This article by Tom Henry appeared in The Toledo Blade, December 21st, 2018.
The Lucas County Board of Elections has ended the months-long debate over Toledo’s other citizen-led ballot initiative from 2018 by doing the same for the proposed Lake Erie Bill of Rights as it did for the Keep the Jail Downtown Toledo’s initiative a month ago.
Both will be on a special city election Feb. 26.
By a 3-0 vote, the board placed the Lake Erie initiative on the ballot. Board member Joshua Hughes, a Democrat, made the motion, but only after announcing it “pains” him to do so because he still believes the proposal is “on its face unconstitutional and unenforceable.”
Republican David Karmol, who was running the hearing in place of fellow Republican Bruce Saferin, the board chairman, echoed comments made by Mr. Hughes.
“I think it is beyond enforcement and laws of the city of Toledo,” Mr. Karmol said. “I join with the remarks of Mr. Hughes, but will vote for it.”
Besides Mr. Hughes and Mr. Karmol, the other board member, Democrat Brenda Hill, voted to put the measure before voters. The board, which had previously voted in opposition, ultimately agreed at the advice of its attorney that it should follow the latest Ohio Supreme Court decision and let the courts sort out the matter later. MORE…