Politics

One donor funds six-figure ad blitz in Columbus council-district fight

Columbus, Ohio • October 27, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

Editorial illustration: Columbus City Hall with campaign mailers on the steps

Editorial illustration — Press Pass USA

A single tech executive is bankrolling a six-figure advertising campaign in Columbus' fight over how City Council is elected, according to a campaign finance report filed last week with the Franklin County Board of Elections.

King Memory CEO Darryl Tanner put $330,000 into a new political action committee called Voters Have Choices, the Dispatch reported. The PAC has spent more than $100,000 on mailers and digital ads urging voters to vote yes on Issue 8 and no on Issue 9, two competing charter amendments on the November ballot.

Issue 8, introduced by the grassroots coalition Our City, Our Say, would turn the city's nine residency districts into voting districts, so residents would elect their own district representatives. Issue 9, the competing proposal from City Council, would likewise create nine district seats while adding four at-large members elected citywide, plus other reforms.

Council President Pro Tempore Rob Dorans called the ads misleading, saying Issue 9 was “a good faith attempt at compromise,” and described the spending as a “dark money” effort. Tanner did not respond to the Dispatch's requests for comment on October 26. Our City, Our Say says it is not affiliated with Voters Have Choices, though it accepted an in-kind contribution from the PAC for polling worth $34,000, according to the report.

Sources: The Columbus Dispatch (Oct 27, 2026); Franklin County Board of Elections campaign finance report (filed Oct 23, 2026).