A Call for Peace Develops Locally
Council President Vermillion works with JewishColumbus to Craft Apology and Hone Message Going Forward - Calling all Community Members Together
Hilliard City Council President Cynthia Vermillion said she will not step down but will issue a public apology to the Jewish community after coming under fire for spearheading adoption of a resolution on April 22- the first day of the Jewish Passover- that called for peace in the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
“I thought it was a safe road to take,” Vermillion said April 29, but adding in hindsight that the action taken on April 22 was “a misjudgment” because it occurred on the first night of Passover.
Vermillion said she stands on the content of the resolution, but should have waited for another time.
Vermillion said on April 29 that she would prepare and deliver a public apology at the next regularly scheduled meeting of Hilliard City Council, at 7 p.m. Monday, May 13 at the Hilliard City Hall, 3800 Municipal Way.
However, the public apology came sooner than expected when it appeared April 30 on the City of Hilliard’s official website.
In her letter, Vermillion acknowledges that the timing of the vote was “poorly considered” and lacked an understanding of the importance of Passover in the Jewish community.
“I will be taking some time to reflect upon how I handled this sensitive issue. I am committed to learning from my mistakes and will approach future topics with greater sensitivity to those of all views,” Vermillion wrote.
Vermillion’s letter can be read in its entirety here:
The letter was shared with JewishColumbus prior to it being publicly shared, said David Ball, director of community relations for Hilliard.
City staff and JewishColumbus collaborated with Vermillion to compose the letter, Ball said, and comes four days after the Jewish Community Relations Council- part of JewishColumbus- released this April 26 statement that read in part:
"As the Jewish community gathered for the first night of Passover, we were dismayed to learn that Hilliard City Council passed a resolution concerning Israel and Gaza. Despite objections from Council Members Peggy Hale and Les Carrier, as well as City Manager Michelle Crandall and her staff, who clearly articulated that such action on the first night of Passover was wholly inappropriate, the decision was championed by City Council President Cynthia Vermillion.
In doing so, the Council President not only disregarded our religious observance but also sent a distressing message to Jewish residents of Hilliard and the broader Jewish community, implying that their voices are unwelcome in city government. The deliberate timing of this resolution on such a sacred night as the first night of Passover constitutes a blatant act of anti-Semitism.
By choosing the first night of Passover to pass the resolution, the Council President allowed the council to succumb to external pressure and set a precedent of yielding to anti-Jewish sentiments. The decision made by Hilliard City Council has caused lasting harm. Due to this grave failure of leadership and intentional exclusion of Jewish voices, we demand the immediate resignation of the Council President.
But Vermillion, who said she met privately with JewishColumbus on April 26 and then issued the public apology April 30- said she intends to continue serving on City Council.
“My goal was to bring a proclamation to council (calling for peace and an expansion of humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip) but not all seven of us were on board,” Vermillion said about the disagreement among council members whether it should take a stance on an overseas war.
But lacking consensus for a proclamation, the vehicle instead became a resolution, Vermillion said.
The title of the resolution 24-R-31 reads: TO CALL FOR PEACE AND AN IMMEDIATE, SUSTAINED AND MUTUAL END TO HOSTILITIES IN GAZA; THE RELEASE OF HOSTAGES AND DETAINEES; AND THE URGENT EXPANSION HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE.
The resolution passed 4-2 with Councilman Les Carrier and Councilwoman Peggy Hale dissenting and vice president Tina Cottone abstaining.
Vermillion and council members Greg Betts, Emily Cole and Andy Teater voted in support of the resolution.
Read the entire resolution here:
Vermillion said her statement of apology also speaks for Betts, Cole, and Teater.
Vermillion said as it became apparent that no consensus would be achieved on council, and in light of the number of people who continued to come to council meetings in the weeks running up to April 22 asking for council to take a stand, she opted to advance the resolution.
Columbus City Council had previously passed an identical resolution and that precedent gave her more ease in addressing the issue, Vermillion said.
Read about Columbus City Council’s passage of a resolution on March 25 here:
Other local governments, such as those in Dublin, have opted not to tackle the subject matter which as most recently sparked significant unrest at colleges and universities across the United States including the Ohio State University, as pro-Palestine protests continue.
“Dublin City Council does not create legislation regarding individual international conflicts, such as political or military action,” Dublin City Councilwoman Amy Kramb said.
Hilliard City Manager Michelle Crandall appealed to City Council not to take up the resolution.
“I did everything I could, short of making a public statement Monday night (April 22), to dissuade council members from bringing forward this legislation, and then asking that you not take it forward on Passover, explaining what the ramifications of each could be,” Crandall wrote in an April 24 e-mail to all seven council members.
“Council should refrain from taking up issues, international of otherwise, that do not pertain to the roles and responsibilities of local government,” Crandall wrote.
Crandall further advised council that she called a representative of JewishColumbus to apologize for the actions of City Council.
It was “beyond inappropriate” and an action that “lacked empathy and understanding” and is being viewed by the Jewish community as antisemitic, Crandall wrote in her e-mail.
While Vermillion acknowledges the misstep in hindsight, she said her intent was to respond to her constituents and follow through with the resolution as it appeared on the April 22 agenda, prepared before appeals were made to withdraw it.
“I wanted to give a voice to our residents,” who were asking us to call for the end of hostilities, but it was “a misjudgment” to go forward on the first night of Passover, when the Jewish community could not attend the meeting, Vermillion said.
While acknowledging the poor timing of the resolution, Vermillion said she still supports the language of the resolution.
“My goal now is to heal the community, with a better understanding, and move forward,” Vermillion said.
Kudos to Cynthia and others for standing up for what’s right and bringing up the resolution at a time when too many have needlessly died. Hilliardians do not live in a bubble and never have done so since day one. We are affected by what happens in Columbus, DC, and the world. Our community is stronger today because of leaders like Cynthia and others before her who did what was right regardless of the personal cost.
Hard to tell whether she's sincere or not. Apparently, she had been warned not just about the timing, but also about bringing the resolution up to begin with. Instead of uniting the community, she's done just the opposite and added to the divisiveness. But she had the votes, she rammed it through, the consequences be damned. Hope she and the others who claim to be apologetic won't now go atter the city manager for having the guts to speak out.