Portsmouth 2021 and beyond: Digital needs, interns in demand from city departments
By Patrick Keck - pkeck@aimmediamidwest.com
1st Ward Councilman Sean Dunne (right) and fellow Portsmouth City Council members listened to reports from varying city departments during Saturday’s organizational meeting. Photo by Patrick Keck.
PORTSMOUTH City departments discussed their work, plans, and needs during Saturday’s organizational meeting held at Shawnee State University. The work ranged from public health missions to infrastructure, but common themes did emerge in terms of their wants in the new year.
Many departments took the opportunity to explain their needs to boost its digital capabilities, the potential hiring of interns to assist in data collection and increasing their physical office space.
Portsmouth West student announces 3rd Ward candidacy
By Patrick Keck - pkeck@aimmediamidwest.com
Gary Jenkins, an 18-year-old Portsmouth West High School student, is running for the 3rd Ward seat in the 2021 Primaries. Interested candidates for City Council, where 2021 races include the 1st, 3rd, and 5th wards, have until Feb. 3 to file a petition at the Scioto County Board of Elections office on the first floor of the courthouse. Photo courtesy of Gary Jenkins.
PORTSMOUTH Candidates for Portsmouth City Council must meet a list of requirements in order to be eligible for the position. Upheld by the city charter, these candidates need to have lived in the city for three years and be a resident of their respective ward for six months, while state law sets the minimum age for all council candidates to be at least 18 years of age.
Council increases city employees’ salaries in final 2020 session
By Patrick Keck - pkeck@aimmediamidwest.com
Portsmouth City Council assembled for the final time this year on Monday, passing all seven items on their agenda.
PORTSMOUTH Mayor Kevin Johnson struck the gavel slightly after 7:20 p.m. to adjourn the City Managers’ session Monday, concluding both the meeting and the year for Portsmouth City Council.
A considerable portion of the meeting was spent in executive session, a 32-minute closed doors discussion regarding employee pay, before attending to the seven items on their agenda.
Those items were subject to several amendments, starting with a modification of the pay period for a code enforcement spreadsheet. That money, $240 per month, will go to Shawnee State University through an agreement until June instead of May as previously listed in the legislation.
Court security, code enforcement in Council’s final 2020 session
By Patrick Keck
Portsmouth City Council will close out its 2020 meetings on Monday at the Shawnee State University Ballroom. Photo by Patrick Keck.
PORTSMOUTH- Monday’s Portsmouth City Council will conclude 2020, a year marked by the nomination of three new Council members, passed measures, and the occasional fervent debate.
This meeting, held at the Shawnee State University Ballroom, will be 6th Ward Councilman Dennis Packard’s first since his Dec. 14 nomination and focus on seven legislation items.
Council will start with a 3rd reading of a code enforcement spreadsheet, an ordinance that has tabled and failed to surpass the three-reading rule previously. With its passage, City Manager Sam Sutherland would be authorized to enter an agreement with SSU to create monthly digital visualizations of complaints and citations related to code enforcement.
Competing visions of Rebel flag shared at City Managers
By Patrick Keck - pkeck@aimmediamidwest.com
Gerald Cadogan of the Portsmouth Unity Project feels that its Band Together mural s message, pictured here off of Market Street, is challenged by the Confederate flag s presence on city property. Photo by Patrick Keck
PORTSMOUTH Earlier this week, conversation surrounding confederate flags during a prior Portsmouth City Managers’ session caught the attention of a national organization dedicated to its descendants and proponents of its history.
John Anson, Ohio Division Commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, addressed the matter of banning its presence on city properties in a letter sent to City Clerk Diana Ratliff where he urged no action to be taken.