As one of the few surviving non-corporate owned sources of information in Columbus we pride ourselves in reading your opinions. One person had some illuminating observations about two recent stories. You deserve to read them.
Response to Political Theater Nov 27, 2025
https://columbusfreepress.com/article/political-theater
It’s no secret that the mayor is trying his best to expand and promote women’s sports in Columbus as he stated in his recent State of the City Address while claiming to position Columbus as the nation’s capital for women’s sports.
To be clear, I have been a supporter of local women’s sports since the 1970’s when my sister Rose and her partner played for the historic Columbus Pacesetters Women’s Professional Football Team. And I’ll bet most of you have never heard of that team and don’t know that there is still a local women’s professional football team named the Columbus Comets. Back in the day, I also attended Columbus Quest women’s basketball games played at the Convention Center and I was an assistant girls’ softball coach for several years. I am a fan of the WNBA and the Indiana Fever. Which begs the question if the mayor wants to declare Columbus as the capital of women’s sports, why didn’t he pursue a WNBA franchise as did our peer cities like Cleveland, Austin, Houston, Charlotte, Nashville, and Denver? Lord knows he has made millions for local millionaire and billionaire businesses, developers, and institutions and he should have used his clout and approached them to pay it forward.
Anyways, my first issue with this ordinance is the city does not have a summary that dictates what this Neighborhood Development Grant Fund can spent on and the ordinance seems purposely vague on spending details. After searching past legislation, it appears that this fund began handing out money in May of 2024. 7 different ordinances since then have paid out about $5.8 million. $3 million has gone to the city’s quasi-governmental agency the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation that the city gives money to in order to help protect and enhance the investments of the mayor’s big time campaign contributing business and developer friends in the downtown area. And $1.3 million for the 11-county economic development group One Columbus which is an arm of The Columbus Partnership. These expenditures from this so called “Neighborhood Development Grant Funds seems more like a crony subsidy fund and pork barrel politics. And then there is $375,000 for the North Market Authority who seems to have their hand out about once a month. 81% of the money from what I would define as the mayors “kickback fund” has not gone to neighborhood development. And one only needs to travel down one of our many crumbling urban business corridors to see that. My research shows that these funds ultimately derive from the city's General Fund (income tax, property tax, and sales tax).
Joe Burrow and his parents are the current owners of the Fury. Burrow signed a 5-year contract in 2023 for $275 million. The Haslam family with a net worth of $14.4 billion was just handed a $600 million state subsidy to help build a new stadium for the Browns. And although the $500,000 this ordinance provides for the Fury pales in comparison to the Haslam’s subsidy, millionaire and billionaire owners of professional sports teams should not be receiving city or state subsidies. Especially at a time when Columbus residents are facing an affordability crisis due to unconscionably high electric bills, water and sewer rates, property taxes, health care, rents, you name it. That $500,000 should be utilized to provide assistance for those neighborhoods that are truly in need.
First of all, City Council adjourns from the regular business meeting and then moves on to public comment. They do so to justify turning off the cameras. Although they have made only a couple of exceptions to this rule that I am aware of. – Joe Motil
Response to We’ve Always Done It This Way! Dec 1, 2025
https://columbusfreepress.com/article/we%E2%80%99ve-always-done-it-way
Actually, it hasn't "always been done this way." It started in 2008 when then City Council President Matt Habash complained primarily about speakers Barry Edney and Jerry Doyle exercising their 1st Amendment rights. Habash also complained about speakers going over the 3-minute timeline, bringing signs, and people standing behind the speakers. And our so-called “progressive” democratic City Council continues the practice to this day.
As part of 12 Charter Amendments, I suggested at the Charter Review Commission public hearings in June of 2022, these two pertained to this CFP article:
6. Under Chapter 111.12 section 2
For regular business meetings, individuals shall be permitted to submit a total of 4 speakers slips (instead of two). And of the 4 speakers slips 2 may be used to address a non-agenda (public comment) matter.
9. Under Chapter 111.18 - To adjourn (City Council Meetings)
It should be amended to read that: A motion to adjourn shall not be in order until non-agenda speakers have been given the opportunity to address council so that a speaker’s comments are on the record and heard by the listening public. As you should know, City Council currently adjourns their Monday City Council meeting prior to public comment which then signals the audio and video city technicians to stop recording the meeting. This of course prevents the viewing public from hearing any other public viewpoints of concern and possible scrutinizing of public officials. Adjourning the meeting prior to public comment is one of many flagrant slaps in the face of democracy that is practiced by our mayor and city council.
When the Charter Review Commission held their meeting to announce what charter amendments would be recommended to City Council to be placed on the ballot, I asked the chair why she did not include any of my 11 other suggestions. She responded “now was not the time to include such issues although they warrant discussion.” Spoken like a true politician. – Joe Motil
