Former Portsmouth Mayor Kevin E. Johnson spoke out about the city’s plan to transfer Spartan Stadium, Branch Rickey Park, and several ball fields to Shawnee State University.
SSU says it plans to transform the area into a ‘world-class softball facility;” but Johnson, like many other citizens, has questions.
Before the former mayor spoke at Monday’s city council meeting other citizens expressed concern about what this plan means for Portsmouth Little League players. The Army Corps of Engineers project to upgrade the levee has occupied multiple ball fields and this new project could take away even more. No one who spoke opposed the idea, they just wanted guarantees that the young baseball and softball players would have access to the field.
Johnson said that while he’d been out of the political loop for some time, he felt the need to speak up.
“As a taxpayer, I’m not against it. I attended Shawnee State. My daughter graduated from Shawnee State. I wish they would be a little more transparent. I wish they were sitting here tonight to tell us what their plans are. We have kids who play ball in Portsmouth. You guys care about our youth. We cannot let anyone go in there and take away our field. If they want to build a world-class softball stadium there, I’m all for it. Right now, you must look at what’s happening. If they get that and say we can’t play there, we have no place to go. I would urge you to table the motion or give it a first reading and ask them for their plans.”
After about an hour spent in the executive session, council members voted in favor of having a first reading of the transfer ordinance. Mayor Sean Dunne, who teaches at SSU, abstained from the vote. It takes three readings before the council can vote on a measure.
Publisher’s Note: Upon entering the Executive Session, the Council failed to adhere to the ORC’s basic tenets. To put it simply, they didn’t explain the reason for the Executive Session. ORC 121.22 specifies that Executive Sessions can only be held for certain reasons. Due to the City’s failure to provide a reason that is acceptable under ORC, the state’s public meetings law (otherwise known as Sunshine Law) was violated.
