On Sunday, I wrote a story about the new political organization in Columbus, a group founded by Leslie Sorrell and her husband, Will Sanders, called “A Better Columbus.”
The story provided information on the group, how it operates and what it hopes to achieve.
Since then, I’ve had about a dozen phone calls, texts and emails, all asking the same question: What do you make of this group?
My response to each is an unsatisfactory, “I’m not sure.”
On one hand, ABC has leveled criticism of city government that I also share, particularly when it comes to its finances. Many of those concerns have been the subject of The Dispatch’s editorials long before this group emerged.
If the group’s efforts were confined to that, I’d be more inclined to look upon ABC favorably. There can be little question that the city’s debt, which has increased more than four-fold in the last decade, is something that should concern all citizens. The embezzlement case against former CFO Milton Rawle also calls into question how carefully the mayor and council fulfilled its oversight role.
These are legitimate concerns and it is entirely fair that ABC should raise these matters as grounds for a house-cleaning at every level of city government. The mayor and city council should be held accountable. That’s probably the biggest part of the job description.
But ABC has gone beyond that, I believe.
To date, the portrait of Columbus ABC has painted is of a city that is corrupt and crime-infested.
That’s what gives me pause.
When you publicly accuse someone of corruption, you have an obligation to provide some proof of it. To date, Anyone with a sense of fair play should agree with that. ABC has failed to provide any evidence of that.
Likewise, the idea that crime is out of control in the city perpetuates a false perception of reality. The Dispatch has routinely examined those claims over the past several years. On each occasion, the data shows that crime is not increasing at any appreciable rate. Is there crime in the city? Without a doubt. The same holds true for every town and city. But to suggest that residents of Columbus live in a dangerous environment is inflammatory and, ultimately, damaging.
Next year, we will hold municipal elections. The mayor and up to five of the six city council members (Ward 3 councilman Charlie Box said he will not seek re-election) will answer to the voters.
As challengers for those positions emerge, citizens can and should evaluate the merits of both the challengers and incumbents and reach their own conclusions.
But it is the tone of the debate over the coming months that concerns me.
I will be looking for candidates who don’t just point out the problems that are obvious to us all, but who can articulate a positive attitude, real ideas and a vision for the future.
Columbus, for all its challenges, is my home. I am offended by its portrayal as some dystopian hellscape filled with corruption and crime, which seems to be the attitude ABC has projected, at least to this point.
All of us are, to some degree, who we tell ourselves we are.
If our narrative is that of a city teetering on the abyss, confidence erodes and we become disillusioned, disengaged, skeptical — a perception that will continue beyond the election.
We should be clear-eyed in considering the problems we face in our city. But we should also be hopeful. Without hope, we are divided, often bitterly divided.
Scorched-earth politics can be effective, but it is rarely healthy.
People are inspired when they have something positive to vote for.
So I will reserve judgment on “A Better Columbus” until I see some evidence of that.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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