Bexley voters fill council and board positions, approve 5 charter amendments
Bexley voters returned two incumbents to City Council, chose a new auditor, elected three school board members and approved five charter amendments Nov. 2, according to final unofficial results from the Franklin County Board of Elections.
Newcomer Sam Marcellino will join reelected incumbents Lori Feibel and Monique Lampke on City Council. Matt McPeek was chosen as the new city auditor.
According to unofficial results tallied by the Franklin County Board of Elections on Nov. 2, Marcellino received 2,767 votes (30.25% of the vote); Feibel had 2,739 votes (29.94%); and Lampke received 2,465 votes (26.95%). The other candidate, Adam Sharp, received 1,176 votes (12.86%).
Incumbent Richard Sharp did not seek reelection.
They will join Matt Klingler, Tory Markham, Jen Robinson and Jess Saad on council.
In the city auditor’s race, McPeek received 2,250 votes (64.97%) and Joel A. Greff received 1,213 (35.03%). William Harvey, who did not seek another term.
Feibel, a former teacher, was first elected to council in 2013 and was reelected in 2017. She has served as council president for two consecutive two-year terms.
Lampke is claims counsel for the Safe Auto Insurance Co. She was first elected in 2017 and currently chairs council’s judiciary and strategic committee, which oversees quasi-judicial functions such as zoning appeals.
Marcellino, an attorney, served on the Bexley Charter Review Commission, which recommended changes to Bexley’s city charter that were approved by voters on Nov. 2.
McPeek, has worked in banking and finance for the past 28 years. He previously served on the Bexley Recreation Board and the Bexley Commonwealth Strategic Planning Committee.
School board
Candidates Jonathan Baker, Marguerethe Jaede and Joanne Pickrell were elected to the Bexley Board of Election, according to final unofficial results from the board of elections.
They will join Alissha Mitchell and Victoria Powers on the board in January.
Baker received 2,441 votes (24.24% of the vote); Pickrell received 1,897 votes (18.84%); and Jaede received 1,873 votes (18.6%).
The other three candidates were Patrick King, 1,454 votes (14.44); Larry DeAtley Ellyson, 1,098 votes (10.9%); and Erik Zanner 972 votes (9.65%).
Current board President Marlee Snowdown and incumbent Michelle Mineo did not seek reelection. Incumbent John Barno initially launched a reelection campaign before withdrawing.
Baker is an associate professor of statistics and associate director of the Institute for Teaching & Learning at Ohio State University and an officer with the Bexley Minority Parent Alliance.
Jaede is an educator and president and cofounder of the nonprofit Developmental Assets Resource Network, which provides scholarships, food, clothing and other assistance to Bexley students in need and their families.
Pickrell is proprietor of the public affairs firm the Remington Road Group.
Charter amendments
Bexley voters approved five amendments to the city charter:
Amendment 1 says the city opposes all forms of racism and discrimination. It received 3,060 “yes” votes (77.72%) and 877 “no” votes (22.28%).
Amendment 2 codifies the Citizen Review Board that Mayor Ben Kessler announced in June 2020. It received 2,797 “yes” votes (76.88%) and 896 “no” votes (23.12%).
Amendment 3 clarifies the mayor’s authority to appoint people to various positions with confirmation by City Council. It was approved by a vote of 3,293 “yes” votes (86.11%) to 531 “no” votes (13.89%). The positions are city attorney, chief of police and members of the Civil Service Commission, board of health, zoning and planning boards and any other boards, commissions or committees established by council.
Amendment 4 gives the mayor authority to, at any time, remove the city attorney or any member of any city board, commission or committee with the approval of council. It received 2,777 “yes” votes (73.56%) and 998 “no” votes (26.44%).
Amendment 5 clarifies council's yearly meeting schedule. It received 3,241 “yes” votes (84.56%) and 592 “no” votes (15.44%).
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Bexley voters fill council and board positions, approve 5 charter amendments
