Local Solutions. Statewide Impact. A podcast by the Ohio Mayors Alliance

The dynamic coalition of mayors from the Ohio Mayors Alliance once again pledge to find bipartisan solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing cities in Ohio.  The mayors came together at the end of the 2022 to talk about their accomplishments last year and their goals this year.  Their approach is anchored in listening to residents they serve and responding accordingly, firmly and swiftly when necessary.   One Ohio mayor encapsuled that spirit by quoting Thomas Jefferson who said, 'The government closest to the people serves the people best.'   In this episode, you'll hear from more than a half dozen mayors on issues like home rule, gun violence, and fiscal responsibility.  OMA's Executive Director, Keary McCarthy, also joins the conversation to expound on the mayors priorities for 2023 and their efforts to promote bipartisanship and commonsense solutions.

 Let's be blunt, climate change can affect our way of life every day, in ways we know and in plenty we don't.  From water that pours from your kitchen sink to crops that dot Ohio fields to asphalt that paves your city street.  Ohio mayors know this as they're often the first to respond to climate related emergencies and the first to implement solutions to ensure future Ohioans have a safe and prosperous place to call home.   Three mayors from the Ohio Mayors Alliance join today's episode to talk about their respective plans but they also do something else;  talk about the challenges they're willing to take on to get big things accomplished in the name of sustainability.   This episode begins with recent testimony from Washington D.C. where the non-partisan group, Power A Clean Future Ohio, laid down a cost marker that may shock you.   What could happen if we don't plan for our sustainable future?

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn come to the microphone this month to explain our secret sauce; how Ohio cities continue to outpace the country in marque, economic development sectors.  As Mayor Ginther says, 'we're ready to roll.'   The City of Findlay, in fact,  can lay claim to being #1 nationwide!   Both mayors also take you behind the scenes on how Ohio got on Intel's radar to begin with and then landed the largest, private economic development deal in state history.   Plus, a funding challenge looms for Ohio cities and it'll affect how millions of us get police, fire and EMS services. 

Every day, Ohio mayors are using or planning to use American Rescue Plan dollars to shore up city budgets, improve your services and make long term investments in your quality of life.   It means not just keep police officers on the beat but hopefully hiring more.   It means new community centers, healthier water to drink, and bringing pre-K education to cities that need it.    Three mayors share their journeys of governing in a pandemic and what life could look like without ARP funds.

For our inaugural episode,  the Ohio Mayors Alliance is proud to bring a Republican and Democrat to the table to talk about public service, getting the job done and working with everyone to do just that.   These two mayors also help define the OMA, in a sense,  as we're the largest bipartisan group of mayors in Ohio.    In a time of bitter partisanship, this podcast episode (and the entire series) is dedicated to mayors who push politics aside in exchange for the greater good of quality governance, service for all and yes, humanity.