Letter: Mike Duffey to the Charter Review Commission

Mike Duffey is a former member of Worthington City Council. We are sharing this letter with his permission.

June 7, 2026

Worthington Charter Review Commission
6550 North High Street
Worthington, Ohio 43085

Dear Members of the Charter Review Commission,

I am a former twice-elected member of Worthington City Council and served eight years in the Ohio House of Representatives. I write to you today as a resident since 1979.

Transcripts indicate you have, in a public meeting, contemplated overturning Worthington voters’ 2015 ratification of Section 1.04 of the charter, which provides 60 days for referendum.

I am unaware of any instance in the 223 years our community has existed when an official body, including elected members of city council, has attempted to undo a voter-initiated amendment to the charter that was ratified directly by residents with a majority vote in a general election.

It is highly unusual anywhere in Ohio for public bodies to directly contradict the will of the voters. I think setting this precedent will attract unwanted attention to your work.

Worthington is a community of highly-educated professionals with a high concentration of young families. With two working parents and children, how would they stand a chance to collect signatures from 35% of the electors in just 30 days? It’s simply not realistic.

The change you are contemplating, which Councilman Glen Pratt spoke to in the prior meeting, would cut in half the number of days from 60 to 30 days. This is a terrible signal. Even if you don’t like what residents might propose, do you want to appear so blunt and prejudicial?

This proposal looks all the worse knowing there has not yet been a single project in Worthington impacted by the current 60-day collection timeline. Not one.

For example, we all know Lifestyle Communities’ project was unanimously rejected by the Worthington Municipal Planning Commission and Worthington City Council. That project, the most controversial in two decades, never faced a citizen referendum.

Instead, it became bogged down by a lawsuit filed by the developer that it lost on all counts at a federal court of appeals. The developer, not the city or residents, was proven wrong.

As a public body representing city council, Worthington residents expect you to apply logic. What logic exists in reducing voters’ rights when there hasn’t been a problem?

In proposing this change, you risk creating distrust in you, in the charter review commission and in city council without much rationale. This is not healthy for a community like Worthington. It will also fuel the criticism from opponents who already have plenty to consider.

Please do not reduce the amount of time Worthington homeowners and voters have to participate in local government decisions. It is not likely to go well for this commission and risks attracting statewide attention from media outlets.

Sincerely,

Michael Duffey
645 Farrington Drive
Worthington, Ohio 43085