Public speaker urges Lebanon to adopt "personhood" charter amendment; petitioner seeks signatures

A member of the public, identifying himself as Stephen Gerard Sedolski and giving a Lebanon address, used the public-comment period of the Aug. 12 Lebanon City Council meeting to urge the city to adopt a “preborn personhood” charter resolution and to circulate an advisory petition. Sedolski told council he had provided members with a copy of the proposed personhood resolution and said 21 Lebanon residents had already signed an advisory petition. He described the approach as two steps: first, passage of a city-resolution copy he provided; second, putting language before voters to add preborn personhood language to the city charter. Sedolski said he expects citizens could vote on the language by 2027 and referenced the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to argue the timing allows local action. Sedolski also acknowledged a drafting error in the packet he provided — a reference to Springboro on the return line — and asked council to note the correct return address for Lebanon. He offered the draft resolution free of charge and suggested the city attorney might need to spend up to $10,000 to rewrite it if the council preferred official counsel to produce a version. Council members took no formal action on the petition or resolution during the meeting. The remarks were recorded during the public-comment portion of the agenda. The transcript contains Sedolski’s full statements but no council response indicating initiation of a formal city process regarding the proposed charter language.