For the second time in seven years, Mitchell J. Brown has been appointed into a position on Columbus City Council. The former Director of Public Safety previously served in the legislative role from 2016 to 2021, and chose not to run again when announcing his retirement.
With a vacant City Council seat following the departure of Elizabeth Brown, who was hired to lead YWCA Columbus, the remaining City Council members were looking for someone who could fill the role this year without any further ambitions for reelection.
“With the upcoming change to Council’s structure, my top priority was finding a candidate that will serve as an experienced caretaker and not as a candidate seeking to run in 2023,” stated City Council President Shannon Hardin, who separately announced his official campaign kickoff taking place this month.
Columbus City Council will undergo a major update in 2023, expanding to a nine-member district-based system. All seats will be open for applicants who collect 250 district signatures and reside within a district. An open nonpartisan primary election will be held on May 2nd to narrow the field of candidates down to two per district.
The general election in November 2023 will decide upon all nine Council Members, five of which will be assigned a four year term and four will be assigned a two year term to stagger reelections moving forward.
For more information on the upcoming changes in 2023, or to find information on your district, visit https://www.columbus.gov/districts/.