2009 Ballot Issues Not Advertised, Will Go Back to Voters

At least three of Twinsburg’s ballot issues in the November 2009 will be revisited in the spring, according to Councilman Gary Sorace.

Sorace, a council representative to the Charter Review Oversight Committee, said while looking into this past election's ballot issues which weren’t advertised, several other issues from 2009 had the same problem.

After discussing it with Law Director David Maistros, Sorace said they all need to go through the voters’ booth again, the right way.

“We decided we have to go back and do these all right, the correct way, so we don’t have any problems in the future,” Sorace said.

At least three of the 2009 issues deal with changes to the city’s charter. One established certain criteria for appointing a law director, while the others dealt with zoning amendments and combining the Historic Preservation Commission with the Architecture Review Board.

Because all were approved in 2009, Sorace said they will contact the Secretary of State’s office notifying them to revert back to the charter as it was in 2007, since the current one is being challenged.

“Fortunately, the three issues that passed in 2009 have not affected anything,” Sorace said. “We have not hired a new law director, and the zoning issues that we changed have not lead to any buildings or changes.”

According to Ohio Revised Code Section 731.211 residents must be notified of proposed charter amendments either through the mail or published in a newspaper of general circulation with the full text of the proposed amendment.

Sorace said the Clerk of Council was a new hire in 2009 and did not advertise the ballots in 2009. Because the mistake wasn’t caught, the same process was used this past election. To make sure the problem is corrected, the 2009 and 2011 ballot measures will be advertised correctly and go back to voters.

“The plan at this time is to vote in the spring,” Sorace said.