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Joe Sommer

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Joe Motil

Dismissal of Joe Motil’s Criminal Complaint Similar to Handling of George Floyd Protest Cases

In response to a criminal complaint filed by Columbus mayoral candidate Joe Motil against a city official, Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein referred the matter to Whitehall assistant prosecutor Brad Nicodemus, supposedly for an independent review. Nicodemus had previously been a special prosecutor…
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Progressives Should Hold Gary Tyack’s Feet to the Fire If He Becomes Franklin County Prosecutor

In the race for Franklin County prosecutor between longtime Republican incumbent Ron O’Brien and his Democratic challenger, former 10th District Court of Appeals judge Gary Tyack, some progressives are supporting Tyack because of O’Brien’s unimpressive record on police misconduct cases. It’s true…
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Three young people wearing black face masks

National Media Covers Franklin County’s Racist Mask Guidelines but Columbus Media Covers Them Up

Franklin County’s health department made national news in May after apologizing for issuing mask-wearing guidelines widely denounced as racist. The story was carried in newspapers from the Washington Post to the Seattle Times, in the national magazine The Week and by CNN. A place the story didn’t…
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Close up of many dollars scattered on top of each other

Columbus Adopts Horrible Campaign Contribution Limit Despite Citizen Outrage

After a second public hearing where citizens again strongly opposed the amount as way too high, Columbus City Council unanimously enacted a $12,707.79 annual limit on contributions to candidates for city offices. Council member Michael Stinziano, a lame duck who leaves office Feb. 22, was the only…