Keep Worthington Beautiful (Issue 38)
2026—Our Message to the Public about the City’s Current Charter Review Commission
Greetings! We hope all is well with you and your family, friends, and neighbors.
Remember, in 2015, when the residents of Worthington passed the Keep Worthington Beautiful (Issue 38) charter amendment? We accomplished that through a determined community effort, and a majority vote in the general election.
Our message was clear:
YES on 38 = A Stronger Voice for Residents = Responsible Development
This was true then, and it is true now.
Our purpose today, however, is not to celebrate, but to alert.
Our significant civic achievement—the passage of Issue 38 and the strengthening of our rights that it established—is now being threatened by the Charter Review Commission. This is a group of eleven people, selected by the City Manager and City Council every ten years, to review our City Charter. Their job is to clarify language, reconcile inconsistencies, and resolve any contradictions — not to legislate.
And yet, this year’s Commission members have decided that Worthington voters were wrong in 2015, and that they, appointed and not elected, know better than the citizens they are supposed to serve.
In an unprecedented and discrediting move, they want to reverse the results of a citywide vote.
The Commission plans to cut in half the number of days that we have to organize and conduct a zoning-related referendum if we, the residents, believe it is needed for the well-being of our community.
On the surface, it is odd that the Commission wants to choke our right of referendum. There has not been a single referendum in Worthington since Issue 38 passed. Not one. Voters’ viable right of referendum is working as it should — when all parties know that the residents have a real voice, bad policy is deterred. Good policy has no cause for concern.
So why is the 2026 Charter Review Commission willing to discredit itself in order to place the right of referendum out of reach of the citizenry? Who benefits? Who views the viable right of referendum as a problem that needs fixing?
The development industry.
At the last Commission meeting, the first and loudest voice in the push to virtually nullify Issue 38 was that of Council Member Glen Pratt.
The affinity between Mr. Pratt and the development industry is clear. He received a $1,000 donation from the Central Ohio Realtors PAC during his recent campaign. Other major contributors to his campaign included numerous members and officers of the development industry lobbying group, Building Worthington’s Future (BWF).
At the Commission meeting, Councilman Pratt repeated BWF talking points in his push to negate Issue 38. Citing zero evidence, he echoed the idea that Worthington is “anti-growth and anti-business,” especially because of the changes “imposed by Issue 38.”
To Mr. Pratt, our public vote is seen as an imposition.
The overall Commission discussion was similar, regurgitating the same industry talking points, without evidence, that we have heard for more than a decade.
2015 to 2026—Fiction and Reality
Back in 2015, opponents of Issue 38 repeatedly claimed that if our ballot measure passed, Worthington’s economy would crash. Reality has shown us otherwise.
Since Issue 38 passed, City income tax revenues have grown nearly 50% from 2015 to 2025 (from $23.7 million to $35.3 million). Our General Fund Balance has nearly tripled from 2015 to 2025 (from $11.3 million to $33.6 million, year-end).
The scare tactics didn’t stop with general economic arguments. Opponents of Issue 38 told the community that if Issue 38 passed, our city services would be crippled.
A member of City leadership was heard to say, “we won’t be able to buy a fire truck!” And yet the City bought a new fire truck.
Another gem: “we won’t be able to repave our streets!” This bizarre claim about street repaving was suggested in a fundraising letter for the group formed to defeat Issue 38. That letter did not age well — our streets have continued to be repaved.
Notably and of current relevance, the author of this letter was Rebecca Princehorn, who is now the Chair of the 2026 Charter Review Commission.
The reality is that Worthington is an extremely attractive and inviting place to do business, in large part because of the distinct character of our built environment. Our City’s impressive financial performance and robust services (fire trucks, repaving, and more) testify to this.
2015: The City’s Conduct
In 2015, our own government engaged in misinformation efforts. We believe it is important for the public to understand this history so we may avoid its repetition.
The taxpayer-funded Village Talks publication, under the pretense of public education, was used to mislead the public about what Issue 38 would and would not do. The misleading messaging implied, for example, that Issue 38 would obstruct the building of a shed in a homeowner’s back yard. This was completely false.
City staff directly joined in the effort to defeat Issue 38. The City’s Legal Director at the time, Pamela Fox, attempted to have confusing and misleading ballot language adopted for Issue 38. Our campaign had to legally challenge her efforts in order to have plain and understandable language used on the ballot so that the voters would be able to make an informed and reasoned decision.
And City Council itself, in the lead up to the vote, passed motions trying to convince the public that they could be trusted and that Issue 38 was therefore not needed.
At every step of the way, our City government fought the public as if it was an opposing force. This conduct by City officials, using the instruments of government against the very people they are pledged to serve, was disgraceful and inappropriate in a self-governing, self-respecting community such as Worthington.
2026: It’s happening again
At the Charter Review Commission meetings, false arguments are being recycled, spin is stated as fact. This year’s commission members are not holding each other to a standard of evidence-based decision-making. No Commission members have questioned—let alone challenged—Pratt’s claims about issue 38.
This is disappointing. And it’s discrediting to this Charter Review Commission. In the past, Charter Review Commissions have been rightly viewed as apolitical, and commission members viewed and appreciated as unbiased public servants. The 2026 commission members are breaking with that history.
Our Message to the Charter Review Commission
We urge the Charter Commission to reverse its decision regarding Issue 38. This is the right thing to do, for the voters of Worthington, and for the integrity of the Commission itself. A Strong Voice for Residents = Responsible Development.
Some background: the 2016 Charter Review Commission
A Charter Review Commission is convened once every ten years to clarify language, reconcile inconsistencies, and resolve any contradictions. Traditionally, the Commission’s work has been largely administrative in nature, apolitical and non-factional, and has therefore typically been approved by a public vote without conflict (note: any changes to the City Charter require public ratification via a public vote).
The last Commission, back in 2016, briefly discussed the Issue 38 Charter provisions and quickly decided it was outside of their appropriate purview because of its origins in a public vote. The Commission members back then approached their public service with a restraint and prudence appropriate for recommending alterations to our City’s fundamental and founding document.
May it always be so.