Pataskala ad hoc committee recommends ‘‘Candidate B’’ to Mayor Compton, asks for April 7 executive session; committee to disband

An ad hoc committee of Pataskala City voted to recommend “Candidate B” as its preferred candidate to Mayor Compton and asked the mayor to hold an executive session at the April 7 meeting to brief counsel on the committee’s findings.

The recommendation matters because it formally forwards the committee’s preferred candidate to the mayor for further executive review; committee members also voted to disband the ad hoc panel after the recommendation and adjournment.

A committee member moved “to recommend candidate B to Mayor Compton as the preferred candidate and for him to hold an executive session at the April 7 meeting to brief counsel on [the] committee’s findings.” The motion was seconded and then put to a roll-call-style voice vote. Committee members on the record voting yes included Walter, Hamshire, Caleb, Higgins and Mayor Compton; the recorded tally on the motion was five yes, zero no, zero abstain. The meeting transcript does not specify the mover or the seconder by full name.

Committee members discussed the recommendation briefly and expressed appreciation for staff support during the selection process. Several speakers thanked staff members (named in the transcript as Chris, Tim and Jamie) for administrative work that supported the committee’s meetings, describing the work as time-consuming behind-the-scenes support rather than heavy additional duties. No additional details about the candidate (such as full name, position sought or proposed start date) were provided in the transcript.

After completing its recommendation, the committee chair asked for a motion to dissolve the ad hoc committee. A motion “to disband and adjourn” was made and seconded; recorded votes in the transcript show Galick, Hicken, Compton and Walter voting yes. The recorded tally on the disbanding motion was four yes, zero no, zero abstain. The committee indicated it would be dissolved following adjournment.

The transcript does not record any formal statements from Mayor Compton beyond his recorded yes votes, nor does it identify the full legal or procedural authority under which the mayor would convene the April 7 executive session. The transcript also does not specify the exact position or identity of “Candidate B.”

The ad hoc committee’s recommendation will now be for Mayor Compton to decide whether to schedule the requested April 7 executive session and whether to act on the committee’s preferred candidate. The committee members indicated they believed their work was thorough and that the recommendation reflects the discussion and review carried out in the ad hoc process.