News & Clips

"The measure would require marijuana to be sold by a medical dispensary or a dual-use dispensary and states that 'there shall be no more than two dispensaries of any kind within the city.' However, these provisions are why Westerville resident John Gatiss argues the city is implementing a 'de facto' marijuana ban.

"'The city can’t ban dispensaries outright, cause it would go against the will of the voters,' said Gatiss during the Jan. 21 meeting. 'Instead, you’ve created a de facto ban where the needle someone would have to thread has become narrow to such a degree that opening a dispensary could be virtually impossible.'

"Gatiss noted Westerville has interpreted the statutory bar on dispensaries within 500 feet of parks, churches, and schools to include the city’s trail network, which has blocked off a huge portion of the city. He also claimed Ohio will not be issuing any more dual-use licenses until sometime in 2026."

"At a large table were five council members: Glasgow, David Grimes, Michael Heyeck, Megan Czako Reamsnyder and Jeff Washburn. Harlem Township Trustee Carl Richison also was seated at the table.

"Gatiss walked in. 'I pulled up a chair and joined them. They initially welcomed me, and I was introduced,' Gatiss recalled.

"He listened for at least 30 minutes as they discussed with Richison recent plans to merge with Harlem Township and other government matters.

"As the restaurant was preparing to close, Gatiss stood and confronted Heyeck, a council member since 1993 and current chairman: 'You cannot do this again. This is a violation of state open meetings laws,' Gatiss recalled saying."

"Resistant local suburbs must heed the advice of our local public health departments and adopt indoor mask requirements to help save as many lives as possible, and reduce demands on our overburdened health system.

"Public health is a basic function of local government. By failing to act, suburbs, including Westerville, are not fulfilling their responsibilities outlined in the Ohio constitution and state law."

"Westerville feels different these days to John Gatiss than when he first filled out a change-of-address card about 14 years ago."

"But today, Gatiss describes his city with two words that haven’t been used much over the years to talk about a place whose conservative roots run from the Anti-Saloon League to John Kasich: vibrant and progressive."

"One of the reasons he feels that way: After its City Council reconvenes in September, Westerville very likely will become the 26th city in Ohio to ban discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. City officials have been discussing details of a proposed ordinance since February, when a majority of council members expressed support for the idea."

"In 2016, Sen. Rob Portman said, 'I view myself as an independent voice for Ohio and if I disagree with something from the Trump administration ... I will of course stand up and I assume others will as well.' However, on the first day of the trial of President Donald Trump in the Senate, Portman again failed in his constitutional duties to hold Trump accountable."

"John Gatiss, who is part of the anti-Trump Indivisible movement, is waiting for the state's primary, saying, 'I want to see what the race looks like in mid-March, see who is left, and make my decision then.'

"'The most important thing is that we defeat Trump and stop the damage that he's doing to the country,' Gatiss said."

"'I think that there was a lot of angst among our members that the Franklin County Democratic Party decided to make an endorsement,' said John Gatiss, an Indivisible leader. 'I think it was the manner in which it happened. Seemingly, suddenly (O’Connor) gets into the race and he’s endorsed immediately. Some people had been running since before Pat Tiberi resigned.'"

"Although Senator Portman has purported in the past to be a man driven by his Christian faith, there is nothing Christian about stripping healthcare away from the poor and the sick. I never thought I would look back fondly on the Bush years of 'compassionate conservatism', but this latest iteration of the GOP could be better described as 'heartless radicalism'."