"A Seat at the Table": A 10-Point Plan to Ensure Economic Opportunity, Inclusion, and Equity in Cincinnati

By Michelle Dillingham

My "A Seat at the Table: A 10-point plan" comes from my years of working with Cincinnati families to help them achieve the American Dream: a home, a way to provide for their families, a career they can be proud of. They are policy efforts I will support when I am elected to Cincinnati City Council to ensure economic opportunity, inclusion, and equity for all.

#1. Stop the Cheaters

Everyone Needs To Pay Their Fair Share

Misclassification of employees as independent contractors is a pervasive problem costing local municipalities millions of dollars in lost revenues each year. When a worker is "misclassified" they are improperly denied the benefits and protections provided to an "employee" as defined by law. This happens when a worker should be an employee, but is instead treated as an "independent contractor". It also occurs when an employee is paid "under-the-table" and is not reported at all for tax and other purposes. In both cases the worker is denied their rights, and the city does not receive employment and income taxes. Misclassification occurs in nearly all major industries including food service, home health care, and child care. It hurts businesses that are playing by the rules. Some studies estimate up to 30% of all workers are misclassified. National and state audits have found that between 10% and 30% of employers misclassify workers, thereby avoiding paying payroll taxes-our main source of general revenue. If Cincinnati is not collecting even 10% that we are due, that equals about $23 million dollars in lost revenue annually. I will convene a task force on misclassification of employees as independent contractors to address this unfair practice that is costing our citizens and city money.

#2. Good Wages = A Thriving Local Economy

Upholding Living Wage and Prevailing Wages on All City Contracts

The city has the opportunity to ensure the jobs we fund are family-supporting jobs. Legislation is already in place to support living wage and prevailing wages on city contracts. Increasingly, members of council allow for exceptions to these rules in the name of "incentives". We should not succumb to a "race to the bottom" mentality, but should support a fair wage on city contracts.

#3. No More Status-Quo, Demanding Equality and Transparency

The city must support supplier diversity for goods and services

We all know what the numbers are. From January to March the city only awarded 2.4% of all contracts to companies that identified themselves as black-owned businesses. White women got 3.7%, and Hispanic owners got 0%. City contracts should be competitively bid in order to support supplier diversity. Ensuring transparency, equity, and accountability should be the cornerstones of public procurement policy. There are many areas in our city¡¯s procurement process where these cornerstones are avoided or by-passed in the form of no-bid contracts, change orders, "consultants", and other methods used to game the system. What cannot be hidden is the numbers. In a city as diverse as Cincinnati there is no reason why the majority (African-Americans, Women, and Hispanics) are getting such a small percentage of the contracts. I would also support the requirement that all contractors doing business with the City agree to not discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

#4. "Minority"? Time to Change the Language

We are the majority, so why are we only getting 6.1% of the work?

Council recently passed a motion to fund a Croson Study. Why spend thousands of dollars on a study that tells us what we already know? Because evidence must be shown that the city's overall process has resulted in a significant underutilization of ¡°minority¡± and female-owned business enterprises in order for city council to change the procurement process. City Council has an obligation to the majority of Cincinnati (African-Americans, Women, and Hispanics) to honor equity in its public procurement of goods and services using our tax dollars. Voting to pay for a Croson Study is only the first step toward equity. We must have the political will in place to enforce its recommendations.

#5. Are We a Cheap Date?

Tax Abatements: Are we getting a proper return on investment?

Offering tax abatements is an important economic development tool in a local government¡¯s toolbox. However members of city council have a responsibility to ensure these deals are being offered equitably, and that they are providing a good return. Examples include property tax abatements offered to homeowners who make improvements, and new home construction abatements. There is evidence to suggest tax abatements are not being distributed equitably. Even more concerning is the lack of monitoring to ensure the city is getting the return these programs are touted to bring in. Are these abatements really resulting in new city residents? Are abated properties mostly in a handful of neighborhoods, or are all 52 neighborhoods benefiting? Similarly, when we give money (or tax relief) to companies who promise jobs; we need to ensure sure those jobs actually produce the revenue that will offset the relief. Have the abatements really resulted in new city businesses? Are those businesses now unfairly competing with pre-existing businesses in the neighborhoods? We don't need to be a cheap date to attract business and population back to Cincinnati. If we are, we end up without the revenues needed to pay for core services, in turn causing people to not stay. This is a vicious cycle that will not lead to attracting and retaining residents. Homeowners deserve decent core services, and we all should be paying our fair share for them.

#6. Closing the Deal, For All of Cincinnati

Nine Fortune 500 companies and fifteen Fortune 1000 companies have their headquarters in Cincinnati, yet Cincinnati has one of the highest poverty rates in the nation with 30.6% of our citizens living in poverty.

Simply asking area businesses to post their job openings at the OneStop Center is not going to get us where we need to go. We must do better. The city must collaborate better with both workforce development and business partners to promote opportunities for our residents through business partnerships. Skill development and job readiness programs are only half the answer. We know this because Cincinnati been a leader in sector-based workforce development strategies for years in the healthcare, construction, and manufacturing industries- and yet we still have unacceptable unemployment and poverty rates. The other half of the answer is jobs. The city can do better to engage our business community, pursuing opportunities for advancement for our citizens by encouraging our business allies to expand their markets locally. A shining example of this is the Nehemiah Manufacturing Company, a start-up where two former local executives started a company using a licensed product from Proctor & Gamble. The city made a loan, and the company pledged to create at least 75 entry-level jobs over five years, which included hiring individuals with felonies at their plant. If the city pursued this model with other headquartered companies here in Cincinnati, the impact would be massive. Economic development deals like this one need to be supported by city council. Finally, every deal must include a conversation about jobs for Cincinnati residents.

#7: Equality for Our Neighbors Who Await a Pathway to Citizenship

Support the "Dreamers" in our community so they can have equal access to education

Cities across America, including Cincinnati, have taken a stand that young, undocumented, immigrants who were brought to the US as children by their parents should have access to an affordable and quality education. They are called ¡°Dreamers¡± and it is estimated there is up to 1,000 of these young adults in the Cincinnati area. While the federal government continues to grapple with immigration reform, the city should do all we can to ensure our neighbors have a right to an education, and a pathway to benefit from and contribute to our local economy.

#8: Amidst Disparity, Strive to Clear the Road to Jobs and Housing

Challenging the Collateral Consequences of Felony Convictions

It is well known there are significant racial and economic disparities between the numbers of individuals receiving felony convictions. Many in the social services field- from criminal justice, to substance abuse, to workforce development- are well aware of these challenges. On council I would recognize the critical importance for individuals returning from incarceration to be able to provide for themselves through gainful employment and housing. Unfortunately, having a record creates a multitude of real barriers. Some very important work is being done locally and at the state level to help reduce these "collateral sanctions" of having a felony conviction. As a member of city council I feel it would be critical to join the work being advanced by local advocates to break down barriers our neighbors face who have paid their debt, and now want only to participate in community life.

#9. Economic Access through Civic Engagement

Create a "Young Persons Kitchen Table" Program

As a young professional I had the opportunity to participate in Mayor Mallory's "Young Professional's" Kitchen Cabinet" program that brought together YP's to work on solutions to city issues. Meeting other professionals, working on meaningful projects alongside city leaders¨C this exposure to civic engagement and civic responsibility was an important opportunity for me, and the connections I made then continue to serve me today. On council I will lead a similar effort, but for High School students whose household incomes are below the federal poverty line. This exposure to civic engagement and inclusion for these young adults is critical if they and their families are to feel their experiences, viewpoints, and contributions are truly valued by city leadership.

#10. Inclusion in Leadership

Ensure individuals who are appointed to city boards are representative of our neighborhoods

City council appoints individuals on a number of boards and commissions to represent us. These appointments should reflect the diversity and breadth of experience of our city. We have residents who bring a wide variety of expertise and knowledge, and the city should ensure appointments are characteristic of all the diversity we have to offer. Members of council also must fight against outsiders changing the rules for our local boards that may not be in our citizen¡¯s best interest, such as in the case of the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA).