Published on October 1, 2009
The role of City Council is to lead the city of Cincinnati and do everything possible to ensure that this is a great place to live, work, play and raise a family. A City Council, strong in leadership should have a strategic vision for Cincinnati and be prepared to support that vision with every decision they make. Council needs much stronger linkages to our neighborhoods and business partners. We should focus on retaining the robust business community we currently have, while aggressively seeking opportunities for job creation.
Cincinnati’s current financial situation needs to be addressed immediately. We need to get back on firm financial footing by building a tax base and assuring that our financial obligations fall within our means. We must develop a budget protocol and process that we can rely on as we move forward. Further, we must evaluate each new program with an eye on future sustainability. Many of our city’s issues could be solved by shared services. Recently, discussions began with consolidating 911 emergency services within the county. We must look at every viable option to combine services, improve output and save taxpayer dollars.
While keeping spending at a reasonable and responsible level is imperative, economic development and job creation will take Cincinnati to the next level. My vision is for Cincinnati to be known as a “business-friendly city.” I would be a champion for large and small businesses – those already in the city of Cincinnati and new businesses. I would work to develop a program that makes it easy – not difficult for new entities to operate in Cincinnati. We should streamline the process to make Cincinnati a highly desirable option for the business owner. To do otherwise, encourages people to look to the suburbs or across the river. The city has already lost significant dollars in revenue from businesses that have chosen these other options. The recently passed Environmental Justice Ordinance is yet another example of an unnecessary hurdle being placed in front of businesses. A City Council with economic development as a priority would never have allowed this ordinance to move forward. We cannot afford to be seen as business neutral. For Cincinnati to grow and prosper, we need businesses to WANT to come here. If that can be accomplished, jobs and tax revenues should follow, so that we can provide the citizens of Cincinnati with the services needed to make this a great Midwestern City.
There are a number of initiatives that City Council should be looking into as a means to drive business growth – starting with keeping our current taxes under control. People with the mobility to take their jobs elsewhere will not tolerate a higher earnings tax. Additionally, I would aggressively reach out to our existing business partners to solicit their needs and ideas – it’s clearly easier to keep a business already located in Cincinnati than it is to attract a new one to Cincinnati – let’s make sure we retain and work proactively with our current business partners. We need to make sure our city’s bureaucracy, policies and ordinances actually do make us friendly, rather than provide business obstacles. To this end, I would like to see a role in Cincinnati government focused on simplification, removal of obstacles and proactive enhancements. We need to implement a more aggressive outreach campaign to let regional, national and global companies know that Cincinnati is “Open for Business.”
In order for Cincinnati to retain and attract residents and businesses, we must be perceived as a safe city. City Council has fallen short on this subject. Just recently a majority on the Cincinnati City Council voted to spend $3.5 million on new hi-tech recycling bins for city residents. This might be good cause, but two days later the city announced that they had to lay off 138 police officers due to budget shortfalls. While keeping the right number of police on the streets is important, we need to be significantly more aggressive in pursuing innovative programs to reduce crime at all levels. We should look to other similar cities that have been effective in reducing crime and benchmark their progress.
My experience in business and community involvement has given me the tools I need to help Cincinnati move to the next level, which is clearly needed. This includes 14 years at Procter & Gamble in Global Customer Business Development, past President of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Council, and I am currently President of a local small business – The Japan Consulting Group. I’ve also served as an Adjunct Professor of Marketing at Xavier University. My campaign also has been endorsed by the Hamilton County Republican Party, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 69, CincyPAC (Young Professionals) and PowrPAC (West Side of Cincinnati).
At Procter & Gamble we focused on getting results and working well in a team environment. My time spent doing business in Asia led to much consensus building and intercultural understanding, skills necessary for City Council. I have the ability, experience and passion to help make Cincinnati a better - more livable place for families, children, younger and older adults.
Moving Cincinnati forward will take hard work and dedication by all. We are in difficult economic times, but as I visit our neighborhoods and businesses, I hear stories of hope and optimism. We all know that Cincinnati has great untapped potential. With your help and support, we can start to reach for these goals.
Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts.