The End Does Not Justify The Means

Building Worthington’s Future (BWF) is a non-profit organization led by Worthington residents who advocate for the economic and social well-being of our community. The right to advocate was taken away from all Worthington residents during the January 18th City Council meeting when an emergency moratorium ordinance on zoning was introduced from the floor with public comments intentionally blocked. After this ordinance failed, another resolution was immediately introduced and passed by Council, again without the opportunity for public review and comment. This resolution alters the resident-developed Comprehensive Plan and changes the stipulations for the development of the privately-owned UMCH site.

We do not believe this type of conduct by our council serves the economic and social well-being of our city. We are deeply concerned about the lack of transparency and effort to quell public input on a resolution that affects the development of a privately-owned site. The Worthington Comprehensive Plan, a document that sets the vision for our city, was altered without prior public notice, without public input, without even being read out loud at the meeting and, more distressing, includes language from a special interest group that supported the campaigns of some of the current council members. The same council members supported this method of doing city business.

By these acts, Council has weakened the legitimacy of the Comprehensive Plan and broken the trust we have in the four City Council members who voted for the resolution. It is also concerning to us that the property owner was not notified prior to the meeting about the possible zoning moratorium or changes to the Comprehensive Plan, changes that affect their own land. Council excluded a private property owner from a discussion about how their property may be used. What happens when four council members unilaterally decide what other private property owners should do with their land?

We have heard the justification for this action and believe that the end does not justify the means. Our representative democracy cannot be put aside for the convenience of a minor victory for the City Council at the expense of the citizens of Worthington.

We believe that the best decisions for our city are made through community collaboration. This has been proven time and time again on numerous initiatives throughout the years. A current example is the recent Worthington Vision process. One of the seven visioning statements says,

“Worthington’s leadership is open, forward-thinking, and collaborative.” Our council needs to align its actions to what Worthington residents desire.

We hope that the actions by City Council on January 18th do not set a precedent for the future. Moving forward we encourage Council to consider the importance of public input and letting our community speak – especially on the hard issues that necessitate robust public discussion to reach community-wide consensus.

For those that may not have seen January 18th meeting, you may find the link here: https://worthingtonoh.new.swagit.com/videos/153068.