Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein’s office said one of the two proposals to change how the city elects council members is “legally insufficient,” while giving the green light to collect signatures for the second proposal.
Both proposals would require the nine city council members to only get votes from within their districts rather than from the entire city. A group led by Columbus resident Jonathan Beard also aims to create a new district map, arguing the current map racially gerrymanders the districts to be mostly white.
Beard’s idea was blocked by the city attorney’s office. Klein’s office pointed out several issues with Beard’s proposal, including how the language as written would eliminate Columbus City Council for several months in 2028…