Stow City Charter Review Commission sworn in; law director reviews public-records, open-meetings and ethics rules; Dennis Campbell elected chair

The Stow City Charter Review Commission met for its first 2025 session, were sworn in, and heard a legal briefing on public-records, open-meetings and conflicts of interest before electing Dennis Campbell chair and Amy Jones vice chair.

The training came from Drew, the city law director, who told commissioners the commission must follow state public-records and open-meetings rules and said he would serve as legal counsel and support throughout the review. “Having said that, I'm going to give a quick training on public records, open meetings, and conflict of interest,” Drew said.

The commission — convened as required every five years to examine the city charter — will prepare a report for Stow City Council. Commissioners discussed scheduling and agreed to meet every other week initially, with the next meeting set for Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. The law director said the deadline to present to council is July 31, and commissioners should expect to adjust meeting frequency if the workload requires it.

The law director summarized how public records are defined and retained, telling the group that a record must be a created or received item that “serves the function of this body” to be subject to the public-records law. He noted the city stores meeting recordings and materials, advised appointing a custodian of records (the city’s designated secretary, Hannah Morris, will serve that role), and urged members to save work-related emails and documents so staff can respond to any requests. “If you get a public records request for an email, I wouldn't say give me your phone or access to your email. I'd say, hey. Can you send me all the emails that you have?” he said.

On open meetings, Drew reviewed the quorum rules and cautioned that serial one-on-one contacts or prearranged gatherings that reach a majority could violate the Open Meetings Act. He described executive sessions as limited and in-person only for certain topics, and said minutes or records of executive sessions can still be subject to disclosure in litigation. “A meeting is a prearranged gathering with the majority members and you're discussing and deliberating business,” he said.

The law director also covered conflicts of interest, telling commissioners to recuse themselves when an issue would directly benefit the commissioner, a family member, or business associate. He gave examples of what could count as a thing of value and advised commissioners to call the law department with any concerns.

After the training, the commission held nominations and votes. Dennis Campbell was elected chair; Amy Jones was elected vice chair. Commissioners then agreed to schedule the next meeting for Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. and asked the law department to present Article 19 and Article 20 of the charter — the sections covering charter review and amendment procedures — at that meeting.

The meeting concluded with the commission agreeing to begin a section-by-section review of the charter, noting that meeting frequency may increase early in the process and be scaled back later. The law director and city staff will handle public notices, records custody and legal questions as the commission works toward the July 31 submission date to city council.

The commission members who spoke during the meeting include retired and active professionals from local business, nonprofit and public-service backgrounds; several introduced themselves and described local ties to Stow City during the swearing-in.