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Algenon Marbley The three most important issues that confront this city today, in order of priority, are: (1) improving the public education system; (2) sustaining a robust urban economy, and (3) improving the public transportation system. First, Columbus must continue to improve its public school system, the bedrock of the community. This responsibility should not rest solely with the Columbus School Board. In my urban utopia, the responsibility for a thriving and successful public school system is shared by both the school board and the business community. I would like to see Columbus’s business community lend its considerable resources—technical and managerial expertise and financial support—to the continued improvement of Columbus Public Schools. Second, Columbus needs to continue to grow a robust urban economy. Downtown Columbus, not the suburbs, must be the hub of commercial activity and growth. In my view, the riverfront could be a venue for economic revitalization. It is a resource whose potential has yet to be exploited. Similarly, City Center, once the crown jewel of downtown shopping, could be reinvigorated. With its sound infrastructure and prime location—easily accessible to German Village, the Arena District, Victorian Village and the Short North—it can once again be a focal point during the day for those who work, and at night, for those who live downtown. Third, Columbus needs to develop a rapid transit system and expand its current bus system. In light of the rising cost of gasoline, a rapid transit system would benefit Columbus’s workforce, which now predominately commutes by automobile. Aside from the environmental benefits of having fewer cars on the road, a rapid transit system would ease the burden of rush hour traffic and enable a population of nondrivers to avail itself of the city’s business and cultural offerings. BACK TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Ty Marsh An image to the outside world, and thus more promotion of Columbus inside and outside the region. We’ve got a great story to tell and it’s time we told it—to each other and to others throughout the world. According to a Chamber poll, CEOs from throughout the nation don’t know much about Columbus. It’s our challenge and our opportunity. Keeping more college graduates in Columbus. Brain drain is a real issue in Ohio and a challenge in Columbus. Attracting and retaining talent is the new version of economic development. Look for a new initiative soon. An even stronger pro-business environment. While we enjoy an excellent business environment and excellent collaboration with government officials, we must be more aggressive and focused in helping local companies expand while attracting new firms to our region. BACK TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Eric Martineau Bike lanes on roads. Regular late-night bus service. Sewers upgraded so that German Village no longer stinks and sewage no longer flows into the river on rainy days. Replace the dead/missing trees in the empty sidewalk grates along High Street and add more tree grates. A winning pro soccer team. BACK TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Jim McGregor Columbus needs a policy to preserve our remaining streams during development. Over the last 150 years, Columbus’s policy has been to pipe all streams possible. Consequently, Columbus neighborhoods have no streams. Brooks and rills attract children. In the microenvironment of the stream, the imagination runs wonderfully wild. Adventures await the explorer under each stone. Careers in biology, research, medicine and a thousand other disciplines are launched in the bosom of the creek. Our children need these watery wonderlands just as they need air and books. Columbus needs a Center of Science and Industry that is not burdened with a massive landmark building. COSI’s success is in the intimate intersect between student and science. It is in that warm, pregnant moment of discovery that the imagination is released. The mammoth warehouse destroys this opportunity; it blows out the spark. Perhaps the building could become a great condo project. It is sinking a marvelous program and needs a duty fit to its mass. Columbus and all of its suburbs need a chief science officer as the second in command. Captain Kirk of the starship Enterprise commanded the mission, but he depended upon Chief Science Officer Spock for the data necessary to make good decisions. On the Starship were departments of security, engineering and support; those departments were not on the bridge. A mayor, city manager or governor is incomplete when they do not have a Chief Science Officer to advise them on a moment to moment basis. BACK TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Eunice McMullen Safety issues: too many murders, too many drugs and dealers, too many home invasions. Need more parenting-skill classes. Attention to all areas, not only low-income projects but attention to middle-class also. Improve all education; no group singled out. All at-risk schoolchildren should receive attention. If we don’t educate we welfare them. Address shortage of healthcare for middle class, working poor and elderly. BACK TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Bob Milbourne A coherent economic development strategy that charts a course for our future that creates living wage jobs and a growing tax base. This is the task of CompeteColumbus, with the support of the Chamber and the Columbus Partnership. We need the strongest Ohio State University we can achieve. It is our most important economic asset and plays a vital role in our regional economy. Columbus needs a personality adjustment. We are the 15th-largest city in the country and should act accordingly. Our self-deprecation and low self-esteem need a jolt. The fact is that Columbus has huge potential and simply needs to raise the bar for what we expect of ourselves. We need a hometown airline like Skybus that will grow our passenger service. Big cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix have seen incredible growth because of strong airports and airlines serving their communities. Why not Columbus? Columbus needs to focus on Rickenbacker and create the jobs that our region needs in the future. It is our hottest industry cluster and takes advantage of our central location in logistics and distribution. Downtown development will be key to our long-term growth as a region. It is everyone’s neighborhood. A new and exciting future for City Center is an absolute must. BACK TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Katharine Moore A better sense of humor! Campaigns to market and brand Columbus need to incorporate a clever use of humor. At the core of every German Villager’s strong sense of place is an appreciation for our quirky shared humor. Columbus is full of funny, clever people. We should celebrate that! A creative “think tank” session with the most innovative marketing/retail/community builders in the country to come up with a fabulous solution to City Center. How can we be the home of so many internationally successful retail brands and not have come up with something? The No. 1 library system in the country. Oh, that’s right. We have it! BACK TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Michael G. Morris Columbus is a great city, but it still has plenty of unrealized potential. My ideas are basic, but so important. To that end, the most important thing Columbus needs to do is shore up its school system. We need to break the cycle of resource cuts so everyone can focus their full attention on education. I’m not suggesting that we simply throw money at our schools. Perhaps a stronger public/private partnership is the answer. But we have hard-working teachers and administrators and kids with great potential. We need to be sure they have the resources they need to succeed. That, more than anything, will help Columbus prosper. Next, we need to pull together to improve the Columbus transportation infrastructure. Despite the best efforts of many talented leaders, our air, bus and rail service is not what it should be. More nonstop flights to more destinations, a healthy bus system and passenger rail alternatives will provide economic growth while strengthening the competitive advantage Columbus has in logistics. The framework of a world-class transportation system is in place. We need to develop it. Finally, our Columbus arts institutions need to evolve to the next level. As with transportation and our school system, we have all the prerequisites for remarkable success. What is lacking is a shared appreciation of the key role arts plays in any community’s success. This is not merely lip service. Aside from the pleasure and beauty they bring to daily life, the arts constitute an important financial institution that brings people and dollars into our community. And as a Columbus employer, I can tell you that a healthy arts scene is essential for recruiting talent to our company. Columbus is on the verge of world-class status. We can get there with a concerted effort to address these fundamental issues. BACK TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Doug Motz As a resident in the first streetcar suburb in Columbus (Old Oaks was platted and developed in 1892 when the streetcar lines became electrified. In fact, we were the New Albany for turn-of-the century south-siders in what became German Village. Close enough to churches and businesses, but in the “countryside”), it should not be surprising that the first item on my list to make Columbus greater is the return of streetcars to the downtown landscape. People who don’t ride buses DO ride streetcars. I have ridden both and prefer the streetcars. Plus with the price of gasoline going sky high, streetcars seem a great and attractive mass transportation alternative. Second, according to the InformationPlease website, Columbus ranks as the 15th-largest city just behind San Francisco and before Austin, Texas. Many Columbus Monthly readers may write in and say that as a city we need to fix our schools (we do!), more green space or even more nightlife. I suggest that Columbus needs a Museum of the City of Columbus. San Francisco and Austin both have them. It is not surprising that New York, Washington and number 23 Seattle has them. Oklahoma, weighing in as the 31st-largest city has one. Even that city up north has a museum dedicated to the history of African-Americans in the city of Ann Arbor. If you are a Buckeye fan and traveled to the Tostitos Bowl game, maybe you visited their museum dedicated to the history of the city of Tempe. We have a great deal to be proud of in Columbus and a museum dedicated to the city of Columbus is a great idea. The Columbus Historical Society located on Jefferson Avenue is just down the street from Columbus native James Thurber’s home and could be Thurber’s as a museum. The former Josephinum space on Main Street across from Buster Douglas park is vacant and a site could be built to suit. If the Lazarus Building (may she R.I.P.) has space available after the renovations, perhaps space could be found downtown near both the state and city capital buildings. Columbus history is actually pretty interesting (among other things, buggy capital of the world and site of the first Air Mail delivery!) and a museum dedicated to the city during our bicentennial in 2012 could generate revenue from visitors and residents as well as stir up interest in our amazing city. Third, we once had the distinction of being the best place to live for gays and lesbians (1990s Big Gay Book by John Preston). However, with the passage two years ago of Issue 1 banning gay marriage and recognition of gay-unions for insurance purposes and the like, we have slid dramatically. The brain drain from the universities and research centers alone are costing us significantly on the economic front. The moral climate that segregates us only leads to distrust, strife and invigorated prejudices. Come on Columbus, do the right thing and pass legislation recognizing gay marriages, partnerships, unions, whatever you would like to call them. BACK TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Thomas D. Nann I agree with the mayor with regards to the light rail system. It would even be better if it encompassed more areas of Columbus. I can envision its use along the Morse Road corridor as the revitalization that is underway seems to be a perfect marriage. Columbus definitely needs a more proactive approach toward crime. I completely understand and appreciate the budget concerns, however, we seem to see a more reactive approach. Many businesses have left the Northland area due to this concern. How odd is it to hear companies and business ventures tell us that they were profitable, but break-ins of autos and such creates a major problem insuring themselves against liability. The Columbus Public School system is in shambles. I am old enough to remember when the lottery was instituted, it was promoted as 60 cents of every dollar goes toward Columbus City Schools. Last I heard, only six cents was going toward schools. Where is the 54 cents going? More needs to be done all over Columbus, not just areas that have seen drops in enrollment. There are reasons why enrollment has dropped, there are reasons why levies are put on ballots; give us a proper and just accounting of monies spent. |
