Joe Motil, former Columbus City Council candidate and longtime community advocate who is circulating petitions to run for Mayor in the 2023 May primary election states, “I wish to congratulate Columbus City Councilwoman Elizabeth Brown on her appointment as President and CEO of the YWCA. And I also want to thank her for occasionally displaying a much-needed independent voice on City Council. If elected as mayor of Columbus I would have enjoyed working with her.”

Motil further states, “So now, with Ms. Brown’s appointment, that takes care of the issue of two city council incumbents (Shayla Favor and Liz Brown) that live in the same council district and will not being running against each other in the 2023 Columbus City Council district elections. And the timing of this announcement also plays right into the usual City Council and Franklin County Democratic Party playbook. Just in time to give a new appointee some advantage of incumbency on City Council prior to the May 2023 City Council Primary District Elections. Odds are that the new appointee will not live in the same district as any of the current 6 City Council incumbents.”         

Mr. Motil concluded, “In nearly the last 30 years only 3 out of more than 30 Columbus City Council members have been rightfully elected to their seats without being  appointed. And all three had the advantage of well-known Democratic political names within the Columbus community. O’Shaughnessy, Stinziano and Brown. Let the bogus musical chairs City Council appointment process begin. And who is your guess for the already anointed foot soldier replacement for Ms. Brown?