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Tempers can flare when the subject of economic development is discussed in Cincinnati. Whether it’s a specific program, such as the city’s $52 million subsidy to keep Convergys in town, or city council’s overall voting record, the common complaints are an apparent lack of strategic planning and the difficulty of working with the red tape required to execute any kind of transaction with the city.
It’s not just business owners or people unfamiliar with municipal government who have been frustrated by the way economic development is handled in Cincinnati, but even the people seemingly in charge.
“I have served on city council and been a victim of finding out about deals at the last second,” says Vice Mayor Alicia Reece, a Democrat. “Some you read (about) in the paper in the morning that you’re going to vote on a deal that day, and you’ve never been briefed by the administration that any deal was even coming forward.”
Debating the mayor’s role
The economic development plans outlined by the top four mayoral candidates share many common elements, including tax incentives with specific conditions, active recruitment of new businesses, a prepared work force and making City Hall more business-user-friendly.
The differences lie in how the candidates propose to effect significant change.
Reece rejects the charge that council members are micro-managing the economic development process. She says elected officials ought to be held accountable and be prepared to vote on every deal the city makes because they “are fiduciaries of dollars being spent.”
Councilman David Pepper, also a Democrat, agrees that a hands-on approach is needed to redirect the city’s economic development activities.
He and Reece both suggest placing economic development under the direct charge of the mayor’s office.
State Sen. Mark Mallory (D-West End) vehemently disagrees with that proposal by the two council members, whom he sees as part of the larger problem.
“The mayor’s role is to set broad policies, to set forth a vision, to work with council, neighborhoods, individuals, business community and all the constituencies within in Cincinnati and move an agenda forward,” Mallory says. “The mayor’s not there to run a single department within City Hall. That’s part of the micromanaging that’s been going on too long.
“The biggest piece is that council has to be taken out of the role of making economic development decisions on a case-by-case basis. That’s why you have an economic development director. We have to empower the (city employees) to do their jobs.”
The Rev. Charles Winburn, a Republican, takes a middle approach, saying the mayor has to do more on economic development, but so does the public.
“This is not a criticism of Charlie (Luken), but the mayor has to have a strategic plan, which says, ‘Here’s how we’re going to operate,’ ” Winburn says.
He proposes an economic development roundtable to give all constituents a voice in the planning process.
Economic development within the city is essential to a stronger regional economy, according to Reece.
“If Cincinnati is not strong, the region won’t be strong,” she says. “Right now with our poverty rate (and) past unemployment rate in Cincinnati, we can’t be a strong partner in the region. My goal is to get the core strong.”
Local hiring, regional view
Reece says the city will see $2 billion to $4 billion invested in various initiatives over the next five to seven years and should treat it as a unique opportunity to make an impact. She suggests that employers and developers receiving city money ought to be required to hire a percentage of local workers. Mallory and Pepper question the legality of such a requirement.
Winburn places a priority on streamlining procedures at City Hall so businesses will want to participate in the revitalization of downtown and in neighborhoods. Mallory and Pepper agree but see that as only part of a more comprehensive approach.
“The mayor needs to be a champion for the city,” Pepper says. “Promoting Cincinnati as a place for Fortune 500 companies to locate their headquarters is part of building our reputation.”
Enhancing the city’s reputation and the leadership role that the mayor of Cincinnati plays in the region are just two of the steps Pepper outlines in his 35-page strategy. With four general priorities identified, his economic development proposal offers a mind-boggling array of options, all presented with a sense of urgency, including programs to enhance savings and financial literacy for individuals, improving downtown transportation, redeveloping uptown brownfields and focusing on local opportunities in genome research and aerospace and plastics manufacturing.
The point Mallory makes is that the mayor needs to keep in mind every aspect of economic development to avoid the kind of Cincinnati-centric thinking that can lead to a form of economic isolationism.
“You need a facilitator so that there is not a duplication of effort and so that there’s a better coordination,” he says. “I like to approach things from the standpoint that you want to try and deal with every aspect of the spectrum that you can.”
An integrated approach that maximizes all of the opportunities offered by regional, state and national relationships is a key component to Mallory’s plan.
“I have the parameters in place,” he says. “I also think (that) for something that is so critical to the city of Cincinnati, we’re going to need to involve the new city council.”
For more details of the mayoral candidates economic development plans, visit www.aliciareece.org,
Tempers can flare when the subject of economic development is discussed in Cincinnati. Whether it’s a specific program, such as the city’s $52 million subsidy to keep Convergys in town, or city council’s overall voting record, the common complaints are an apparent lack of strategic planning and the difficulty of working with the red tape required to execute any kind of transaction with the city.
It’s not just business owners or people unfamiliar with municipal government who have been frustrated by the way economic development is handled in Cincinnati, but even the people seemingly in charge.
“I have served on city council and been a victim of finding out about deals at the last second,” says Vice Mayor Alicia Reece, a Democrat. “Some you read (about) in the paper in the morning that you’re going to vote on a deal that day, and you’ve never been briefed by the administration that any deal was even coming forward.”
Debating the mayor’s role
The economic development plans outlined by the top four mayoral candidates share many common elements, including tax incentives with specific conditions, active recruitment of new businesses, a prepared work force and making City Hall more business-user-friendly.
The differences lie in how the candidates propose to effect significant change.
Reece rejects the charge that council members are micro-managing the economic development process. She says elected officials ought to be held accountable and be prepared to vote on every deal the city makes because they “are fiduciaries of dollars being spent.”
Councilman David Pepper, also a Democrat, agrees that a hands-on approach is needed to redirect the city’s economic development activities.
He and Reece both suggest placing economic development under the direct charge of the mayor’s office.
State Sen. Mark Mallory (D-West End) vehemently disagrees with that proposal by the two council members, whom he sees as part of the larger problem.
“The mayor’s role is to set broad policies, to set forth a vision, to work with council, neighborhoods, individuals, business community and all the constituencies within in Cincinnati and move an agenda forward,” Mallory says. “The mayor’s not there to run a single department within City Hall. That’s part of the micromanaging that’s been going on too long.
“The biggest piece is that council has to be taken out of the role of making economic development decisions on a case-by-case basis. That’s why you have an economic development director. We have to empower the (city employees) to do their jobs.”
The Rev. Charles Winburn, a Republican, takes a middle approach, saying the mayor has to do more on economic development, but so does the public.
“This is not a criticism of Charlie (Luken), but the mayor has to have a strategic plan, which says, ‘Here’s how we’re going to operate,’ ” Winburn says.
He proposes an economic development roundtable to give all constituents a voice in the planning process.
Economic development within the city is essential to a stronger regional economy, according to Reece.
“If Cincinnati is not strong, the region won’t be strong,” she says. “Right now with our poverty rate (and) past unemployment rate in Cincinnati, we can’t be a strong partner in the region. My goal is to get the core strong.”
Local hiring, regional view
Reece says the city will see $2 billion to $4 billion invested in various initiatives over the next five to seven years and should treat it as a unique opportunity to make an impact. She suggests that employers and developers receiving city money ought to be required to hire a percentage of local workers. Mallory and Pepper question the legality of such a requirement.
Winburn places a priority on streamlining procedures at City Hall so businesses will want to participate in the revitalization of downtown and in neighborhoods. Mallory and Pepper agree but see that as only part of a more comprehensive approach.
“The mayor needs to be a champion for the city,” Pepper says. “Promoting Cincinnati as a place for Fortune 500 companies to locate their headquarters is part of building our reputation.”
Enhancing the city’s reputation and the leadership role that the mayor of Cincinnati plays in the region are just two of the steps Pepper outlines in his 35-page strategy. With four general priorities identified, his economic development proposal offers a mind-boggling array of options, all presented with a sense of urgency, including programs to enhance savings and financial literacy for individuals, improving downtown transportation, redeveloping uptown brownfields and focusing on local opportunities in genome research and aerospace and plastics manufacturing.
The point Mallory makes is that the mayor needs to keep in mind every aspect of economic development to avoid the kind of Cincinnati-centric thinking that can lead to a form of economic isolationism.
“You need a facilitator so that there is not a duplication of effort and so that there’s a better coordination,” he says. “I like to approach things from the standpoint that you want to try and deal with every aspect of the spectrum that you can.”
An integrated approach that maximizes all of the opportunities offered by regional, state and national relationships is a key component to Mallory’s plan.
“I have the parameters in place,” he says. “I also think (that) for something that is so critical to the city of Cincinnati, we’re going to need to involve the new city council.”
For more details of the mayoral candidates economic development plans, visit www.aliciareece.org, www.davidpepper.com, www.electmallory.com and www.electwinburn.com. For additional stories on the Cincinnati mayoral race, see http://www.citybeat.com/mayor.
This article appears in Aug 17-23, 2005.