Eight finalists named for Columbus City Council vacancy; public hearing set for Jan. 3

Columbus City Council has announced eight finalists Wednesday for the council seat being vacated by Council President Pro Tempore Elizabeth Brown, who announced her plans to resign last month.

The Dispatch previously reported that 27 people had applied for the opening. Council President Shannon Hardin said in a statement that City Council was looking for an experienced candidate not seeking to run for election in 2023.

“We had a very impressive pool of candidates, and I sincerely thank everyone who took the time to apply,” Hardin said.

Last month, Brown announced she would step down from her elected position on the City Council in early January to lead YWCA Columbus as the nonprofit organization's next president and CEO.

Read more: Elizabeth Brown won't rule out pursuing public office again someday

Brown will take over the leadership role on Jan. 2, replacing Christie Angel.

The candidates up for consideration to fill Brown's council seat are:

• Mitchell J. Brown: a former Columbus City Council member who announced his retirement last year and former head of the city and Ohio departments of public safety.

• Charity Martin-King: director of social change at Ohio State University's Office of Student Life

• Densil Porteous: executive director and CEO at Stonewall Columbus, central Ohio's largest LGBTQ+ community support organization,

• Eli Bohnert: a member of the West Scioto Area Commission

• Ilhan Dahir: global governance and civilian protection expert at the Stimson Center

• Kelly Lombardo-Matthews: digital marketing manager at LifeCare Alliance

• Lucy Gettman: principal at G&S Consulting

• Olubunmi Adekanbi: public relations officer at NiDOA Ohio, a nonprofit Nigeria support organization

City Council will hold a public hearing at 5 p.m. on Jan. 3 to hear testimony from the public about the finalists being considered. Finalists are invited to speak, but it is not a requirement.

Members of the public who wish to provide testimony, either in-person or digitally via WebEx, should email ZGDavidson@Columbus.gov with the subject line “Speaking at Vacancy Public Hearing” by noon on Jan. 3. Written testimony may also be emailed to ZGDavidson@columbus.gov.

Following the hearing, City Council will enter into executive session to discuss the candidates and public testimony.

At City Council's next regular meeting on Jan. 9, council members will nominate applicants for the vacancy and vote to appoint a new member. If a majority of council members vote to appoint a nominee, that individual will then be eligible to be sworn in under oath and take office.

Colebehr_report

Cbehrens@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus City Council announces 8 finalists for vacancy, sets hearing