Voters to elect 8 candidates for Charter Review Commission

MANSFIELD — Voters in the city of Mansfield will elect eight members to the city’s Charter Review Commission on the Nov. 7 ballot. 

But what exactly does a charter review commission do? According to Mansfield law director John Spon, it serves a very important function. 

“The public as a whole generally doesn’t read the city charter, so to that extent they’re not invested enough to determine whether one part of our charter is outdated or antiquated,” Spon said. 

“Because there’s a desire for some review every election, the founding fathers that established our charter through the vote of the people decided to add this provision,” he said.

“It mandates that the government itself establish a group of people that truly review the charter provisions.”

A charter review commission is convened every four years. Members serve one-year terms.

The commission will take office on the first day of December following the election, and their term in office will end on Nov. 30 of the year following.

The ballot for commission members is non-partisan and shall not contain references to any political party.

According to Section 14.02 of the city charter, after studying and reviewing the charter, the commission reports its recommendations (if any) for revisions of the charter to Mansfield City Council within nine months. 

City council then submits any recommended amendments to the voters for approval. 

“It gives the public the right to amend and change their laws, and I think that’s very important,” Spon said.

As a community development group committed to growing Mansfield, NECIC sees civic engagement as vital for a healthy community. Rooted in the North End, their efforts benefit North Central Ohio and beyond. They promote informed voter turnout for a thriving society. Explore at www.necic-ohio.org.

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