THE BOTTOM LINE: Intentional or Sloppy Drafting?
Voting NO is the safest, lowest-risk vote on your ballot. It costs taxpayers $0, keeps our current Charter safeguards intact, and tells Council to bring clean, separate updates back next year (Administrative, Financial, and Historic) instead of bundling 100+ changes across 14 articles into one all-or-nothing vote:
City leadership bundled routine updates (like email meeting notices) with major power shifts, hoping voters wouldn't read all 27 pages:
- Eliminates our independent Treasurer (Art. IV, § 2) and dual-signature check controls (Art. IV, § 4).
- Removes the fixed $10,000 cap requiring a public Council ordinance for spending (Art. IV, § 5).
- Deletes 5-year citizen capital planning (Art. VII, § 4) and 2014 voter protections for the historic Hosbrook and Muchmore houses (Art. XVI).
They spent over two years drafting a constitutional rewrite so carelessly that the legal text contradicts their own public promises:
- Forgot to write "Finance Director" anywhere in the Charter (0 mentions in 27 pages), despite promising one in the June 22, 2026 Manager's Memo.
- Left duplicate section numbers (two "Section 2" clauses) in the enacting ordinance.
- Contradicted their own public slides on how spending limits and checks work.
Madeira Would Be the ONLY City in Ohio With No Fixed Charter Spending Limit
Across Ohio, city charters protect taxpayers in one of three ways: a fixed Charter dollar threshold requiring Council approval by ordinance (currently $10,000 in Madeira's Article IV, § 5), a formal Council ordinance, or tying directly to state law.
Madeira is the only city in Ohio proposing that Council and the Manager "shall agree, annually, on an administrative threshold amount"—with no ordinance required, no dollar cap in the Charter, and mutual veto power for the City Manager over their own spending limit.
Why Would 6 Council Members Vote to Cut Their Own Spending Oversight Right Before a New Manager Starts Nov. 16?
1. Avoiding Public Roll-Call Votes on Controversial Contracts: Today under Article IV, § 5, every consultant study, legal contract, or purchase over $10,000 requires Council approval via a public roll-call vote on an Ordinance or Resolution. Raising the Manager's unilateral spending limit toward state bidding thresholds ($79,568+ in 2026—nearly an 800% jump, and professional consultants and lawyers are exempt from state competitive bidding!) lets mid-sized contracts get signed behind closed doors without a Council vote.
2. Handing Unchecked Power to a Brand-New City Manager on November 16: Former City Manager Michael Norton-Smith has already departed. Assistant City Manager Lori Thompson is serving as Interim Manager, and a brand-new City Manager starts on November 16—just 13 days after Election Day. Eliminating the independent Treasurer, erasing dual-signature check controls (Art. IV, § 4), and removing the fixed $10,000 legislative approval cap right before a new Manager takes office is the worst possible time to strip our financial guardrails.
Origin of Issue 16: How a Manager's Memo Became a 100+ Item Bundle
Issue 16 was placed on the ballot by City Council (Ordinance 26-05), not by a citizen petition. Look at the documented timeline showing how a routine housekeeping update turned into an all-or-nothing bundle:
Charter Safeguards & Spending Cap: City Claims vs. Ordinance 26-05
Why Six Former Madeira Mayors Oppose Issue 16
Former Madeira Mayors Michelle Schneider, Mary Anne Christie, Sherry Mattes-Jansen, Sarah Evans, Rick Staubach, and Ken Born have all publicly endorsed voting NO on Issue 16.
The Treasurer Change: Today vs. Under Issue 16
2-Page Documented Inaccuracies & Primary-Source Proof (Searchable PDF)
| Topic | City / "Yes" Campaign Claim | Verbatim Ordinance 26-05 Reality |
|---|---|---|
| Scope of Issue 16 | "Eight simple updates in plain words." | 100+ textual changes across 14 Charter articles bundled into one all-or-nothing vote. |
| Treasurer & Finance Director | June 22 Manager's Memo promised a "management appointed Finance Director." | Deletes the independent Treasurer (Art. IV, § 2) and dual-signature checks (§ 4), while mentioning "Finance Director" 0 times in all 27 pages. |
| $10,000 Spending Cap | "Council still approves the budget and contracts." | Repeals the fixed $10,000 public ordinance threshold (Art. IV, § 5), replacing it with an uncapped annual "agreement" with the Manager. |
| Historic Houses & 5-Yr Plan | "Aligns historic protection with the National Register." | Immediately strips 2014 voter protections from the Hosbrook & Muchmore houses (Art. XVI) and deletes the 5-year capital plan (Art. VII, § 4). |
Submitted into the permanent City Council record on October 26, 2026. Read or search the full 2-page exhibit below (single-pane full-width view):
1-Page Printable "Vote NO on 16" Voter Flyer (Searchable PDF)
View, search, download, or print our 1-page neighbor handout below to share with friends on your street:
Setting the Record Straight: Key Rebuttals & Fiscal Track Record
1. The "$14,000 Ballot Fee" Excuse for Bundling
Officials claimed it was "too expensive" to let voters vote on separate ballot questions. In reality, Hamilton County charges just $14,000 per ballot issue. Splitting Issue 16 into 3 clean questions (Administrative, Financial, and Historic) would have cost just $28,000 extra—less than the $36,000 Council spent on realtor reports and sketches for the historic houses!
2. "Madeira Isn't Blue Ash or Norwood"
Supporters cite commercial cities like Blue Ash or Montgomery, where businesses dominate the tax base. In Madeira, residents are the backbone of our tax base. And with our previous Manager departing before transitioning to a new Manager hired from Norwood (starts Nov. 16), now is the worst time to strip our independent Treasurer and $10,000 spending cap.
3. Historic Houses: Active Use vs. Teardown
In March 2025, an unbid wine-bar buyer backed out of buying the Hosbrook and Muchmore houses specifically because Article XVI of our Charter requires them to remain standing. Our Charter worked! Today, the Muchmore House holds 3 active businesses, and the Hosbrook House ran a commercial gelato shop in 2023. Because neither qualifies for the National Register, Issue 16 strips their protection on day one.
4. Why We Need Guardrails Now More Than Ever
Council faces a $13M counterclaim in the Indian Hill water dispute (~150% of our $9M annual budget, or ~$1,370/resident) and has spent $800,000+ on legal bills buried inside a $1.48M "General Government" bucket. State audits only check past math—they don't replace proactive public roll-call votes before tax dollars are spent.
Voter Q&A & Campaign Funding Comparison
1. Why does Issue 16 matter so much for our city?
The City Charter is our local constitution. It "supersedes many of the statutory laws of Ohio relative to municipal government." As Council Member Logan Junger has noted, our Charter serves as the ultimate "rule book for our own city."
2. If Council reviewed this for over 2 years, how did they miss these problems?
Council passed Ordinance 26-05 by a 6–0–1 vote on July 13, 2026 (Yea: Henning, Camper, Junger, Shaffer, Takieddine, Whitted; Abstain: Rowe). Yet it took residents less than four weeks of reading the actual 27-page redline to discover that "Finance Director" is never written into the Charter, dual-signature check controls are struck out, the ordinance has duplicate section numbers, and key historic protections are repealed.
3. If Issue 16 passes, can Council easily fix any mistakes later?
No! Under Article XIV, Section 5 of our Charter, Council cannot fix a Charter error by ordinary ordinance. Any fix requires a two-thirds supermajority vote of Council or a citizen petition signed by 10% of Madeira voters, followed by another costly citywide election. Our Charter was last amended nine years ago in 2017.
4. I already voted early or have a mail-in ballot. Can I change my vote?
In Ohio, early voting is considered a form of absentee voting. Ohio law prohibits anyone who has already submitted an early ballot from casting a new or replacement ballot. However, if you made a mistake on an unsubmitted mail-in absentee ballot still in your possession, contact the Hamilton County Board of Elections (513-632-7000) before 7:30 PM on Election Day for a replacement ballot (permitted up to two times).
View Official Ohio Secretary of State Absentee Ballot Rules (PDF) →5. Who is funding the two "Yes on 16" PACs vs. our grassroots "No on 16" campaign?
| Committee / Entity | Who Funded It | Reported Spend / In-Kind |
|---|---|---|
| Madeira Supports Issue 16 (Yes PAC #1) | 100% Funded by Mayor Tom Henning (0 resident donors) | $1,888.48 (2,000 postcards, stamps & labels) |
| Madeira Residents for Yes on 16 (Yes PAC #2) | 100% Funded by Vice Mayor Ramzi Takieddine & Councilman Logan Junger | $1,442.98 ($693.82 signs + $749.16 print/web/phone, plus unreported MadeiraExplained.com) |
| City of Madeira Taxpayer Funds (Public Funds) | Madeira Taxpayers (Ballot fee, Sept. 25 citywide mailer, staff hours) | $14,000+ (Ballot cost + citywide postage/printing) |
| Neighbors for a Transparent Madeira (Grassroots NO PAC) | 100% Everyday Madeira Residents & Former Mayors | ~$1,050 Pre-Election Report (Small-dollar neighbor checks & yard signs) |
Note on the Chamber of Commerce Letter & Lobbyist Endorsements: As disclosed on YesOn16Madeira.com, Council Member and Yes PAC co-funder Logan Junger also serves as Volunteer Secretary on the Madeira Chamber of Commerce Board and personally signed the Chamber Board's endorsement letter alongside Executive Director David Peterson. Similarly, former Mayor Doug Moormann—who presided over the 2024 closed-door historic house transfer attempt and works as VP of a commercial development lobbying firm—has promoted a Yes vote, while six independent former Mayors urge a NO vote.
6. What would a court challenge over poorly written Charter language cost taxpayers?
While Ohio law sets a high bar to overturn certified elections, any legal dispute over ambiguous or defective Charter language is paid for by Madeira taxpayers on both sides. The City already faces a potential $13 million water lawsuit counterclaim with Indian Hill and has spent over $800,000 on outside legal fees in recent years. Court appeals routinely take 1 to 3 years. Voting NO costs taxpayers $0.
Search All 27 Pages of Ordinance 26-05 Yourself (Searchable PDF)
Press Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F) to search for "Finance Director" (0 results), "Treasurer", "10,000", or "Hosbrook"—or tap any button below to jump straight to the exact proof page:
Opened to Page 11 (Article IV, §§ 4 & 5) showing the deletion of dual-signature warrants and the $10,000 spending cap. Scroll up or down to inspect all 27 pages.