Insider vs. outsider in City Council District 7 race
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
Columbus voters will have a rare choice at the ballot box next week: a one-on-one showdown for a vacant city council seat.
Why it matters: The City Council District 7 race has become a broader referendum about our local politics, pitting a council-endorsed city prosecutor against an immigration attorney with criticisms of the insider nature of Columbus leadership.
Catch up quick: Candidates Tiara Ross and Jesse Vogel advanced from a May primary to contend for the seat left vacant by Shayla Favor being elected the new Franklin County prosecutor.
The intrigue: In Columbus, contested elections and candidates outside established political circles have become rare.
- Council has been criticized for frequently appointing people to fill unexpired council terms who eventually run for the same seat, often without competition.
Yes, but: Otto Beatty III, who was appointed to the District 7 role in January, pledged not to run for reelection, paving the way for this race.
Case in point: Three other incumbents — Chris Wyche, Rob Dorans and Emmanuel Remy — are unopposed on this year's ballot in Districts 1, 3 and 4, respectively.
Zoom in: Zoom in: The district includes downtown, Franklinton, the Short North, German Village and Olde Towne East.
Ross, 38, is a Columbus city prosecutor who tells Axios her practical experience "gives me a leg up."
- She's been endorsed by a variety of local and state politicians, including Mayor Andrew Ginther and all nine council members.
- She calls those connections crucial: "These endorsements are not because I'm with some person in a back room … they're because I really get work done on behalf of people."
- Ross faced controversy in May when she admitted to owing nearly $4,000 in unpaid parking tickets and driving with a suspended license, issues she said she rectified.
Vogel, 33, is an attorney with Community Refugee & Immigration Services who tells Axios he's "seen the results of policies that don't put people and their needs first in Columbus."
- He's been endorsed by groups like Ohio Working Families Party and Stonewall Democrats of Central Ohio, plus unions like Municipal Employees Council 8 and the Columbus Education Association.
- Despite the council's endorsement of his opponent, he suspects "even some of them are excited by the work we've done to bring new people into conversations about local government."
Follow the money: Ross' establishment support is evident in her Oct. 23 campaign finance report.
- Since August, her campaign has received tens of thousands of dollars in in-kind contributions from the Ohio Democratic Party and fellow council members' campaigns to pay for mailers, consulting and digital media.
The bottom line: The candidates agree on one thing: voters should have this opportunity more often.
- "This is democracy being played out in a real way," Ross says.
- "Competitive races are healthy for a democracy," Vogel agrees.