A group of Hudson residents that gathered signatures for a referendum petition over a roughly two-week period did not end up turning those signatures into the city.
But they have been in talks with the City Council president about their push to alter the city’s ordinance establishing a new District 11 or place it before voters.
Philip Leiter, who led the petition effort alongside Todd Zedak and Mike Juppe, said he notified the city clerk toward the end of the day June 18 to let her know the group wouldn’t be stopping by to drop off the signatures.
“We still are missing a couple pages. People that had petitions never turned them in,” Leiter said. “So, we actually don’t know how many signatures we have total.”
Zedak estimated that the last tally of collected signatures came out to about 500.
City spokesperson Kathleen Sullivan previously said via email that the current signature requirement to place a referendum on the ballot for voters in the city is 4,225 – or 35% of the number of ballots cast in the city in the most recent gubernatorial election.
Zedak and Leiter said they have scheduled conversations with City Council President Michael Bird and other city officials to address a planned development – or mixed-use site – that could sprout up at and around the former Joann headquarters in the south-central part of the city. The ordinance that City Council passed May 19 to create District 11 permits a minimum-50-acre planned development.
“It’s a full-on press to get this clarified and explained and moved and changed,” Zedak said.
Leiter said the group could start a new door-knocking campaign “if we have to.”
“We would have to create a whole new petition because this one’s already done,” he said. “You can’t collect signatures once the time’s already clicked off. So, now the Council could put it on the ballot themselves, which we’re hoping they’ll do.”
Effort prompts discussion about signature requirements
The two residents said they believe it should be easier for groups of residents to file a petition to place an issue on the ballot.
Leiter said the village of Chagrin Falls has a more reasonable requirement for citizens to place rezoning on a ballot. That requirement is to gather signatures from 5% of the village’s population.
“So, they trust their citizenry to say, ‘Well, wait a minute; maybe we should vote on this,'” Leiter said. “And that’s all we’re asking, is the opportunity to participate and have a say in things, especially when we disagree on things.”
Hudson At-Large City Councilman Kyle Brezovec said during the June 16 Council meeting that he would support looking at legislation to adjust the city’s 35% requirement for signatures to place referendums on the ballot.
“We don’t require near that number of signatures to get on the ballot to run for office,” he said. “So, it does strike me as quite a burden.”
Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@usatodayco.com or on X @pwilliamsOH. Sign up for the Beacon Journal’s business and consumer newsletter, “What’s The Deal?”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hudson petitioners didn’t meet signature requirement. What now?
Reporting by Patrick Williams, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Patrick Williams, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
