Opinion: Maybe it’s time for participatory government, Columbus-style.

Many people are unhappy with the quality of government at various levels. A 2025 national survey indicated that less than one-third of U.S. citizens trust federally elected officials to act in their best interests. 

Dissatisfaction with Ohio Statehouse politics resulted in the 2023 voter-approved ballot measures to guarantee reproductive health choice and legalized cannabis. In response, officials have made citizen-led ballot initiatives somewhat more difficult to pass. In 2024, the Ohio Ballot Board added deceptive language to the proposal to reform the politician-led commission that has repeatedly approved gerrymandered districts. In a controversial decision, the Ohio Supreme Court upheld that language, contributing to the issue’s defeat and ensuring a continued Republican supermajority. 

The current public outcry over the negative effects of Ohio’s many data centers may result in a proposed ban on these facilities appearing on the ballot in a coming election. It’s also recently been revealed that in 2014 former Gov. John Kasich provided 40-year data center tax exemptions to Amazon, Meta, and Google that were shielded from public view. We’ll see if citizen-led responses occur related to that questionable deal.

On the bright side, Columbus voters overwhelmingly supported Issue 5 in the May primary election, creating a pathway to a new, non-police crisis response system. Proposed charter amendments to change Columbus City Council’s current at-large system to district-specific elections have once again emerged, with a group now collecting signatures to place the issue on the November ballot. 

Moving beyond ballot measures, I suggest that we now begin exploring one particular strategy to address pressing local concerns. Specifically, the citizen assembly is an approach used successfully in many other countries. It involves residents coming together to study problems and propose solutions. Think of it like jury duty, but for a different purpose. We even have an expert group that supports these efforts, Ohio State’s Institute for Democratic Engagement & Accountability.

Of course, some very practical questions arise. Lucky for us, Ireland has held assemblies since 2012, and provides a helpful guide for organizers. Here’s the basic idea. Citizens are randomly selected by gender, age, region, and economic level. Specific parameters and a timeframe are set. Members are provided with information by academics, advocacy groups, expert advisors, and the general public. The group deliberates and drafts recommendations that are provided to the government. There are even free digital platforms to support the process.

As an example, let’s take the issue of affordable housing, where Columbus’ response has been justifiably criticized. In light of the city’s upcoming zoning code changes, an assembly could provide a roadmap as to where, and at what price points housing renovation and development should occur. Perhaps local nonprofits could secure a community grant from the Columbus Foundation to support the effort, and staff from City Council’s Housing For All initiative could also be involved. I imagine that many of us would prefer this direction, as opposed to leaving things in the hands of private developers who routinely donate to local politicians.

Would Columbus city government accept the recommendations of a citizen assembly on housing or other important issues? It’s hard to say, though they’d open themselves to even more criticism by dismissing the results. In my opinion, it’s worth a try to see where this approach might go. If we’re unhappy with the decisions politicians make, then we should provide reasonable alternatives from outside of the current system. So, let’s get to work and build an ongoing process that could make positive contributions to our community.

Paul Nini is an Emeritus Professor and a past Chairperson in the Department of Design at The Ohio State University. He’s written for numerous design publications and has presented at a variety of national and international conferences.