Another vacancy on Columbus City Council

The impending resignation of Columbus City Council member Elizabeth Brown cues up yet another appointment to the city's legislative body.

Why it matters: The loss of another experienced city leader points to a broader Council issue of chronic turnover.

Driving the news: Brown plans to step down at the end of the year to become president and CEO of YWCA Columbus.

• First elected in 2015, she currently serves as president pro tempore and leads the body in President Shannon Hardin's absence.
• Remaining Council members will appoint her replacement to serve until the end of 2023.

State of play: Turnover is common in local governments as council members retire or leave to focus on other full-time responsibilities, but Columbus has seen a particularly large share of resignations over the past decade.

Eye-popping stat: After Brown's replacement is named, five of the seven Council members will have first joined via vacancy appointment.

• The other two, Lourdes Barroso de Padilla and Nick Bankston, were elected in 2021 after a pair of incumbent candidates dropped out of the race.

Between the lines: The latest resignation halts what could have been a ballot clash between Brown and fellow member Shayla Favor.

• Starting next year, members will be elected to represent one of nine geographic districts across town.
• The two reportedly live in the same impending district.