Candidate for
Commissioner; County of Hamilton; 4 Year Term Starting 1/2/13

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me in becoming an even more informed voter this year. Our system of governance requires the participation of citizens like you in order to be successful.

I was elected to the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners on November 2, 2000, after serving eight years on the Cincinnati City Council. I have been re-elected twice and am currently serving my third term.

As your Commissioner I serve as Chair of the County's Emergency Management Agency Executive Committee and chaired the County Homeland Security Commission. I am the Chair of the Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste Management District Policy Committee, and am the immediate Past President of the Hamilton County Family and Children First Council. I am the county's delegate to the Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana (OKI) Regional Council of Governments Board of Trustees where I also serve as OKI's First Vice President. I am providing added leadership on transportation issues as Chair of the Hamilton County Transportation Improvement District.

I served as President of the Board of Hamilton County Commissioners on two separate occasions spanning three years - first from 2007 through December 31, 2008 and again in 2010 from June through December.

Leadership

While President of the Board, I spearheaded a county agenda focused on fiscal discipline, economic development and strategic and prudent transportation enhancements. In order to meet serious budget challenges brought on by the recession, I introduced zero based budget principles, mandated reviews, and aggressively pursued shared services and government reforms. My budget and government reforms produced a reduction in the size of county government by 25% while the county maintained its full menu of services. Despite a 30% drop in revenues, the county has annually balanced its budgets, improved its reserves and strengthened its financial picture.

Proactive Agenda

My growth agenda for the county focused on sound land use planning, regional transportation enhancements and strategic economic development investments. At my lead, the promise of The Banks riverfront redevelopment project gained new life with a development agreement being struck within months of my presidency commencing after almost a decade of delay under others. The Banks is now rising like a Phoenix from the ashes with 100% of all housing and the majority of all commercial and retail space under lease and a second phase about to commence.

I proposed the creation of a Land Bank for the purpose of expediting our ability to turn blighted and delinquent real estate into productive, revenue generating property in the county. Under my proposal, a reformed and re-tooled Port Authority was placed at the helm.

I am proud to say that the Land Bank has now been enacted into law, and, with funding sources identified by or proposed by me coming into play, the Port and the Land Bank are commencing the redevelopment of blighted and abandoned properties all over Hamilton County for large and small scale commercial development and new residential construction. The county's Home Improvement Program [HIP; first proposed by me in 2002] has leveraged over $40 million in new private investment fixing up the aging housing stock of the county with 75% of the improved properties benefitting middle class homeowners and over 2,500 local contractors receiving work.

In 2009 I led the reformation of the local transit authority, converting it into a regional entity focusing on multi-modal transportation service. In my many lead roles at the TID and at OKI, I have advanced a regional transportation agenda that will introduce commuter rail options to area residents, will put the already constructed Transit Center to use, and will provide for transportation corridor improvements for people and freight that are generating transit oriented economic development projects along all of the region's transit corridors- highway, rail and river.

Health and Safety

I have led the way for improvements in public health, public safety and the environment - all the while emphasizing the potential in each for growing Hamilton County. As Chair of the County Recycling and Solid Waste Policy Committee the county is aggressively reducing the impact on landfills; increasing recycling options for residential and commercial customers alike, and pursuing new environmental initiatives that are reducing energy consumption and the county's carbon footprint, while increasing business and individual spending power and creating jobs.

As Emergency Management and Homeland Security Chair, I introduced a process that has secured over $63 million in needed homeland security and first responder needs. The county now has a state of the art Emergency Operations Center; an active Regional Hazmat Response Unit and a county-wide emergency warning system providing 100% coverage for the county for the first time. These safety improvements have made the county a more attractive place to live, work and play and are reducing costs of living and costs of doing business, and in the process have secured new investments in the region, expanding available jobs and options for safe and secure investments in the county to occur.

In an important issue of public health, my leadership in attacking infant mortality, in pursuing reimbursable revenues for public and behavioral health, expanded oral and dental care and ensuring medical homes for all county residents will save lives, reduce costs and improve overall public health.

National Recognition

Just because I am a County Commissioner does not mean that the impact of what I have done has only been felt on a local level. A number of my initiatives and areas of leadership have been recognized on a national level as well. I created the "Perfect Storm" coalition of communities affected by the high costs of Clean Water Act compliance The coalition generated a model new policy for EPA that is being debated by Congress and that, once implemented, will save local ratepayers as much as $1 Billion in costs of sewer repairs. My work in the area of recycling initiatives garnered National Legislator of the Year honors by the United States Recycling Coalition of Communities and Organizations.

Man of the People

As a lifelong resident of Hamilton County, and the son of two career teachers, I was raised in a middle class suburb of Cincinnati. After the sudden death of my Dad in the early 70s, My brothers and I worked to help support each other and Mom while attending public school, maintaining high scholastic achievment and extraordinary levels of extracurricular scholastic participation.

I graduated from Colerain High School as National Merit Scholar in 1976. At Colerian I excelled in sports and music where I was an All-City athlete; was president of the band; sang in two choirs and was named a "Colerain Distinguished Graduate" in 2002.

I went on to study political science at Oberlin College in Ohio. I graduated from Oberlin in 1980, after having played college football and track; ran on a world-record setting relay team and was inducted into the college's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

I was accepted to law school at the University of Cincinnati where I became president of the Student Bar Association, received Order of the Barristers honors and graduated with Honors in 1983.

As an attorney, I practice law primarily in the areas of all civil litigation and mineral rights. Because of legal work on behalf of individual aggrieved property owners in Kentucky, I was named both a Kentucky Colonel and a Duke of Hazard, Kentucky.

Prior to becoming county commissioner in 2000 I served for four full terms on the Cincinnati City Council. While there I Chaired Council's Law & Public Safety Committee; Intergovernmental Affairs & Environment Committee; Committee on Select Special Projects and Public Works Committee. I was also the President Pro Tem of the Council; filling in as Acting Mayor on several occasions. I consider overseeing the narrowing of Fort Washington Way [an on time under budget $400 Million project]; introducing free yard waste collection and expanding recycling; developing the River Quality Index to inform boaters and recreational users of the Ohio River about how safe the water was to users; creating the city's first Anti-Gang police unit and creating the Safe Pathways to School, Safe Routes to school initiative as among the most significant advancements I was proud to have led while on Council.

Prior to becoming a Member of Council I served the public as a Member of both the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission and the Hamilton County Community Action Agency.

Today I live in Green Township with my three children.