Every November, U.S. citizens are afforded the opportunity to have a voice in government by participating in the electoral process at the local, state or national levels.

In 2023, three Upper Arlington City Council seats are on the Tuesday, November 7 ballot. Council President Brendan King is completing his second term on Council and is therefore unable to run for an additional term. Council member John Kulewicz is running to serve a second term. Council member Michaela Burriss has chosen not to seek reelection. Community members Heidi Munc, Andrej Rotter and Todd Walter have all filed with the Franklin County Board of Elections as candidates for a seat on Council.

Three seats on the Upper Arlington School Board are also on the ballot. Six community members have filed with the Franklin County Board of Elections: Incumbents Jenny McKenna and Lori Trent are seeking reelection; and community members Glen Dugger, Ruth Edmonds, Sumia Mohamed and Liz Stump are seeking election to serve their first term. Current School Board member, Nancy Drees, has chosen not to seek reelection.

Details of candidates’ community experience and goals will be provided via candidate websites, social media pages and other forums as election day approaches. And watch for details of Leadership UA’s Candidates and Issues Night, scheduled for Thursday, October 5.

UACO Section 105.3 sets the contribution limitations in Upper Arlington. Financial contributions or in-kind contributions from an individual, corporation or organization in support of a candidate’s campaign cannot exceed $250 per calendar year. Of this, no more than $100 can be in cash.

Political Signage Guidelines
Each election season, we like to share some reminders on the proper display of political yard signs and banners:

• Upper Arlington City Government is non-partisan, and City Council does not endorse political candidates.
• The City cannot and does not regulate language on political signs. Call the Ohio Elections Commission (614-466-3205) to register a concern.
• A maximum of five signs are permitted per property. Each sign should not exceed eight square feet in size.
• The City can only request that a sign be removed from private property if it is deteriorating or in the public right-of-way. In either event, call Code Compliance (614-583-5073) or use our Click2Fix app to report an issue.
• Political signs on private property are themselves private property. Theft charges will be filed against anyone found to be taking such signs.
• The Police Division recommends that you place your name on your political signs for tracking purposes so they can be returned to you if stolen and later recovered.

The public right-of-way includes the tree lawns next to sidewalks that are immediately adjacent to the street, in both residential neighborhoods and commercial areas. In instances where there is no sidewalk, signs placed within six to eight feet of the street may still be in the public right-of-way.

If our Code Compliance Officers come across signs placed in our parks or in traffic medians, they will remove them. Any signs that are collected will be kept at the Municipal Services Center until the week following the election. To check that we have your sign and reclaim it, please call 614-583-5070.