Charter Party of Cincinnati, Ohio
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The Charter Committee (also known as the Charter Party) is an independent political organization dedicated to good government in
Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
. Members of this committee are called Charterites. Committee organizers prefer the term Charter Committee rather than Charter Party. Because of Ohio State laws regarding vote percentage cutoffs for official party recognition, the Charter Committee is not an officially-recognized political party in Ohio.


History

The Charter Committee claims to be "the oldest third party in the nation that has continually elected officials to office". It was founded in 1924, during a time when Cincinnati government was under the control of the Republican Party. Cincinnati was infamous for being the most corruptly governed major city in the United States, the era of Boss Cox (established by George Cox in the 1880s), controlled then by his protégé Rudolph Hynicka, who spent most of his time in New York in the management of the Columbia Burlesque Circuit. Republican reformers, led by members of the Republican Executive and Advisory Committee, then began the Cincinnatus Association. In 1923, Republican lawyer
Murray Seasongood Murray Seasongood (October 27, 1878 – February 21, 1983) was an American lawyer and politician. He led a government reform movement in Cincinnati, founding the Charter Party and served as the Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio from 1926 to 1930. He was t ...
became the leader of the reformers' successful anti-tax campaign. The Cincinnatus Association then led to the formation of the Birdless Ballot League, which advocated
nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...
elections. (The term "birdless" referred to the use of the Republican eagle and Democratic rooster as party symbols on the ballot). In 1924, the Birdless Ballot League joined with other reformers to create the City Charter Committee. The pre-1925 charter established a 32-member city council, six of whom were elected at-large. Only candidates nominated in a citywide primary by the Republican and Democratic parties were eligible to run. In 1924, there were 31 Republicans and one Democrat on the council. Between 1913 and 1925, only five Democrats had managed to get elected to the council. The real power behind government was held by Hynicka's Republican Central Committee, comprising Republican ward and township captains, which held the real power in the Republican party, to the disadvantage of the Executive and Advisory Committee. The new municipal charter enacted in 1925 as part of the Charterite movement established a Council-Manager form of government (abolishing the mayor-council system) and a
civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
bureaucracy to replace political patronage. The new charter, which created a nine-member council, also mandated
nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...
municipal elections and
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
with preference-ranked voting. With Democrats running on the Charter ticket, the first election following adoption of the council resulted in the election of six Charterites to the council. Democrat Ed Dixon, who had won more votes than Seasongood, and, therefore, should automatically have become
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
under the new charter, was persuaded to allow the leader of the reform movement to become the first mayor under the new charter. Although the Charter movement started with Republican reformers like Seasongood, the movement quickly became informally allied with the Democratic party against the Republican machine. Democratic candidates ran as Charterites. By the 1950s, Republicans fought the Charterites by plastering them with the label of
socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
. In 1957, the Republicans overturned proportional representation. It is believed that this was done to prevent the election of Theodore M. Berry as the city's first
black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
mayor. In 1959, Democrats broke off from the Charterite coalition. Splitting the progressive vote with the Democrats throughout the 1960s, the Charterites barely survived the return of Republican rule, with
Charles Phelps Taft II Charles Phelps Taft II (September 20, 1897 – June 24, 1983) was a U.S. Republican Party politician and member of the Taft family. From 1955 to 1957, he served as Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. Like other members of his family, Taft was a Republ ...
its only elected official by 1961. In 1963, Berry joined Taft on the council. In 1969, the Charterites joined with the Democrats in a formal coalition that took control of city government in 1971. The coalition was led at times both by Charterites ( Bobbie L. Sterne and
Charles Phelps Taft II Charles Phelps Taft II (September 20, 1897 – June 24, 1983) was a U.S. Republican Party politician and member of the Taft family. From 1955 to 1957, he served as Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. Like other members of his family, Taft was a Republ ...
) and by Democrats (
Tom Luken Thomas Andrew Luken (July 9, 1925 – January 10, 2018) was an American politician of the Democratic Party from Ohio, serving in the United States House of Representatives during the 1970s and 1980s. Early life and education Luken received h ...
and
Jerry Springer Gerald Norman Springer (born February 13, 1944) is a British-American broadcaster, journalist, actor, producer, former lawyer, and politician. He hosted the tabloid talk show ''Jerry Springer'' between September 30, 1991 and July 26, 2018, an ...
). From 1973, the two parties divided the two-year mayoral term into two one-year periods that alternated between them. Tom Luken's son,
Charlie Luken Charles John Luken (born July 18, 1951, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American politician of the United States Democratic Party, Democratic party who was List of Mayors of Cincinnati, Ohio, mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, and served in the Ohio's 1st cong ...
ended the Democratic-Charterite coalition in 1985 when Arn Bortz was the only Charterite left on the council. In 1983
Marian Spencer Marian Regelia Alexander Spencer (June 28, 1920 – July 9, 2019) was an American politician who served as Vice Mayor of the Cincinnati City Council in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was the first African American woman to be elected to the Council. Th ...
was the first African American female elected to Cincinnati City Council and served as Vice Mayor and as a member of the Charter Party for one term. Sterne, who lost her seat in 1985, made a comeback in 1987. Bortz left politics in 1988 to concentrate on business, but anointed as his successor the popular professional football player Reggie Williams. Williams stayed for only two years. When Charterite
Tyrone Yates Tyrone Keith Yates (born January 22, 1954) is a Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge. He was elected on November 8, 2011. Judge Yates is a former Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 33rd District from 20 ...
became a Democrat in preparation for running for the state legislature, Sterne found herself again the sole Charterite on the council. Term limits prevented Sterne from running again in 1999, so she resigned her seat in 1998 in favor of restaurateur
Jim Tarbell James (Jim) Tarbell is an American politician of the Charter Party, who was a member of the city council and vice-mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. By mayoral proclamation, Jim Tarbell holds the title "Mr. Cincinnati" for life. Early life and educatio ...
. Over the years, Charterites pursued a number of
liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
and progressive causes, including reducing pollution and establishing cost-of-living wage increases for municipal employees. The Charterites instituted the now-common requirement of maintaining a public inventory of municipal property. Another Charterite initiative that has spread throughout the country requires private employers to inform employees of the risks of handling hazardous materials, known as a right-to-know law. The Charter Committee reached its height of power in the 1950s, when it ran city government with Democrats running on the Charter ticket. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Charter Committee formed a coalition municipal government with the Democrats. The coalition lasted until 1986. In recent years, the Charter Committee has sought to expand beyond the Cincinnati city limits, endorsing candidates in neighboring jurisdictions, such as
Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, Kenton County, Kentucky, United States, located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking Rivers. Cincinnati, Ohio, ...
. The Charter Committee includes Democrats as well as Republicans and independents. The Charter Committee advocates an activist government to address public problems and its main power base has been among the progressive-minded, educated, affluent
senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...
s of
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
. The committee is currently making efforts to appeal to younger voters. The committee has also turned its sights on establishing regional government. The last Charterite mayor of Cincinnati was Arn Bortz. The party was nearly extinguished in the 1990s. From 1993 to 2003, the city council had only one Charterite member. In 2015, there were three Charterite members of the city council, Yvette Simpson, Kevin Flynn, and Amy Murray. As of August 15, 2021, the current president of the Charter Committee is Darrick Dansby. The previous president was Matt Woods. It accepts both Democratic and Republican members on its volunteer board of directors.


Platform

As of 2021, the committee website states three main pillars that comprise its platform: Return, Reform, and Renew.


Prominent Charterites

*
Charles Phelps Taft II Charles Phelps Taft II (September 20, 1897 – June 24, 1983) was a U.S. Republican Party politician and member of the Taft family. From 1955 to 1957, he served as Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. Like other members of his family, Taft was a Republ ...
* Bobbie L. Sterne * Reggie Williams, former
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
linebacker *
Marian Spencer Marian Regelia Alexander Spencer (June 28, 1920 – July 9, 2019) was an American politician who served as Vice Mayor of the Cincinnati City Council in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was the first African American woman to be elected to the Council. Th ...
*
Jim Tarbell James (Jim) Tarbell is an American politician of the Charter Party, who was a member of the city council and vice-mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. By mayoral proclamation, Jim Tarbell holds the title "Mr. Cincinnati" for life. Early life and educatio ...
*
Roxanne Qualls Roxanne Qualls (born March 3, 1953) is currently an Executive Sales Vice President with Sibcy Cline Realtors in Cincinnati OH. She is a former Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, having served from December 1993 to November 1999. She also s ...
* Yvette Simpson *
Nick Spencer Nick Spencer is a comic book writer and former politician best known for his Image series ''Morning Glories'', his collaborations with artist Steve Lieber on the comedic series '' Superior Foes of Spider-Man'' and '' The Fix'', a three-year run on ...
*
Courtis Fuller Courtis John Fuller (born 26 January 1957) is a news broadcaster in Cincinnati, Ohio, who is active in politics and in local community affairs. Fuller is an on-air personality at WLWT-TV. He was named "Cincinnati's Favorite TV Personality" by th ...
, a lifelong Democrat who ran as a Charterite against incumbent Democrat
Charlie Luken Charles John Luken (born July 18, 1951, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American politician of the United States Democratic Party, Democratic party who was List of Mayors of Cincinnati, Ohio, mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, and served in the Ohio's 1st cong ...
* Chris Bortz


Prominent ex-Charterites

Many former Charterites switched to one of the major parties or to independent. They include: *
John J. Gilligan John Joyce “Jack” Gilligan (March 22, 1921 – August 26, 2013) was an American Democratic politician from the state of Ohio who served as a U.S. Representative and as the 62nd governor of Ohio from 1971 to 1975. He was the father of Kathl ...
, who was elected
Governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
as a Democrat in the 1970s. *
Ken Blackwell John Kenneth Blackwell (born February 28, 1948) is an American politician, author, and conservative activist who served as the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio (1979–80), the Ohio State Treasurer (1994–99), and Ohio Secretary of State (1999–2007). ...
, the former Republican
Ohio Secretary of State The Secretary of State of Ohio is an elected statewide official in the State of Ohio. The Secretary of state is responsible for overseeing elections in the state; registering business entities (corporations, etc.) and granting them the author ...
and unsuccessful Republican candidate for
Governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
against Democrat
Ted Strickland Theodore Strickland (born August 4, 1941) is an American politician who was the 68th governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ...
in 2006 *
Tyrone Yates Tyrone Keith Yates (born January 22, 1954) is a Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge. He was elected on November 8, 2011. Judge Yates is a former Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 33rd District from 20 ...
, a Democratic member of the state legislature, was a Charterite member of the city council until 1993. *
Christopher Smitherman Christopher E.C. Smitherman (born July 16, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who previously served as the Vice Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. An Independent, Smitherman has been a member of the Cincinnati City Council and the Cincinna ...
, a
Cincinnati City Council The Cincinnati City Council is the lawmaking body of Cincinnati, Ohio. The nine-member city council is elected at-large in a single election in which each voter chooses nine candidates from the field. The nine top vote-getters win seats on the cou ...
member was endorsed in 2003 by the Charter Committee. He lost reelection in 2005 and recently returned to council in 2011 as an independent with no political party endorsements.


References

{{United States state and local political parties Politics of Cincinnati Political parties established in 1924 Regional and state political parties in the United States 1924 establishments in Ohio Progressive parties in the United States Political parties in Ohio