ASHLAND — It might have been four years overdue, but Ashland’s charter review committee met Tuesday night to pore over the city’s governing document.
Reviewers floated numerous issues and questions about the charter during the 90-minute session.
They ranged from suggestions that the charter mandate the mayor to provide a “State of the City” address, to a lengthy discussion about replacing language referencing a “newspaper of general circulation” to reflect an altered media landscape.
City Council President Steve Workman said the review committee likely wouldn’t convene again.
The next steps in the process consist of meeting with the city’s law director and determining whether the reviewers’ suggestions need to go on the ballot.
Words matter
Several of the committee members raised concerns about language in the charter requiring city council to place notifications in a “newspaper of general circulation.”
That newspaper of general circulation has long been the Ashland Times-Gazette. The Gannet-owned publication has operated in Ashland since 1947, according to the Library of Congress.
But city councilors and charter review committee members alike worried about the antiquated phrasing, and spent around 20 minutes discussing a possible rephrase.
They wanted to ensure digital media sources could be included. The discussion focused on replacing the term “newspaper” with something more modern to reflect that intention.
“When you’re relying on a newspaper — what if it’s not around in two years, or whatever?” said Wendy Anderson, one of the charter review members. “I think we just need to update the wording … to include other media instead of being so specific.”
Barb Queer, one of two women tapped to serve on the review committee, also brought up that the charter only uses “he, him and his” pronouns.
“… We look around the room and I know we’re (women are) the minority, but one day, there’ll be a lot more of us,” Queer said. “One day — and I know Ashland’s very conservative — but at some point, there will be a female mayor.”
City council member at-large Dan Lawson said he noted the same thing. Queer advocated changing pronouns throughout the document to be gender neutral or to otherwise include women.
The charter does contain a section at the end that addresses the pronoun concern. It was approved by voters in 2007, and states “references to the masculine form include the feminine and neutral form …”
Queer suggested that section move to the beginning of the document, rather than the end.
New suggestions
The review also brought up new ideas for discussion. Ward 3 City Councilman Dennis Miller suggested adding something into the charter to ensure a review happens on a more regular basis.
The committee was convened to examine the charter in the first place because council was late to the punch. It’s supposed to be reviewed every seven years, but the last time that happened before Tuesday was 2014.
Workman pushed back on that suggestion.
“I respectfully hear you, Mr. Miller,” Workman said. “I don’t apologize for that because we’ve been busy. We’ve accomplished a lot as a council, and sorry, got past me.
“I don’t read this for entertainment.”
Ashland Mayor Matt Miller added that in the past, charter reviews came when issues arose. But since he took over as mayor in 2018, there hasn’t been a reason for council to examine the document.
With a relatively new council in office, he said members simply didn’t realize the review was overdue. Council’s longest-serving members are Dennis Miller and Workman, who took their seats in 2017.
Lanny O’Hale, a charter review committee member, also suggested adding a new requirement to the mayor’s job description: giving a State of the City address.
“I think it’s really healthy,” O’Hale said. “It allows people who walk the streets to understand the tools and function, the accomplishments and struggles that occur. It allows the mayor to demonstrate his ability to communicate and to manage.
“It also creates a setting where, as well, the chief of police and chief of fire could speak, and where we could commend students or citizens for accomplishments and contributions they’ve made to the city.”
Miller has given those addresses since taking office, and said his predecessor did the same.
A discussion concluded it was likely unnecessary to add that requirement to the charter. The suggestion, O’Hale said, came partially as a way to ensure the city’s commitment to transparency.
Councilors explained that commitment is a requirement, citing sunshine laws that require their actions to be public.
Other issues the charter review addressed
The review required the committee members go over all 125 sections of the document.
They brought up several more granular questions about the document that council addressed.
