Over the weekend I received a Facebook question asking if I had a comprehensive plan for the city. As I was composing my reply I realized that this is worth sharing with all of you. Here’s my unaltered response.
Hi Jeff, thanks for the question. This is a bit of a boil-the-ocean answer since I’m not coming in to this election with an agenda or an axe to grind. Here are the things I’m focused on:
Basic Services. Things like public safety, utilities, streets and so forth are the foundation of a great city. If you don’t have that nailed then nothing else matters. We have solid police, fire & ems, etc. but every day brings a new challenge for them. Our first priority needs to be making sure all of the city’s departments have the resources, the training and the personnel to be effective. I look at things like our fire department’s super-high ISO rating and the fact that our police department is at full strength despite a slew of recent retirements and I’m confident our foundation is strong. City council’s top priority needs to be to not louse this up and instead find ways to continuously improve.
Fiscal Responsibility. I’m fiscally quite conservative. I think it comes from the journey my own family has been on, striving for financial peace, spending responsibly and living on less than we make so we’re ready for a rainy day. The city needs to adopt that mindset. One example is the fire levy that’s going to be on the ballot alongside this city council race. This levy was voted in place in 2015 and it was pitched as a stop gap measure to cover funding cuts from the state. The can was kicked down the road and no permanent solution has been put in place so now its up for renewal. Council needs to permanently address this because that state money isn’t coming back. Maybe that comes from growing the tax base on the business side of things. It certainly means trimming fat from the budget wherever we find it and seeking ways to operate more efficiently. With police and emergency services making up something like 80% of the city’s budget I worry that there just aren’t enough zeroes on the end of the other numbers to spending-cut this levy out of existence. I don’t think anybody has the stomach to raise taxes which is a good thing but I don’t think any options have been taken off the table. If it does come to that it absolutely needs to be something the voters of this city consent to.
Smart growth. I grew up on the west side so I’ve seen what Colerain and Glenway Avenues have become. My current client is in Blue Ash so I’ve seen what Reed Hartman Highway has become. I don’t want any of these for our city. I’ve lived here 17 years. That whole time I’ve heard people wanting to keep the small town charm. The thing is growth isn’t something new that’s coming down the pike. It’s been here for decades and its not stopping any time soon. That means we need to be careful and deliberate about it. When we first moved here it seemed like development was willy-nilly. Any business could locate almost anywhere and I got the impression that not a lot was done to hold the residential developers in check. More recently the city has started moving in the right direction on managing the growth that’s taking place. They’ve better defined what they want the downtown district to be and its working. Boutique retail, Market Street Grill, the newly opened 1860 Taproom, Heist once they finish their buiding rehab and other places to grab dinner and a drink. Heck, at Taste last night I saw that an escape room and axe throwing place is coming soon. We now have a bona fide entertainment district where folks could spend an evening. Last week the talk was all about K-Mart closing. The city has a role to play in filling that spot, not by picking and choosing compaies to bring in but by creating a business-friendly environment where companies see opportunity. Zoning already in place needs to be used to ensure that new business enhances our town. The old joke that everything will be replaced by an auto-parts pizza church has a bit of truth to it.
Wow, this turned into a crazy long answer. 🙂 I could go on but instead I’ll invite you follow me on Facebook and my blog at CombsForCouncil.org if you haven’t already. I’m trying to build a habit of stopping by the Coffee Peddlar on Saturday mornings. Maybe I’ll see you there some weekend, I’d love to hear about what’s important to you.
Joe
Joe Combs Thoughts on Harrison, Ohio 