Petition drives for Findlay citizen initiatives stopped

Petition drives to place three citizen initiatives on the fall ballot to force a change of rules for Findlay's city government have been postponed, according to organizers. Led by the Findlay Area Apartment Association, the initiatives would have required any changes to the city's building and zoning code to be placed on the ballot for a vote; mandate more public speaking time at Findlay City Council meetings; and prohibit the city from ordering "water shut-offs" for property code violations, a rule that's currently on the city's books. Paperwork to begin the initiatives was filed with the city Auditor Jim Staschiak on June 5. Organizers had until July 21 to collect 1,278 signatures of the city's registered voters and file them with the Hancock Board of Elections by the Aug. 9 deadline for the November ballot. Ohio law bases the signature count on the number of registered voters in the city who voted in the most recent governor's election. For this initiative, that would be November 2022. "We started with a canvas of a few neighborhoods and found voters wanted to discuss the August election," said Haydee Sadler, initiatives committee member. "So, we're going to regroup and reorganize and look at next year's elections. We're just getting started. We have identified 13 initiatives and started with the ones we think are most important." Issue 1, a proposal to raise the threshold for passing future constitutional amendments in Ohio from a simple majority to a 60% supermajority, is the sole item that will appear on the Aug. 8 special election ballot. Opponents say the issue will limit citizens' future access to the Ohio Constitution and potentially affect the fate of an abortion rights amendment that may appear on the November ballot. Sadler made an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for Findlay mayor in the May primary election. Other initiative committee members include Tom Ross, association president, and Katie Ericson. Mayor Christina Muryn, who said she supports the right of citizens to file initiatives, is opposed to this attempt. "In this case, I believe the proposed initiatives are not warranted and some of the proposed language could have significant negative impact on citizens, businesses, and our community as a whole," she has said.