My City is Adopting a Charter

Gone are the days when the people of this city can lean on a respected name or track record. Now, the direction that the city takes is based on the group authority of the council. So, if we always felt that a person in government had faith in God through Jesus Christ, that is taken away because that faithful person would have to govern according to the dictates of the council members. The mayor might speak soft, gentle, kind, religious sounding words because he is now only a “Ceremonial Head of the City.” He is little more than a spokesperson. The world is rocketing into all out submersion into the governing authority of the mark of the beast.

Moving away from State Authority.
A Charter eliminates the traditional form of City Government. A Charter is used to restructure the local government and to create their own constitution. In fact, this is a quote from the Charter outline that I received in the mail today, cities “….that do not have a Charter are subject to rigid regulations. They are called statutory cities because they operate according to statutes in the Ohio Revised Code.” “Cities that have a Charter can enact flexible ordinances which better address the needs of the residents.” 82% of all cities in Ohio are under a Charter.

Council in Charge, Mayor a Figurehead.
The Charter replaces the Mayor-Council relationship where the elected mayor used to bring his agenda to the city council members. The mayor used to run the administration of the city. The Charter establishes a Council-Manager relationship where the council is the center of power and sets the direction for the manager. The manager is hired by council and is “accountable for the administration of all city affairs.” The mayor is elected as a “Ceremonial Head of the City.” The mayor’s power is taken away. That power is given to the council. The council hires the manager who directs the city and answers to the council. The council also appoints the Council President from among the members of council.

Council to Maintain Power.
They serve for 4 years, but the terms of the council members are staggered. That means there will always be a group to represent the original Charter. 2 might leave and five remains, 1 might leave and 6 remains, but it will never happen that all seven leave at the same time. In other words, the city Charter is established on the basis of retaining power in the council.