One CincinnatiBrian Garry
For Cincinnati City Council
 
 

Brian Garry for ONE Cincinnati Policy  

  • Economic Development Policy
  • Housing Policy and Issues
  • Building Strong Livable Neighborhoods
  • Youth and Educational Development
Economic Development Plan
  • Job Creation
  • Youth Jobs and Training
  • Transportation
  • Banks Project
  • Cincinnati Image “Marketing the Future, not the Past”

 

Economic Development: Job Creation

  • Encourage local businesses to offer a living wage instead of a minimum wage
  • Advertise Cincinnati’s lower “cost of living” than other mid-sized cities in order to attract business.
  • Work with Local and County governments to create regional economic growth and development.
  • Give local firms preferential treatment for large public projects
  • Analyze and rate performance of current Cincinnati contracts in order to rate performance and plan future contracts around efficiency.
  • Implement a professional grant writer to attract more federal and state grants
  • Further fund the Small Business Loan Fund and work with the Federal 504 Small Business Association in order to put more money into the hands of small business owners
  • Encourage Small Businesses to hire under skilled/underemployed workers by implementing preference of city contracts as well as giving tax reductions.
  • Encourage Small Businesses to hire recently released convicts by offering preference on city contract bids.
  • As home repair/rehab constructions continue to increase, training of under skilled/underemployed workers can be optimized by offering tax reductions and city contract preferences in contract bidding. More skilled Cincinnati workers equals increased economic development.
Economic Development: Youth Jobs

Integrate neighborhood economic development and a school-based youth jobs initiative

  • Youth jobs initiative creates opportunities that will energize our neighborhood economies
  • Encourage businesses to partner up with high schools in the way Cincinnati Bell worked with Taft High School
Economic Development: Transportation
Improve Public Transportation for the Environment and Efficiency
  • Better access for low income workers and job opportunities
  • Ease the need for more garages and implement more modes of public transportation (i.e., street cars, trolleys, etc.)
  • Pursue a regional cost sharing plan
  • Investing in public transportation lowers the cost of living for Cincinnatians
  • Investing in public transportation lowers the amount of pollution
  • Reduce pollution by replacing city owned vehicles with more energy efficient vehicles
Economic Development: The Banks
  • Ensure that the Banks Project offers high quality jobs
  • Support responsible contracting practices
  • Support a strong Economic Inclusion policy 
Economic Development: Improving the Image of Cincinnati
  • Market the Future, Not the Past
  • Support Incline District Concept for developing shopping, new residential complexes, and new parks
  • Market downtown and OTR as entertainment centers (Music Hall, art galleries, bars, restaurants, etc.) to increase visitors, generate taxable revenue, and residential growth
Housing Issues
  • Housing Development and Mixed Income Communities
  • Housing Retention Ordinance
  • Foreclosure 
  • Renters
Housing Issues: Foreclosure Prevention
  • Foreclosure is decimating our city, I propose working with the Homeownership Group of Legal Aid, neighborhoods, banks, agencies and the city to find solutions.
  • Encourage monthly reports from the administration to keep the subject “front and center”
  • lIncrease financial literacy and decrease predatory lending with new homeowners in programs such as Working in Neighborhoods
  • Work with Fannie Mae and HUD to take foreclosed property and bring them back into use
  • Create a city program that takes already foreclosed homes form the banks and mortgage holders and pass them onto community development corporations and the HURC (Homestead Urban Redevelopment Corporation). Ease the burden on banks
Housing Issues: Development and Mixed Income Communities
  • Encourage fair lease-to-purchase programs in order to increase homeownership rates.
  • Advocate for Employer Assisted Housing.
  • Continue to develop enough high end housing as well as mixed income communities to bring back many empty nesters and families into the city.
  • Work with banks and financial institutions such as HUD and Fannie Mae, to get homes already foreclosed on back into use quickly. 
  • Given the cost to banks of foreclosures, many are already considering passing on these houses to non-profits. 
  • Set up a formal program to ask banks and mortgage holders to pass these homes through the City to local community development corporations and the Homestead Urban Redevelopment Corporation (HURC) at no cost.
Housing Issues: Renters
  • 61% of Cincinnatians are renters and deserve to live in dwellings that are safe and livable
  • Improving the quality of the residential rental market will protect the right of all Cincinnatians to live in apartments that meet livable standards
  • Promote renter equity which would help renters build an ownership mentality as well as create assets.
  • St. Anthony Village is a perfect and successful example of the renter equity concept
Building Strong Livable Neighborhoods
  • Building Neighborhood Infrastructure: Green Space, Cultural and  Recreational Opportunities
  • Strengthen Community Councils and Neighborhood Pride
  • Walkable Communities
Building Strong Livable Neighborhoods: Neighborhood Infrastructure: Green Space, Cultural and  Recreational Opportunities
  • Create communal areas around schools that are clean, safe, and promote youth development.
  • Coordinate activities among local businesses, rec. centers, schools, libraries, police, and health centers.
  • Provide green space and an inviting rec. centers that brings the community together to stay healthy and productive.
  • Promote the neighborhood officer program, citizens on patrol, community watch programs, and expanding walking patrols to create a visible presence of the police in order to reduce crime. 
  • Promote involvement in grass root initiatives such as Cease Fire.
  • Invest in wi-fi internet access throughout the city.
  • Support city recycling.
Building Strong Livable Neighborhoods: Walkable Communities
  • Walkable Neighborhoods are the key to revitalizing Cincinnati.
  • Thriving walkable business districts anchor a strong neighborhood economy.
  • This creates a refreshing respite from urban life.
  • For example, East Price Hill has a recreation center, library, police station, school and businesses all located in the same walkable area.
  • Other examples are the Clifton Gas Light District, Mt. Adams, and Hyde Park.
Building Strong Livable Neighborhoods: Strengthening Community Councils
  • A well informed Community Councils creates a “bottom up” approach of community involvement in City processes.  
  • Community councils understand their neighborhoods’ needs and should be involved in the decisions that affect their community.
  • An involved Community Council should always include liaisons of the: C.O.P, police, local schools, community business district, and concerned interested community constituents.
  • Encourage civil servants, such as teachers, fire fighters, and police officers to live in the neighborhoods where they work.
Youth and Educational Policies
I commit to eliminate the “root causes” of youth crime; by increasing funding for cost-effective diversion, mental health/substance abuse treatment, and improving our community recreation facilities to attract youth.
  • Youth Education
  • Youth Employment
  • Youth Involvement in the Community
  • Youth Programs
Youth and Educational Policies: Youth Education
  • Attention to the abysmal graduation rate of Cincinnati Public Schools.
  • Cincinnati’s public high school graduation rate of 51% was second to the lowest in Ohio.
  • Promote a stronger partnership  between Cincinnati Public Schools and City Council for youth educational development.
  • Increase collaboration with the schools, places of learning, and local businesses.
  • Expand the role of councelors in schools by hiring more who are committed to taking every student seriously.
  • Expand the amount of information about college opportunities to high school students in low income neighborhoods.
Youth and Educational Policies: Youth Employment
  • Provide real and ongoing job opportunities like the Taft High School and Cincinnati Bell youth employment program.
  • Partner with the Workforce Policy Board to create youth employment and internships.
Youth and Educational Policies: Youth Involvement in the Community and Youth Programs
  • Invest in neighborhood rec. centers to offer low or no cost centers encouraging after-school activities.
  • Create an After School Coordinator that would be in charge of after-school activities.
  • Invest in Early Childhood Development programs.
  • Reinstate the Safe Pathways program for our students to increasetheir safety. This need can be supported by the recent attacks of SCPA students.
  • Fully support Health Clinics and the Pools.