Troy residents urge council to back 'We the People' amendment and raise housing concerns

Several Troy residents on Sept. 15 urged the Troy City Council during public comment to support House Joint Resolution 54 (commonly called the "We the People" amendment) to restrict spending in political campaigns and reduce corporate influence. Speakers also raised local housing-affordability concerns they attribute to corporate buyers and investor-owned housing.

Deb Hogshead, a Troy resident, told the council that as many as 25 Ohio communities have passed resolutions or ballot initiatives backing the proposed amendment and asked Troy to become the 26th. Hogshead said the amendment "will require the regulation of money spent on political campaigns and put corporate entities in their rightful place, secondary to We the People." She noted the remarks were delivered on Constitution Day and tied the local request to broader concerns about federal policy and corporate influence.

Dr. Steven Griffiths, who said he lives in Concord Township but is impacted by council decisions, expanded on the concerns and cited campaign spending and proposals from high-profile campaigns that he said could reduce state and local revenue. He referenced third-party analyses and said independent estimates put potential impacts to local government and school funding between about $19 billion and $24 billion annually. Bradley Beringer and other speakers urged the council to consider the role of outside money in local politics; Beringer recommended the city review communication tools such as a civic app highlighted at a recent at-large meeting.

Separately, Dana Schilling told council members that corporate entities buying local houses are reducing availability of middle- and lower-income housing in Troy and that investor-owned units are priced at levels (she cited $1,200 to $1,600 monthly) she said many local residents cannot afford. Schilling asked council to coordinate with the planning commission to inspect building renovations downtown and asked the council to consider steps to encourage development of more middle- and lower-income housing.

The public-comment period recorded multiple first-person examples and citations to national and state political dynamics; these were appeals to the council to adopt a local resolution supporting H.J.R. 54 or otherwise make a public statement. The council did not take action on the request at this meeting; public comment items are advisory and were not listed on the agenda as a council resolution or ordinance.

Selected direct quotes from the public record include Hogshead: "Supporting the We the People amendment may not have a direct bearing on decisions the Troy City Council makes. However, decisions by state and federal legislators and the judiciary . . . will and do have direct and indirect implications for our community." Dr. Griffiths said outside money "distort[s] the political process and thwart[s] the will of local communities." Dana Schilling said investor purchases are removing opportunities for middle- and lower-income buyers: "You can't make your whole town be full of wealth and higher income people."