Municipal charter

Mayfield Heights, Ohio, City Council voted 6-1 against a petitioners' request to rezone a 7.7-acre Parkland Boulevard parcel back to office use, clearing the way for voters to decide the matter directly via Issue 107 on the Nov. 3 ballot. The move follows an Ohio Supreme Court ruling upholding the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections' decision to let residents vote on whether to rezone the site for Sommers Development Group's proposed 61-unit townhome project, reversing council's May approval. Opponents, including nearby Woodhawk Drive residents and business owners, cite safety and land-use concerns, while Sommers Development maintains the project followed a thorough, fully vetted approval process.

Knoxville, Tennessee voters will consider a city charter amendment allowing city council candidates to win outright in the primary with a majority of votes, eliminating the need for a runoff. The system already applies to mayoral and municipal judge races. Currently, even two-candidate races proceed to a regular election, and three-or-more candidate fields can trigger runoffs. The City Council approved placing the measure on the ballot in August, with members Doug Lloyd and Amelia Parker dissenting. Supporters say it would cut costs and improve efficiency. If approved, the change takes effect for the August 2027 primary, affecting three at-large council seats and District 5.

Providence officials have asked retired federal judge William Smith to provide independent legal analysis of Question 7, a citizen ballot initiative that would require the city to divest from countries and companies linked to genocide, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and prolonged military occupation. The measure, backed by Providence for Palestine, is widely understood to target investments tied to Israel over the war in Gaza, though the ordinance does not name any country. City Solicitor Jeff Dana sought outside review after the Law Department's initial guidance drew criticism. Mayor Brett Smiley calls the ordinance unlawful and unmanageable, while city officials warn it could jeopardize the underfunded pension system. Mayoral candidates David Morales and Dave Talan are split on the measure.

Illinois lawmakers are considering legislation that would let Chicago voters create a city charter, potentially reshaping the balance of power at City Hall. State Rep. Kam Buckner's Municipal Home Rule Charter Act (HB 3656) would allow any Illinois city with more than 500,000 residents — effectively just Chicago — to adopt its own governing constitution. A legislative hearing on the proposal was held Tuesday.

The bill would create a process for voters to elect a 10-member commission tasked with drafting a city charter, which could address issues such as term limits, public access to financial records, ward map drawing, and the mayor's executive authority over the City Council. Any resulting charter would ultimately require voter approval. Buckner says the proposal is not aimed at any specific mayor or council and is instead meant to give Chicagoans direct input into their local government's structure. He expects the bill to come before the General Assembly in January.

A legal and political standoff between St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and Police Chief Axel Henry has escalated into a lawsuit, a city-commissioned investigation, and mounting taxpayer costs. Henry sued Her on Sept. 23, alleging sexual harassment and violations of whistleblower and data-practices laws. A 76-page report by outside firm Resolute Law, released in redacted form Oct. 1, found the mayor acted inappropriately in several instances—including sharing sexualized memes and altered photos, and discussing her body with two female employees—but did not substantiate sexual harassment or retaliation claims by either side.

The city has already spent over $43,000 on the investigation and hired an employment law firm at $500 an hour, with costs expected to grow. Legal experts anticipate a settlement that would likely see Henry leave city employment. Removing Henry as chief or recalling Her before 2028 would both require difficult legal thresholds under the city charter, making a negotiated resolution the most probable outcome.

Tallahassee's city commission, led by Mayor John Dailey, moved forward last year with hiring Karen Jumonville as city manager before a newly elected commission took office in November, prompting criticism over the timing and terms of the process. Critics, including commissioners Jack Porter and Jeremy Matlow, had pushed for the incoming commission to make the decision or for a shorter one-year contract that could later be formalized; instead, Jumonville received a five-year deal with a supermajority requirement to remove her, departing from the city charter's usual process.

Supporters argue Jumonville, a longtime city employee, is highly qualified and likely would have been chosen by a new commission regardless. Opponents say the rushed process has undermined public trust and placed her leadership under scrutiny from the outset rather than giving her a clean mandate. The controversy comes as the city faces major decisions ahead, including the potential impact of a ballot measure (Amendment 3) on city services and ongoing questions over indigent care funding tied to the FSU Health partnership.

The St. Paul City Council has approved a second outside law firm, Greene Espel, to determine whether the city must indemnify Mayor Kaohly Her in a lawsuit filed by Police Chief Axel Henry alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. Greene Espel will work at a discounted public-sector rate of up to $325 an hour, following last week's hiring of Fisher Phillips, which will represent Her directly at a rate not exceeding $500 an hour.

The city attorney's office stepped aside, citing a conflict since City Attorney Irene Kao is named as a fact witness in the suit. St. Paul is self-insured, meaning legal costs come directly from its budget, which faces a projected $26 million gap next year. State law requires municipalities to indemnify employees acting within their duties unless there was malfeasance or bad faith, and legal experts say the council's move signals concern over whether Her's conduct meets that standard. The city must respond to the lawsuit by Oct. 14; Her's deadline is Oct. 16. An earlier internal investigation found Her did not sexually harass Henry but created an uncomfortable work environment.