UH charter reform will top election news; so what's at the heart of the issue?

This year's election will bring big change to University Heights.

Not only will UH residents elect a new mayor for the first time in 32 years, they also will decide whether to change the structure of their government by amending the city charter to create the position of city administrator.

The UH Charter Review Commission recommended the addition of a city administrator—one that comes with a salary of about $100,000—and the proposed amendment has sparked controversy among residents and politicians.

Both sides of the issue make strong arguments. Here they are:

Against

Beryl Rothschild has been mayor for 32 years, and is not allowed to seek re-election due to term limits that were imposed during her tenure.

Rothschild opposes the addition of a city administrator, saying it will harm the city's accountability to citizens by replacing the city's top manager—the directly elected mayor—with an administrator who is appointed by council and, therefore, a step removed from the electorate.

“There’s no need for an administrator who is really a city manager in disguise,” said Rothschild. “I’ve been against this since day one.”

Rothschild also said she sees the addition of a city administrator who would manage the police, fire and service departments as an “irresponsible" effort to decrease the power of the mayor's office while increasing the power of city council. Currently, department directors are appointed by the mayor with council approval. Under the new charter, they would be appointed by the administrator—with approval by the mayor and the council. Her concern is that, because the council itself appoints the administrator, it will tend to rubber stamp any departmental candidates the administrator chooses. 

Vice Mayor Adele Zucker agrees with Rothschild. “They want the power but they don’t want the responsibility,” said Zucker of those council members who support the administrator position.

Rothschild and Zucker both named council members Frankie Goldberg, Steven Bullock, Steven Sims, Kevin Patrick Murphy and Frank Consolo—he is the only current council member running for mayor—as those who have “combined to do what they want.”

For

Councilman Kevin Patrick Murphy disagrees with Zucker and Rothschild. “It’s not a power grab, it’s actually a balance of power,” he said.

Murphy supports the city administrator position because he believes it will lead to a better distribution of power, it will be more efficient and there will be a trained professional dealing with the day-to-day management of the city.

“Before, the mayor had all of the executive authority and could hire and fire every director except the law director, which is more power in one position than there should be,” Murphy said. “The city has changed, the way the city has operated has changed and we need to modernize our government.”

Murphy also believes the salary is a nonissue. It represents less than 1 percent of the city's $12 million-plus operating budget, he said, and having an administrator would make the government more efficient and, therefore, ultimately save money.

Murphy also expects many City Hall employees will retire when Rothschild leaves office, potentially freeing up funds.

Councilman Frank Consolo, the only mayoral candidate on council, is on the record supporting the administrator position. That position was reiterated on his behalf by Murphy and Councilman Steven Bullock. However, Consolo failed to respond to repeated requests to discuss his position for this article.

Council members Murphy, Bullock and Frankie Goldberg all support Consolo for mayor. Earlier this year, Murphy and Goldberg considered running for the office too.

“In my mind it’s important for most of council to get behind one candidate,” said Murphy, “as well as the plan for the administrator.”

Bullock said he his backing Consolo because “he’s a good leader and has a good understanding of the issues facing our city. We have to think in terms of today’s needs, and I think Frank can do that.”

Undecided

So how will residents vote in November?

Council candidate Rick Adante, who does not support the addition of a city administrator, said residents have voiced concerns about the issue throughout his campaign.

“People are skeptical that a city administrator would be better for the city,” Adante said. “The charter review commission has never been able to provide specific problems and issues the city manager can handle; everything is very vague.”

“Residents are unaware or just don’t have enough information,” counters Murphy. “When I’m able to take the time to explain what’s happening, they’re supportive of it. The key is to educate them.” 

Bullock said the reaction he has been getting from his constituents has been, “‘We don’t understand what you want to do.’”

Based on that feedback, Bullock said there are a lot of questions City Council must answer by November if they want the position of city administrator to be approved. “We have a challenge ahead of us,” he said.

Kaitlin Bushinski is a recent graduate of Oberlin College and a summer intern at the Heights Observer.