyze” census data
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Mapping The Districts
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Our Instructions to the Center for Public Policy:
 Follow
the state population rules -- equal +/- 5%
 Create a minority majority district (36%)
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 Do
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Per the Voting Rights Act of 1965
not use political data to determine lines
Compact districts-no gerrymandering
No R or D districts on purpose
Do not split any wards, if possible
Minimize dividing of political subdivisions
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Choosing the Best Number of Districts
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 5 District plan did not comply with state election
laws
 9 District plan divided too many political
subdivisions
 7 was the best option
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Testing of 7 District plan once Chosen
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 CSU’s Center for Public Policy tested the 7 District
plan using past elections to make sure it represented
Lorain County’s overall political landscape
(Only after all other issues resolved—and only to make sure no
unintended political issues)
 Used the following Elections:
 Presidential Race 2008; Governor 2010; US Congress 2008;
US Congress 2010; Ohio House 2008; Ohio Senate 2010;
Ohio House 2010
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Testing of 7 District plan once Chosen
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 District 1
 District 2
 District 3
 District 4
 District 5
 District 6
 District 7
Democrat Voters
61.2%
58.1%
52.7%
68.2%
48.7%
81.2%
54.0%
 Lorain County Overall
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60%
Republican Voters
38.8%
41.9%
47.3%
31.8%
51.3%
18.8%
46.0%
40%
Moving Forward
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 August 2014 - collect signatures
 Engage community groups through speakers
 Submit signatures to the Lorain County Board of
Elections by the 2015 deadline
 Beginning January 2015 - Intense Community
Conversation through: Speakers; Advertising; Seek
Endorsements
 November 2015 - On the ballot in General Election
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Moving Forward
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 2015 - Commence building transition committees
through: Citizens, County employees, and business
community
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A Transition Committee will decide the details of changing from the
existing Statutory structure to the New structure
Charter calls for transition oversight authority made up of citizens
 May 2016 - Primary Election of Commissioners
 November 2016 – General Election of all Commissioners
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Districts 1, 3, 5 & 7 have 4 year terms
Districts 2, 4, 6 have 2 year term (only first term) and run again in
2018 for 4 year terms
 January 2017 – Charter takes effect with 7
commissioners
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Lorain County Municipalities’ Structure
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 Most citizens enjoy municipal level charter
government now
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All townships, villages and cities in Lorain County are already
Charter forms of government except for Lorain and Amherst
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Summary
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 7 county districts will ensure local and diverse
representation unique to each district
 More efficient use of tax dollars
 Flexibility to adjust locally without Ohio Legislature
having to make changes in the state statute
 Better reflection of the needs of Rural, Suburban,
and Urban neighborhoods
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How can you help?
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 Thank you for your time today and for your support of this important effort
 Please visit our website for more information or opportunities to volunteer:
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 Inform your friends and family of this important voters rights issue
 Election Day is November 3, 2015. Show your support and vote!
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