CHAUNCEY, Ohio — At its monthly meeting last week, the village of Chauncey became perhaps the smallest municipality in the United States to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza.
“Chauncey once again sat in uncomfortable conversations about war, genocide, and our shared humanity,” council member Evelyn Nagy told the Independent in a written statement. “We used our voice to send a message for peace. This would not have been possible without our community. They showed up, they spoke out, and Council listened.”
The resolution passed this month after discussion at three previous council meetings beginning in February, when Nagy and community members first brought the idea before council. Chauncey’s resolution:
- “Urges leaders at the Federal and State levels to immediately call for and facilitate cease-fire to urgently end the current violence;”
- “Urges the federal government to halt funding for the war and;”
- “Calls upon the Biden administration to promptly send and facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.”
With its resolution, the village joined more than 150 other communities nationwide in formally calling for a ceasefire, including the city of Athens.
The village, with fewer than 1,000 residents, is smaller than any municipalities documented on an oft-cited list of ceasefire resolutions maintained by Solidarity Is, part of a social change nonprofit. (Sovereign tribal nations representing comparable numbers have also passed ceasefire resolutions.)
Council member Connaught Cullen moved to adopt the resolution; Nagy seconded. The resolution passed 5-1, with member Karla Dellinger casting the lone vote in opposition.
Dellinger said at the meeting that the issue is “just over my head” and “really above our scope” as a village council. She also said, “I stand for Israel and I stand with our allies, and I feel that if we support this, we are choosing to support Hamas and our enemy.”
Cullen rejected that interpretation of the ordinance, saying that the village lacks any influence over Hamas.
“What our country and our allies are doing, we do have influence over,” Cullen said. “So that’s why I’m for this, and when they’re doing wrong, I want to hold them accountable.”
Multiple federal and state officials representing Athens County suggested in previous comments to the Independent that they were not taking local resolutions for a ceasefire in Gaza into account.
Several attendees spoke in favor of the resolution at the May 8 meeting.
Chauncey resident Abby Hearne described the conflict as Israel’s “genocide onto a civilian population,” and said it was important that the village add to the “chorus of people that want to end the carnage.”
Chauncey resident Alex Hearne said that without U.S. funding and support “this genocide would have ended months ago.”
“Everybody has the capability of digesting facts and information,” said Chauncey resident Carter Beeson. “I think it’s entirely valid for us to have a say on this matter.”
Meanwhile, Natalie Johnson, an organizer with the ACLU of Ohio, said the conflict is a “local issue” because aid sent to Israel “should be funding our communities instead.”
Chauncey’s resolution was modeled after a resolution Athens City Council passed in February.
Chauncey’s resolution notes that the village is opposed to “U.S. imperialism war and genocide wherever it occurs,” “supports the U.S. military and personnel,” and “has the power to illuminate the demands of its constituents to larger political entities.” The resolution also notes the village’s opposition to anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and says the federal government “holds immense diplomatic power to save Israeli and Palestinian lives.”
The Palestinian death toll in Israel’s war on Gaza recently surpassed 35,000, while over 1,100 were killed in Israel during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023. United Nations officials have repeatedly warned of famine as a result of Israel’s actions in Gaza, with the head of the UN World Food Program recently stating that northern Gaza had entered a “full-blown famine.”
This story has been updated to include comment from council member Evelyn Nagy.
