Proposed Changes to the City Charter Going to the Voters

OK’d a proposal Monday that will include eight changes to the city's Second Amended Charter. 

Those are now headed for the November ballot, where voters will decide whether they approve.

Kevin Butler, the city's law director, said the overall idea is to provide consistency — and modernization — to the language of the charter.

City council passed eight changes, but most of the revisions are "housekeeping items," said Butler.

One of the proposed issues is changing the language of the line of succession of the mayor's office — a recent issue stemming from the election of former-mayor .

No one in the city's line of succession (law director, finance director and so on) wanted to take the post. then-Ward 3 councilman Michael Summers, who will run unopposed for the mayor's office this fall.

The charter amendment would keep the power of mayoral appointment with council should there be an absence in the mayoral post again.

Other proposed changes to the charter include allowing the city to perform any action covered under the state's constitution; providing more flexibility in the posting of public announcements; and including the city's sewer system among municipal improvements supported by millage.

"I don't think any of these changes are controversial," said Butler. 

The Second Amended Charter was approved by voters in November 2000 — which was a complete overhaul of the original charter. Most recently, a charter issue came up again in November 2008, when voters OK'd moving primary elections from September to October.

"We're not making enough changes to make this a new charter, we're just making a few changes," said Butler. "We're not saying 'out with the old and in with the new.' We're just taking a few sections and looking at the language, and we've determined that it doesn't work in modern society — and making those changes. We can only do so, of course, with the voters approval."

"Because it's the charter and it's the highest document that governs the city — it is a representation of the will of the people — city council doesn't have the power to make these changes itself."

The city administration reached out to Lakewood residents Stephen Davis and Larry Keller for their input on the plans.

At Monday’s special council meeting, city council president Mary Louise Madigan thanked them for their input in crafting the proposal.

“It’s really important to recognize that Steve Davis and Dr. Larry Keller have volunteered an awful lot of time and intellectual capacity to help make our city better — and they’re doing this by helping us to fix the charter,” Madigan said. “So that we can actually refer to it and use it in a regular conversation without an attorney present.”

Council is on its annual summer break, so council had to meet for a special meeting to get the ballot initiatives to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections by Sept. 9.

“This is a big job we all have,” Madigan added. “I don’t know if anyone’s going to have huge objections to this, but it’s up to us to carry this message that we’re trying to get this done this November.”