What Columbus City Council’s priorities are for 2025, and who will be up for reelection
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A handful of Columbus City Council members will be up for reelection in 2025, a year where the panel will have to make "difficult decisions" as COVID-19 relief funds come to an end.
City Council President Shannon Hardin said council members priorities for 2025 include housing, jobs and public safety.
"In Columbus, we can’t build fast enough to keep up with our growth," Hardin said. "That’s why we just updated the zoning code and worked so hard to get LinkUs across the finish line. In 2025, we’re looking forward to working with Mayor [Andrew] Ginther’s administration to begin the next phase of zoning reform."
While Hardin said council members intend to tackle these issues, the 2025 operating budget will be the tightest it has been since before the pandemic.
"This is the first budget without federal COVID relief dollars," Hardin said. "Therefore, council will have to make more difficult decisions with fewer resources."
Four council seats will be on the ballot next year, with a primary election scheduled for May 6 and a general election for Nov. 4. If no more than two candidates are placed on the ballot for any district, then a primary election will not be held.
All nine current council members were elected in November 2023, with some serving two-year terms and others serving four-year terms. Term lengths were randomly decided at the beginning of the year, after the council underwent a restructuring. All the council members who will be up for reelection in 2025 are reaching the end of their two-year terms.
The purpose of the varying term lengths was so the council will eventually have staggered four-year terms that overlap by two years. Beginning in 2026, all council members will begin to serve four-year terms.
Among those who will be on the ballot in 2025 is Christopher Wyche, chair of the public utilities and sustainability committee, who was first elected in 2023. To represent the city’s different neighborhoods, each council member represents a district. Wyche represents District 1. Council members must live in the district they represent, but the entire city votes on each candidate.
Wyche will be accompanied by Rob Dorans (District 3) – chair of the zoning committee, as well as the workforce, education and labor committee – who was first elected in 2019. Also appearing on the ballot will be Emmanual Remy (District 4), chair of the public safety and criminal justice committee, who was appointed to his seat in 2018.
Shayla Favor (District 7), chair of the housing, homelessness and building committee, was appointed to a vacant council seat in 2019 and elected in 2023. Favor is resigning from her seat after being elected Franklin County prosecutor in November. The resignation will take effect on Dec. 31.
Because Favor is resigning from her spot on the council, her seat is being filled by application and appointment instead of an election, per the city charter. A total of 31 candidates applied for the position and a list of finalists will be announced sometime Friday. Council members will vote on who will take Favor’s seat in early 2025.
Whoever takes her chair will be a "placeholder," according to Hardin, and serve out the remainder of her term, which ends in December 2025. However, they may also choose to run for a four-year term on the 2025 ballot.
"Anyone who lives in district seven can run for that seat including the person who is appointed if they choose to do so," Hardin said.
While none of the current council members ran with their political association on the ballot, all nine have either self-identified as Democrat or have been endorsed by Democratic politicians or organizations.
Those interested in running in the 2025 election should contact the Franklin County Board of Elections to obtain the proper paperwork – the filing deadline to run is Feb. 5 at 4 p.m. Required forms include a petition consisting of names and addresses of five registered voters in the person’s registered district.