Columbus City Councilwoman Michelle Mills
ONUMBA.COM, USA – When Michelle Mills was appointed to the Columbus City Council several years ago, she was extremely excited, telling Onumba.com at her swearing in ceremony that one thing she would like to focus on as councilmember was the “people” of Columbus.
“We must make sure we don’t neglect the people,” she said, calling them “our biggest assets.”
After about five years on the council, Mills’ primary focus is still on the “people.” The difference going forward though is that she would no longer be able to help the people of Columbus as a councilwoman; it would have to be only as the CEO of St. Stephens Community House, a job she had before her appointment to the council, but continued on while serving on the council.
Mills, who was a shoo-in to replace Andrew Ginther as Council President, announced recently that she was resigning her seat on the council, totally catching everyone by surprise.
“I want to thank my council colleagues for all of their support and encouragement during my tenure on council,” Mills wrote, adding, “I remain committed to Columbus and will continue work to strengthen families and neighborhoods through my service at St. Stephen’s Community House.”
Mills, who as President Pro Tem is second in command to Ginther on the council, ended by saying, “I love this city, its people and how we work together to improve our community.”
A lot of that working together was with Ginther who lavished praises on Mills for her work on the council.
“Council President ProTem Mills has been a tireless advocate for Columbus residents. Whether working at City Hall or in the community, she has always put our families, especially children, first. While a difficult decision, I understand that professionally and personally this is what is best for Michelle, and I respect her decision. I thank her for her work on the council and for her ongoing service to the community.”
Mills, 45, also withdrew her name from the November ballot shortly before announcing her resignation from the council to be effective Sept. 4. She was one of eight candidates contesting for four council seats.
The abruptness of Mills’ departure stunned everyone. It is also fueling speculations over whether she is in a anyway connected to the ongoing federal investigations into bribery allegations involving an Arizona company RedFlex accused of funning campaign money to Columbus elected officials through lobbyist John Raphael.
One thing is for sure, though. Mills’ name was not mentioned in direct connection with the bourgeoning investigation. However, reportedly, she was one of four council members – Ginther, Shannon Hardin and Eileen Paley – that took a trip to a Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis in the company of Raphael.
Reportedly, none of the council members paid the bill for the trip until news broke about seven months after the Hoosier trip that Raphael was involved in what has become Red-light camera scandal. All four council members have now paid their portion of the bill for the trip.
Complicating matters, reportedly, Mills did not disclose the trip on her financial disclosure with the Ohio Ethics Commission, but she explained that it was only because she had plans to pay for the trip but never received her bill.
Both Shannon and Paley disclosed the trip on their financial disclosure. It was not clear if Ginther did.
Mills, a native of Cleveland, was appointed to the council in 2011 to replace Charleta Tavares who won a seat in the Ohio Senate. In November of that year, she won her seat on her own merits, rising over the years to become a key part of council leadership, including serving as chairwoman of the development committee.
