Columbus Dems Up To Same Old Tricks
Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin and his hubby, Ben Zachrich, have put their homestead up for sale.
The couple recently bought a $520,000 house at 5600 Wood Ridge Drive in Greenbriar Farm, about ten miles from their former digs at 1587 E. Long St.
Last December, Columbus was carved into nine council districts. At that time, Hardin, President Pro Tem Liz Brown, and councilwoman Shayla Favor all lived in District 7, which covers Downtown, Franklinton, the near East Side, Short North, and areas south of Ohio State University. Only one council person can be elected from each District.
So, Hardin and Zachrich purchased a 3,345 square-foot home on Wood Ridge Drive last April. It's located in District 9, where no other council members live.
That means that Brown and Favor will have to slug it out for a seat next November, providing one of them doesn't relocate, too.
Last October, councilman Nick Bankston and his wife, Habiba, bought a $306,490 house at 3531 Crossing Hill Way. It's in District 5. The couple previously rented a townhouse at 276 Hamilton Ave., which is in District 7.
Bankston, remember, was one of seven people who ran for Columbus City Council in 2021 who failed to collect 1,000 valid signatures of registered voters required by the Franklin County Board of Elections to get on the ballot. But Columbus has this little rule that allows the party to nominate a candidate to replace incumbents who decide not to run for re-election. Bankston replaced Mitchell Brown on the ballot.
Personal Note: I collected the necessary signatures to get on the 2021 ballot, and had Bankston not been allowed to run in place of Brown, I would be on city council. As it was, I collected 35,725 votes on a $20,000 campaign budget and handful of volunteers. Conversely, the campaign of Hardin, Bankston, and Barroso de Padilla spent more than $500,000 to win the three seats.
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