Letter to the Editor: Municipal IDs would be beneficial to community

The Columbus Dispatch.
More than a year ago, when Columbus City Council passed an ordinance authorizing a municipal ID feasibility study, the Aug. 31, 2018 Dispatch editorial “Columbus ID cards are an idea worth exploring” commended this action as opening “an important discussion that must include the larger community.” The yearlong research project, conducted by Franklin University professors Alex Heckman and Chenelle Jones, culminated with the August 2019 release of the feasibility study, available at https://bit.ly/2mrtkEC.
The study estimates that more than 80,000 Columbus residents, including many U.S. citizens, lack ID and asserts that “the lack of valid government identification often places significant limitations on an individual’s quality of life, the life of their families and on their ability to be productive members of the community.”
Surely all people of good will can agree with the Dispatch editorial board that “one doesn’t have to settle the immigration debate to understand that allowing people living among us to do so more responsibly and safely is better for everyone.”
Now is the time for our city council members to facilitate discussions and planning in the larger community.
Tom Gearhart, Bexley