The Issues: Speaking Up & Speaking Out

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Columbus has way too many neighborhoods that not only suffer from neglect but are simply ignored. Unfortunately, they also tend to be mostly neighborhoods of color. They have crumbling infrastructures, are food deserts, lack access to health clinics, and have limited public transit service.

As a council member, I will help facilitate a citywide audit of our neighborhoods to determine what is needed, then work to ensure that they receive the attention they deserve by getting streets repaired, getting easier and more access to groceries and other services, and make health clinic facilities more readily available. Columbus residents deserve better – no matter where they live, their skin color, or their status.

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As someone who was homeless, I have first-hand knowledge of what it’s like not to know where, or if I’d have a place to sleep, food to eat, or if I would even survive from day to day.

There is no valid reason for people to be homeless in a city as large and as prosperous as Columbus. We have space, resources, and ingenuity to create a real solution; one that is comprehensive and gets people off the streets and into real housing. A solution that helps people get work, an education, and successfully back on their feet.

I will bring my ideas to the table and work with business and community organizations to implement a complete program that will make Columbus the model for successfully addressing homelessness with dignity, care, and compassion.

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Racism at all levels of law enforcement is real. Out of control police unions are real. No accountability is unacceptable. The residents of Columbus no longer have faith or trust in the people sworn to protect us – and that’s just wrong.

Law enforcement reform needs to happen now, not with minor fixes here and there, but with wholesale, across-the-board change.

Real reform starts with the money. We don’t need to defund the police; we must completely rethink how law enforcement is funded. We need to do a complete audit of the Columbus Division of Police, from manpower to equipment, training to services, and focus on the leadership structure. 

Police need better training, with greater emphasis on de-escalation and crisis intervention. While all officers need to be ready to handle tense, even violent situations that can include the use of force, it is vital that training demands shooting as a last resort.

Accountability is virtually non-existent, even for the worst infractions, leading to abuses because officers know they’re not going to be disciplined. Accountability starts within; good cops cannot allow for bad cops. I have spoken out against bad policing. I won’t shy away from confronting the core problems that prevent our police from fulfilling their mission of protecting and serving everyone with respect and dignity.

CPD needs to focus on community safety, not heavy-handed enforcement.  

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Columbus is the largest city in the United States where the only public transportation option is a bus. While COTA is a good system, it’s not the long-term, reliable mode of public transportation that will support and promote our growing city. In order for Columbus and Central Ohio to successfully continue to grow, we need a system that combines bus, rail, and other alternatives to make it easier and more convenient for people to travel into, out of, and all around our city.

As someone raised on public transportation and who has lived in cities with first-class systems, I understand how vital a robust and reliable transit system needs to be for those living inside and outside the city, and I’ll bring my unique perspective and creativity to finally get Columbus the full transportation system needed to maximize our growth and minimize the need for cars. 

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We all know the Short North, German Village, and Clintonville. Easton and Westgate, Victorian and Italian Villages, Linden and the Hilltop, and, of course, OTE.

However, few people realize that Columbus extends as far north as Polaris, south to Scioto Downs and Rickenbacker Airport, west past Prairie Twp., and east to the border with Pataskala. Many of the residents who live there don’t even know they’re a part of Columbus. That’s because our government forgets them, and that is wrong.

I’m going to be a Councilman for ALL of Columbus. Our city is 212 square miles big, and I will make sure EVERYONE is a part of America’s Opportunity City.