VILLAGE OF CHAGRIN FALLS

MOVE TO AMEND

March 4, 2021

Present: Grube, Rogoff, DeBernardo

The virtual meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. by Council President Erinn Grube.

Written statements were read from the following and are attached:

Diana Nazelli, 35 High Court, Chagrin Falls

Greg Coleridge, Cleveland Heights Resident

Anthony Fossaceca, 61 Olive Street, Chagrin Falls

Kathryn Garvey, 70 East Washington Street, Chagrin Falls

Sharon Broz, 410 Bell Street, Chagrin Falls

Judy Kramer, 165 Pheasant Run Drive, Chagrin Falls

Judy Majcen, 7180 Harris Farm Drive, Bainbridge Township

Lynne Rustad, 442 Solon Road, Chagrin Falls

Becky Thomas, 124 Ridgewood Road, Chagrin Falls

Audio comments from:

David Lima, 7774 Litchfield Drive in Mentor, said he coordinates the Mentor Move to Amend. He spoke about the ongoing tension in the history of the United States between legislative efforts to limit the influence of money and political power and judicial rulings curving congress=s power to do so.

Russ, 10259 Regatta Trail, Reminderville, spoke about the influence of corporations, problems with the environment, and global warming.

Mrs. Grube announced that the next Move to Amend meeting will take place in March of 2023.

Mrs. DeBernardo said we do face a lot of problems and we have been discussing them for decades. We do need to start working on solutions.

The meeting adjourned at 10:11 a.m.

MOVE TO AMEND DAY

March 4, 2021 - Public Comments Submitted

TABLE OF CONENTS

ZOOM CHAT ROOM MEETING COMMENTS ... 1

Greg Coleridge ... 1

Anthony Fossaceca ... 2

Kathryn Garvey/Sharon Broz ... 4

Judy Kramer ... 5

Judy Majcen ... 6

Diana Nazelli ... 7

Lynne Rustad ... 7

Becky Thomas ... 10

MENTOR, OHIO | February 23, 2021

The biennial city-sponsored virtual public hearing for Mentor residents to speak on the impact of money in politics and its influence on our democracy and the role of corporations and other moneyed interests that play a part in the political process.

The hearing was mandated as part of a Mentor Move to Amend-led effort to pass a ballot initiative calling on the City to communicate to federal and state representatives that Mentor citizens want a Constitutional Amendment to end corporate personhood and money as free speech. The citizen-driven ballot initiative passed in 2014 by 70%.

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Dave Lima

There has been an ongoing tension in the history of the United States between legislative efforts to limit the influence of money and political power, and judicial rulings curbing Congress' power to do so. Particularly in the past 50 years, legislative efforts and Supreme Court rulings have made pivotal changes to the role that money plays in our democracy. Efforts to restrict the influence of money have been rolled back largely based on the misguided narrative that artificial entities are people and money is equivalent to speech protected by the First Amendment.

By: Jordan Vandenberge
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/in-depth/painesville-issue-1-grassroots-group-pushing-to-send-message-against-corporate-campaign-contributions

PAINESVILLE, Ohio — The Center for Responsive Politics preliminarily projects the total cost of the 2020 election cycle to be $10.8 billion, roughly a 50% increase in spending compared to the 2016 election when adjusted for inflation. If the projections hold true, political spending this election cycle would equal about a third of Ohio's annual budget ($32.4 billion). As large sums of money and political influence have largely become synonymous with one another, a small but passionate group in Painesville is trying to put a stop to it.

On their ballots this November, Painesville voters will decide Issue 1, a proposed ordinance by petition that would declare the need for a constitutional amendment that would clamp down on political contributions by corporations, unions and Super PACs. The ordinance would also declare that money is not the equivalent of speech.

Our election system is broken because of the destructive influences of money in politics and the misguided notion that corporations may claim constitutional rights. With these rights they are able to spend tremendous amounts of “dark” money through organizations and PACS to support the candidates who will serve their needs. And their primary need is profit. While profits are essential in a capitalist system the needs of “we the people” should be primary since we are also a democracy.

Move to Amend Ohio Network Quarterly Education Program

September 26, 2020

Presenters:

William Phillis - Executive Director - Ohio Coalition for Equity & Adequacy of School Funding 

Joe Logan, President, Ohio Farmers Union

Video of program at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9NC14n5nLY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bZme9AlpEY&fbclid=IwAR0iYO-eq5NHrCY65zcyMVx_q_r7W5MPCRZMPYh0hHPpEEnPXhd_wXI0xiY

The current health and economic crises are exposing our nation's underlying and long-standing democracy crisis. While public attention focuses on meeting people's basic survival needs, big corporations and the rich are using the pandemic as cover to increase in multiple ways their profits and power.

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Ohio Move to Amend is a state network of advocates and affiliates working together to build the movement across the Buckeye State's 88 counties. 

For more information on how to get involved, contact: 
Mary Sue Gmeiner, 937-813-8436, [email protected] 

Communities in Support

Alongside hundreds of thousands of individuals have signed our Motion to Amend petition, there have been over 700 communities and states that have passed public resolutions, ordinances, and ballot initiatives supporting the We the People Amendment. Below is a list of resolutions that were passed by elected political bodies (i.e. state legislatures, or county/city/town/village councils), residents who voted at Town Hall meetings, or by voters following organized campaigns by Move to Amend supporters in Ohio.

Passing local resolutions in support of amending the constitution is a great way to educate the public and to send a strong signal to legislators that people care about these issues. Click here for information on how to organize a resolution campaign in your community!

Resolution Language

Call on Congress to pass an amendment to the U.S. Constitution declaring that:

√ Only human beings, not corporations, are legal persons with Constitutional rights, and

√ Money is not equivalent to speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and spending does not equate to limiting political speech.

Additional provision inbBallot Initiatives

√ Annual or biennial city-sponsored public hearing on the impact of corporate personhood and money as speech on the community and its citizens.

To inquire about launching a city council resolution of ballot initiative campaign in your community, contact us at [email protected]!

Endorsing Organizations

More than 600 local, state, and national organizations have come forward to support the passage of the We the People Amendment (in Congress as House Joint Resolution 48). Below are the Ohio-based organizations that formally call on our federal representatives to pass the We the People Amendment, and our local and state representatives to enact resolutions and legislation to advance this effort. 

If your organization, business, union, faith community, or local governmental organization would like to sign on as a supporter of this effort, click here to add your endorsement!

Ohio’s Congressional Delegation:

U.S. SENATE

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

1st District: Greg Landsman Cosponsor: NO Pledge Signer: NO DC Office: 1432 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3076 Contact View District Map	2nd District: Brad Wenstrup Cosponsor: NO Pledge Signer: NO DC Office: 1527 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: (202) 225-5161 Fax: (202) 225-5163 Contact View District Map	3rd District: Joyce Beatty Cosponsor: NO Pledge Signer: YES (2018) DC Office: 2368 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: (202) 225-1880 Fax: (202) 225-5914 Contact View District Map	4th District: Jim Jordan Cosponsor: NO Pledge Signer: NO DC Office: 2312 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: 202-225-2511 Fax: 202-225-5444 Contact View District Map
5th District: Robert Latta Cosponsor: NO Pledge Signer: NO DC Office: 406 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3311 Fax: (202) 225-4335 Contact View District Map	6th District: Bill Johnson Cosponsor: NO Pledge Signer: NO DC Office: 2311 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: (202) 225-7163 Fax: (202) 225-0566 Contact View District Map	7th District: Max Miller Cosponsor: NO Pledge Signer: NO DC Office: 143 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-6265 Fax: (202) 225-3394 Contact View District Map	8th District: Warren Davidson Cosponsor: NO Pledge Signer: NO DC Office: 1107 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-6205 Contact View District Map
9th District: Marcy Kaptur Cosponsor: YES (117th, 118th) Pledge Signer: NO DC Office: 2186 Rayburn Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4146 Fax: (202) 225-7711 Contact View District Map	10th District: Michael Turner Cosponsor: NO Pledge Signer: NO DC Office: 2082 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-6465 Fax: (202) 225-6754 Contact View District Map	11th District: Shontel Brown Cosponsor: NO Pledge Signer: NO DC Office: 2344 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-7032 Contact View District Map	12th District: Troy Balderson Cosponsor: NO Pledge Signer: NO DC Office: 1221 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-5355 Contact View District Map
13th District: Emilia Sykes Cosponsor: NO Pledge Signer: NO DC Office: 1217 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-6265 Contact View District Map	14th District: David Joyce Cosponsor: NO Pledge Signer: NO DC Office: 1124 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-5731 Fax: (202) 225-3307 Contact View District Map	15th District: Mike Carey Cosponsor: NO Pledge Signer: NO DC Office: 2234 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2015 Contact View District Map

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