Groups to host Steubenville City Council political forum
City council candidates to speak and answer questions
Trending
STEUBENVILLE -- A city revitalization group announced Wednesday it will be jointly hosting a political forum next week for Steubenville City Council candidates in the Nov. 7 general election.
Strong Towns Steubenville, a grassroots revitalization group comprised of Steubenville residents, will be presenting the forum jointly with the Ohio Valley Business and Professional Women. The forum will take place on Thursday at 6 p.m. -- doors open at 5 p.m. -- in the lecture hall at Eastern Gateway Community College, 4800 Sunset Blvd.
Steubenville City Council candidates, those running opposed and unopposed, will be given a chance to speak and answer voters' questions, and members of the public are encouraged to attend.
Jamie Nugent, STS core team member, said each participating candidate will be permitted a two-minute statement. Afterward, candidates will be asked questions based on Strong Towns' "10 Questions to Ask Someone Running for Local Office." Attendees will be able to submit their own questions using index cards, which will be reviewed by forum moderator Ross Gallabrese, executive editor of the Herald-Star.
Nugent said of the forum: "With municipal elections coming up, it could be a great opportunity (for STS) to show our hand as an organization that could organize these meetings and bring people together ... but also to give normal citizens a chance to ask questions as well.
"(It's) a good way to give people a chance to participate in the process as we are deciding on new councilors."
Steubenville City Council's contested races include council member at large, contested between write-ins Scott M. Dressel and Joel Walker; First Ward council member, contested between David L. Albaugh and Asantewa Anyabwile; and Fifth Ward council member, contested between Larry Gerber and Ted Gorman. Heather Hoover is running for the Third Ward council member seat unopposed.
The announcement was made made during STS's "How Does Our City Work" local conversation in Froehlich's Classic Corner. During that meeting, attendees observed a crash course presentation on the mechanics of a city government, focusing specifically on how those mechanics as are actualized in Steubenville. Presenting the information was Rebekah Cohen Morris, an STS core team member and former city council member in Doraville, Ga.
Nugent introduced Cohen Morris, noting her experience working on Doraville's zoning codes, city charter and ordinances "to enable incremental development within the city." Her work promoting affordable housing was highlighted in 2021 by the Washington Post.
Cohen Morris, an attorney and former high school English teacher, said of her presentation: "With the election coming up, it's important for people to know how their city works and how they can have an impact in their city. And there's a lot of opportunities with boards and commissions for people to have an active role."
In regard to the Nov. 7 election, she later added that "this will be an important primer for engaging in the civic process."
Cohen Morris said the presentation's key takeaway was the fact that ordinary citizens have the ability to be active in city government by participating in the city's various boards, commissions and council meetings. She said this approach is in line with Strong Towns' grassroots, bottom-to-top approach.
Content included describing the structure of government down to the individual, as well as listing what a city has the power to do, including determine land usage, raise and lower taxes and write its own laws, so long as those laws fo not contradict federal or state laws. Cohen Morris encouraged attending city council meetings and contributing to the city's comprehensive plan.
Cohen Morris listed ways to get involved with city government, including running for elected office, volunteering to serve on a board or commission and meeting with officials directly. She recognized that four currently elected city officials or candidates were present at the night's meeting.
A city charter, Cohen Morris explained, is a high-level document, comparable to the U.S. Constitution, that directs how a city is run, in terms of types of elections, ordinance procedures, powers of the council and more. Charters are changeable, Cohen Morris said, but it is difficult to do so.
Laws being passed come most often from the city council's ordinances. The city has a number of committees, Cohen Morris said, which can make suggestions for council as a whole and then be read into law -- a "really long process" as compared to the standard in Doraville, she noted.
Also, Cohen Morris shared about open meetings and records laws, which dictate that public meetings of council, commissions and committees must be open to the public, and any correspondence regarding city business can be requested for viewing by any individual. She cautioned individuals to not overwhelm the city with records requests.
Available for attendees were copies of the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission's 2050 long range transportation survey, which individuals could fill out for STS members to submit to the commission. Also available were copies of the Jefferson County Board of Elections' Nov. 7 general election candidate information.
Cohen Morris presented her own comprehensive list of Steubenville's city council, boards and commissions, including their meetings times, dates and locations, as well as their members and when their terms expire. She said the information was gathered largely by scouring through the city's website and related links, though some information was not available or was outdated.
"It's great that the city has so many opportunities to get involved," Cohen Morris said of the city's plethora of boards and commissions.
Group discussions followed the presentation. A discussion on sidewalks brought up the fact that their maintenance in Steubenville is the responsibility of property owners, not of the city.
Additionally, Cohen Morris addressed an attendees' comment about approaching Steubenville City Council's Parks and Recreation Committee with requests to host events. She said Strong Towns professes the efficacy of "small bets" by individuals who take action by organizing something as small as a festival, blocking off a street for a period of time with council's permission, as opposed to taking large and unrealistic bets.