By Gregory Korte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Charter Committee of Greater Cincinnati, now 79 years old, has its roots in a reform movement and has survived as the oldest independent local political party in the United States.

Founded in 1924 and led by young lawyer Murray Seasongood, the Charter Committee grew out of an anti-tax campaign to curb the power of a Republican-controlled political machine led by Rudolph Hynicka.

Seasongood's speech denouncing the tax and its Republican supporters became known as "the shot heard 'round the wards."

The committee wrote and won passage of the city's 1925 charter, and Seasongood became the first mayor under the new system. Among the charter's reforms were the city manager form of government, nonpartisan elections (also known as the "birdless ballot"), and the elimination of council wards in favor of nine at-large council members.

The first city elections under the charter were battles between the Charter Committee - which included many Democrats - and the Republican Party.

But Charter's influence began to wane during the McCarthy era, as Republicans charged that Charter had become "kidnapped" by socialists. In 1957, Republicans were successful in eliminating another reform: proportional representation.

PR, as it is known, allowed voters to rank their preferences for City Council - allowing political and racial minorities to have greater representation. Many believe the elimination of PR was an effort to stop Theodore M. Berry from becoming the city's first African-American mayor. (If so, it only delayed it.)

Republicans held power through the 1960s as Democrats and Charterites split the vote. But in 1971, a Democratic-Charter coalition took control of City Council. Led by such legendary figures as Thomas A. Luken and Jerry Springer (both Democrats) and Bobbie Sterne and Charles P. Taft (Charterites), the coalition held until Luken's son, current Mayor Charlie Luken, dismantled it in 1985.

Since then, Charterites have had difficulty keeping seats on council. When Charterite Arn Bortz resigned, he was replaced by former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Reggie Williams, who left Cincinnati two years later. Williams was replaced by Tyrone K. Yates, who became a Democrat and is now a state representative.

Since then, the Charter Committee has had only one member of council, now Jim Tarbell.

Tuesday, newcomer Christopher Smitherman won a seat on City Council under the Charterite banner, boosting Charter faithful who see a resurgence in the committee's fortunes.

Though today's Charterites say they remain true to their original principles, it's difficult to find the party's ideological center. Sterne, who was elected 13 times, championed environmental causes; Bortz was more business-minded.

To this day, Charterites eschew the word "party," favoring committee - underscoring its emphasis on individual qualifications over adherence to party platforms.

E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com