Move Norwood Forward: The Podcast of the Highlands | Norwood, Ohio

What if there was a way to use running to bring people together in Norwood? That was the question that Amanda Sinclair, Robin LeFevre and a group of Norwood residents were asking themselves in late 2017 / early 2018. Less than a year later, their “crazy idea” became a reality when nearly 400 people showed up to participate in the inaugural Gem of the Highlands 5k.

More than a one-day event, the race is set up to be a catalyst for good on a year-round basis. Through monetary donations, volunteer hours, and social gatherings, the committee has been busy over the past 12 months. As we approach the 2019 event, which is scheduled for Saturday, November 2nd, Amanda and Robin were kind enough to come on the show.

In this episode you’ll hear about:

• how the idea for the 5k was born
• the ways that the race benefits Norwood (the other 364 days of the year)
• new additions for the 2019 event
• the long-term vision for the 5k and much more

Listen here.

Visit NorwoodRun.com to get involved with the 2019 race, which is scheduled for Saturday, November 2nd.

Follow the race on Instagram for behind-the-scenes access to the planning committee.

Email [email protected] to get involved with organizing the race.

Sponsors for the 2019 Gem of the Highlands 5k include:

• Paycor (title sponsor)
• The Urology Group 
• Crossroads Community Church  
• Jennifer McGillis (who previously appeared on the podcast to discuss real estate)
• 3TC Design
• OTO Supply Company
• LaRosa’s
• Indian Mound Cafe
• Sorrento’s
• Walgreens
• Kroger
• Fast Signs
• Woven Oak Initiatives
• Norwood Knothole
• Norwood Police and Fire 
• Kim Phillips with Comey and Shepherd
• Wallace Dentistry Group

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Move Norwood Forward aims to shed light on the people, businesses and happenings of Norwood, Ohio that are bettering the city. If you know of a person who should be featured on an episode, nominate them here.

The post Gem of the Highlands 5k appeared first on Move Norwood Forward.

In 2012, the results of a community health survey revealed that substance abuse was one of the biggest concerns among Norwood residents. As a response, a group of concerned citizens formed a coalition, which has since become Activating Substance Abuse Prevention, or, more simply, ASAP Norwood.

In this episode, I’m joined by ASAP leader, Lauren Bartoszek, Ph.D., to discuss

• How rampant substance abuse is in Norwood
• Why it’s important to view policy through a prevention lens
• What the school district and its students are doing to prevent substance use
• Ways that parents and citizens can create a healthier environment
• and much more

Listen here:

Learn more about the organization by visiting their site, www.drugfreenorwood.com/

Follow ASAP Norwood on Facebook.

Connect with the Norwood Health Department, which offers an array of services for Norwood residents. Lauren thinks they’re underutilized.

Read more about Tobacco 21, a new law in Ohio which will change how tobacco is sold.

Check out the following heat map of overdoses in Hamilton County. You’ll see that Norwood has a surprisingly high number of 911 dispatches.

Check out two resources that Lauren mentioned for statistics on youth substance use: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System and Monitoring the Future.

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Move Norwood Forward aims to shed light on the people, businesses and happenings of Norwood, Ohio that are bettering the city. If you know of a person who should be featured on an episode, nominate them here.

The post ASAP Norwood: Building guardrails for a healthy community appeared first on Move Norwood Forward.

Mayor Thomas Williams has served the city of Norwood, Ohio for the past 16 years. Although his retirement is rapidly approaching, the final weeks and months of his tenure have been anything but smooth sailing. Negotiations with the police and fire unions have been contentious, the relationship with city council has been strained, and uncertainty about the city’s water supply have made this a rocky year for the mayor. But in all of this, the one side of the story that’s been heard the least is his.

On this episode of the podcast, Mayor Thomas Williams weighs in on:

• The water situation
• Police and fire unions
• What the roads are going to cost
• Economic development and a hypothetical Norwood development corporation
• The state of Norwood’s key relationships
• and much more

Listen here.

Read more about Chapter 4117 of the Ohio Revised Code related to Public Employees’ Collective Bargaining, and Chapter 118 about Local Fiscal Emergencies.

Review Norwood’s budget for yourself to see where our money goes.

Check out the behind-the-scenes documents related to the water situation, which were retrieved via public records request.

Read the Enquirer’s reporting on the water situation.

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Move Norwood Forward aims to shed light on the people, businesses and happenings of Norwood, Ohio that are bettering the city. If you know of a person who should be featured on an episode, nominate them here.

The post Interview with Mayor Thomas Williams: Unions, Roads, Water and more appeared first on Move Norwood Forward.

In 2019, for the first time in 16 years, Norwood will elect a new mayor. As the current mayor, Thomas Williams, heads into retirement, the city faces numerous challenges, making this November a massive inflection point in our history.

The three people vying to be our next mayor are Will De Luca, Tim Molony and Victor Schneider. Although each has been elected to office in the past, they bring to the table competing visions for Norwood’s future. The winner will serve a four-year term.

In this, the eleventh episode in the 2019 election series — the third and final with the mayoral candidates — we hear what the contenders have to say about:

• their ideas for improving our roads and parks
• how they see the city and the school district working together
• their vision for the Montgomery Road corridor
• why you should choose them, and more…

Listen here.

Have you already listened to part one of the mayoral conversations? If not, check out the introducing the candidates episode.

There’s also an episode with the mayoral candidates in which we discuss city government, including finances, the possibility of adopting a charter, and re-introducing old positions that were eliminated due to budget cuts.

Are you registered to vote in Hamilton County, Ohio? Check here.

Do you need to update your voter information so that you can vote in the Norwood Ohio Elections? The deadline to do so is October 7. Visit this page for more information.

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Move Norwood Forward aims to shed light on the people, businesses and happenings of Norwood, Ohio that are bettering the city. If you know of a person who should be featured on an episode, nominate them here.

The post 2019 Norwood Mayoral Candidates on Infrastructure, Economic Development & Strategic Partnerships appeared first on Move Norwood Forward.

In 2019, for the first time in 16 years, Norwood will elect a new mayor. As the current mayor, Thomas Williams, heads into retirement, the city faces numerous challenges, making this November a massive inflection point in our history.

The three people vying to be our next mayor are Will De Luca, Tim Molony and Victor Schneider. Although each has been elected to office in the past, they bring to the table competing visions for Norwood’s future. The winner will serve a four-year term.

In this, the tenth episode in the 2019 election series — the second with the mayoral candidates — we hear what the contenders have to say about:

• their ideas for increasing revenues and decreasing expenses
• how they view the possibility of Norwood adopting a charter
• their ideas for re-introducing positions at City Hall
• why we shouldn’t become part of Cincinnati, and more…

Listen here.

Have you already listened to part one of the mayoral conversations? If not, check out the introducing the candidates episode.

There’s also an episode with the mayoral candidates in which we discuss roads, parks, Montgomery Road and key partnerships.

Are you registered to vote in Hamilton County, Ohio? Check here.

Do you need to update your voter information so that you can vote in the Norwood Ohio Elections? The deadline to do so is October 7. Visit this page for more information.

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Move Norwood Forward aims to shed light on the people, businesses and happenings of Norwood, Ohio that are bettering the city. If you know of a person who should be featured on an episode, nominate them here.

The post 2019 Norwood Mayoral Candidates on City Government appeared first on Move Norwood Forward.

In 2019, for the first time in 16 years, Norwood will elect a new mayor. As the current mayor, Thomas Williams, heads into retirement, the city faces numerous challenges, making this November a massive inflection point in our history.

The three people vying to be our next mayor are Will De Luca, Tim Molony and Victor Schneider. Although each has been elected to office in the past, they bring to the table competing visions for Norwood’s future. The winner will serve a four-year term.

In this, the ninth episode in the 2019 election series — the first with the mayoral candidates — we hear what the contenders have to say about:

• their backgrounds and professional experiences
• how they view the role of mayor
• their ideas for improving transparency and communication from local government
• why they are running for mayor, and more…

Listen here. 

After you’re done with this episode, listen to part two about city government, and then part three about infrastructure, economic development and strategic partnerships.

Are you registered to vote in Hamilton County, Ohio? Check here.

Do you need to update your voter information so that you can vote in the Norwood Ohio Elections? The deadline to do so is October 7. Visit this page for more information.

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Move Norwood Forward aims to shed light on the people, businesses and happenings of Norwood, Ohio that are bettering the city. If you know of a person who should be featured on an episode, nominate them here.

The post Introducing the 2019 Norwood Mayoral Candidates appeared first on Move Norwood Forward.

The last time Norwood went to the polls for a local election, the race for the President of Council seat was decided by just eight votes. The winner that year was Donna Laake. But, after serving as President of Council for the past eight years, Donna is retiring, which means we’ll have a new person in that role.

The two people vying to be our next President of Council are Ken Miracle and Jason Provins. The winner will serve a two-year term.

In this, the eighth episode in the 2019 election series — the second with the President of Council candidates — we hear what the contenders have to say about:

• ideas for improving our roads and parks
• how they view the state of the local economy
• what their vision is for Montgomery Road
• and their outlook on Norwood’s best partners

Listen here.

Are you registered to vote in Hamilton County, Ohio? Check here.

Do you need to update your voter information so that you can vote in the Norwood Ohio Elections? The deadline to do so is October 7. Visit this page for more information.

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Move Norwood Forward aims to shed light on the people, businesses and happenings of Norwood, Ohio that are bettering the city. If you know of a person who should be featured on an episode, nominate them here.

The post 2019 Norwood President of Council Candidates on Roads, Parks and Economic Development appeared first on Move Norwood Forward.

The last time Norwood went to the polls for a local election, the race for the President of Council seat was decided by just eight votes. The winner that year was Donna Laake. But, after serving as President of Council for the past eight years, Donna is retiring, which means we’ll have a new person in that role.

The two people vying to be our next President of Council are Ken Miracle and Jason Provins. The winner will serve a two-year term.

In this, the seventh episode in the 2019 election series — the first with the President of Council candidates — we hear what the contenders have to say about:

• their backgrounds and professional experiences
• how they view the role of the President of Council
• their ideas for improving the culture of Norwood City Council meetings for all participants
• and their thoughts on making city government work better

Listen here.

Are you registered to vote in Hamilton County, Ohio? Check here.

Do you need to update your voter information so that you can vote in the Norwood Ohio Elections? The deadline to do so is October 7. Visit this page for more information.

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Move Norwood Forward aims to shed light on the people, businesses and happenings of Norwood, Ohio that are bettering the city. If you know of a person who should be featured on an episode, nominate them here.

The post 2019 Norwood President of Council Candidates on City Government and Council Culture appeared first on Move Norwood Forward.

In 2019, all Norwood City Council seats are up for grabs. The eight-person council is comprised of the President of Council, four ward representatives, and three at-large seats. All members of Council serve two-year terms.

There are six candidates for the three at-large seats in 2019. Voters can choose up to three on their ballots, but can also opt for fewer. To get to know the contenders, I interviewed Danielle Black (2:40), James Bonsall (8:35) and Michael Gabbard (22:00) and Matt Geraci (30:45) and Liam Shanahan (37:55). The sixth candidate, J.R. Breadon, was not able to be reached.

In this, the sixth episode in the 2019 election series, we hear what the candidates think about partnerships and allies. Topics covered include:

• Who candidates think are Norwood’s strongest partners
• Opportunities to cultivate new or better relationships
• How the candidates hope to partner with other elected officials

Listen here.

Are you registered to vote in Hamilton County, Ohio? Check here.

Do you need to update your voter information so that you can vote in the Norwood Ohio Elections? The deadline to do so is October 7. Visit this page for more information.

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Move Norwood Forward aims to shed light on the people, businesses and happenings of Norwood, Ohio that are bettering the city. If you know of a person who should be featured on an episode, nominate them here.

The post 2019 Norwood City Council At Large Candidates on Strategic Partnerships appeared first on Move Norwood Forward.

In 2019, all Norwood City Council seats are up for grabs. The eight-person council is comprised of the President of Council, four ward representatives, and three at-large seats. All members of Council serve two-year terms.

There are six candidates for the three at-large seats in 2019. Voters can choose up to three on their ballots, but can also opt for fewer. To get to know the contenders, I interviewed Liam Shanahan (2:25), Danielle Black (16:03), James Bonsall (24:05) and Michael Gabbard (33:15) and Matt Geraci (44:15). The sixth candidate, J.R. Breadon, was not able to be reached.

In this, the fifth episode in the 2019 election series, we hear what the candidates think about community engagement and togetherness. Topics covered include:

• What to do to increase civic engagement
• Ways to make sure Norwood is a place for people of all backgrounds
• How to bring Norwood together as a city

Listen here.

Are you registered to vote in Hamilton County, Ohio? Check here.

Do you need to update your voter information so that you can vote in the Norwood Ohio Elections? The deadline to do so is October 7. Visit this page for more information.

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Move Norwood Forward aims to shed light on the people, businesses and happenings of Norwood, Ohio that are bettering the city. If you know of a person who should be featured on an episode, nominate them here.

The post 2019 Norwood City Council At Large Candidates on Community Engagement appeared first on Move Norwood Forward.