Anti-SB5 Resolution Fails at Kent City Council

A good-faith attempt by two members to muster some anti-SB5 sentiments failed to gain enough votes to pass Wednesday.

Kent council members and Tracy Wallach proposed passing a resolution encouraging state lawmakers not to pass Ohio Senate Bill 5, which passed in the Senate and is under debate by members of the Ohio House.

But one "no" vote, three abstentions and one absent council member doomed the proposed statement legislation. Shaffer and Wallach tried twice to pass a similar resolution, but both issues garnered the same votes.

“I’m disappointed that we weren’t able to officially oppose SB5,” Shaffer said after the vote.

Councilman Garret Ferrara voted against the proposal. Councilmen Jack Amrhein, Wayne Wilson and Erik Valenta abstained from voting, and John Kuhar was absent Wednesday. Shaffer, Wallach and councilmen Mike DeLeone and Robin Turner supported the sentiment. The resolution needed at least five "yes" votes to pass.

Turner told the abstaining council members they can legally support the resolution without fear of a conflict because it is merely a statement and not an act of local law.

Wilson said he understood the legality of the vote but opted to abstain because his wife is a member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union in Kent.

“It’s not because I’m against the bill or because I’m for it … it just looks inappropriate,” Wilson said of the vote.

Amrhein said he abstained from voting because, as a teacher in Kent, he is a member of the Kent Education Association and such a vote also could look inappropriate.

"I’m opposed to (SB5), but as a council member and a paid association vice president I can’t bring myself to vote on that,” he said.

Valenta said he wanted to further study SB5 before voting either way.

Shaffer said her motivation to suggest the resolution to oppose SB5 came after she attended sponsored by the American Association of University Professors at .

“And they opened the rally by talking about our Kent firefighters, our Kent police officers, our Kent service department workers, and our Kent teachers," Shaffer said. "I think it is incumbent upon us to back our public employees and show our solidarity and spirit of cooperation with them, and not participate in this seemingly race to the bottom by stripping away their power to speak with one voice.”