The Community's Conversation

As the BIA announced at a CMC forum in January, Central Ohio has a massive shortage of affordable housing. To meet the coming need, there should be 14,000 housing units added per year instead of the 8,000 that are actually being built. And the housing that is available is skyrocketing in price due to supply and demand.

The causes of this shortage aren't simple ones. A dearth in skilled labor plus increases in material costs (largely due to tariffs) are hampering the construction business. And the lot size requirements and zoning rules in the various municipalities are two other huge problems.

To define and discuss Central Ohio's on-going issues with affordable housing, we welcome Curt Moody (CEO of Moody Nolan), Steven Schoeny (Director of the Department of Development at the City of Columbus), Leah Evans (Vice President of Real Estate Development at Homeport), and host Andy Chow (Journalist with the Ohio Statehouse News Bureau).

Recorded on March 20, 2019 at the Boat House at Confluence Park in Columbus, Ohio.

News, especially the printed kind, faces strong headwinds. Fewer customers means declining revenues, and the "new media" and "social media" that is replacing traditional news sources are not beholden to time honored journalistic traditions of truth and integrity. Call "fake news" what it is, propaganda, a powerful tool for despots and dictators. We have a lot to talk about.

Featuring Michael Perry (Senior News Director for Content at The Cincinnati Enquirer), Alan D. Miller (Editor of The Columbus Dispatch), Chris Quinn, (President and Editor, Advance Ohio/Cleveland.com), and host Mike Curtin (retired journalist and former legislator).

Recorded on March 13, 2019 at the Boat House at Confluence Park in Columbus, Ohio.

The US Surgeon General first announced the grave health risks of tobacco use in 1964. 55 years later, Ohio has an above average rate of smokers among adults and more troubling, high schoolers.

The introduction of e-cigarettes in the early 2000s was heralded as a quasi-solution to the problem. E-cigarettes allow smokers to enjoy a puff without the tar or ash, but still delivers the nicotine they crave (or, to which they are addicted).

Turns out teens love vaping for its trendiness and fun flavors and it's becoming an epidemic. 37% of high school seniors say they have tried vaping, and evidence shows that consequently, they are much more likely to switch to traditional tobacco products.

To tackle this troubling matter, we welcome Robert Crane, M.D. (Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at The Ohio State University and President of Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation), Mysheika W. Roberts, MD, MPH (Health Commissioner at Columbus Public Health), Micah Berman, J.D. (Associate Professor of Public Health and Law at The Ohio State University’s College of Public Health and Michael E. Moritz College of Law), and Thomas P. Houston, M.D. (Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at The Ohio State University).

Recorded on March 6, 2019 at the Boat House at Confluence Park in Columbus, Ohio.

In a herculean effort that included grassroots and top leaders, the Columbus community rallied to save the Crew, MLS’ inaugural team. Hear new Co-Owners Peter Edwards, Jr., M.D., Dee Haslam, and Alex Fischer (President and CEO of the Columbus Partnership), about what's in store for the team, the stadium and the Columbus community in the future.

Recorded on February 27, 2019 at the Boat House at Confluence Park in Columbus, Ohio.

On February 20, CMC hosted our third annual State of Downtown, a popular forum where key downtown stakeholders discuss what's coming into the area, what's being built, and what might be the Next Big Thing downtown.

Marc Conte (Deputy Director of Research, Planning and Facilities at Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement Districts) presented findings from the organization's State of Downtown Report, which provides spotlights and data about major investments, housing, employment and office markets, hospitality, and transportation.

Led by moderator Cleve Ricksecker (Executive Director of Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement Districts), our panel featured Melanie Corn, Ed.D. (President of Columbus College of Art and Design), Jessica Mathews (Placemaker/Street Disruptor at Kaufman Development), and Joel Pizzuti (President of The Pizzuti Companies).

Recorded on February 20, 2019 at the Boat House at Confluence Park in Columbus, Ohio.

Organized Africentric education has been an emerging discipline since the 1960s. Columbus City Schools made it a focus in the late 1990s. Now that it has a foothold in communities why is Africentric education so often considered the exclusive domain of the African American community and not a part of mainstream education?

How has the discipline emerged and why is it important for other areas of study and the larger community? What role do public school systems have in supporting Africentric education, especially at an early age? How have programs like the burgeoning connection between Columbus Afrocentric Early College and Columbus State Community College worked to strengthen on-going education? How does study within Africa and the African Diaspora contribute to these goals?

Featuring Simone Drake, Ph.D. (Hazel C. Youngberg Trustees Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of African American and African Studies at The Ohio State University), Todd Walker, Ph.D. (Director of Columbus Africentric Early College), Robyn Lyons-Robinson, Ph.D. (Chair of the English Department at Columbus State Community College), and moderated by Marshall Shorts (Founder of Artfluential).

Recorded on February 13, 2019 at the Boat House at Confluence Park in Columbus, Ohio.

With the federal government currently in the spotlight, the complexities and politics of government funding and budgets has never been more evident.

The state budget is no joke, either. What gets funded, what gets cut, and what goes into these decisions? Where do local funds come into play? And in Ohio, with its oft argued “inequation” of educational funding, how do we solve that lingering problem?

Our panel discussion will feature author and Ohio budget expert Terry Thomas, Greg Lawson (Research Fellow at The Buckeye Institute), Tracy Nájera(Executive Director of the Children s Defense Fund, Ohio) and Karen Kasler(Bureau Chief of Ohio Public Radio and TV Statehouse).

Recorded on February 6, 2019 at the Boat House at Confluence Park in Columbus, Ohio.

The transportation sphere is ever-changing, with new technologies appearing all the time. But when the buzz dies down, are the needs of the human element really being met?

Considering the emerging markets like aging Baby Boomers and Millennials who either don't want to or can't afford to own a vehicle, who is catering to them most effectively? How are we bridging the gap?

And of course, how are we paying for it all? Is a rise in the gas tax on the horizon?

Featuring Doug Arseneault (Public Affairs Administrator at COTA), Rick Ricart(President and Director of Sales and Marketing at Ricart Automotive Group), Ryan McManus (CEO and Co-Founder of SHARE), and host Carrie Ghose (Reporter at Columbus Business First).

Recorded on January 30, 2019 at the Boat House at Confluence Park in Columbus, Ohio.

Even in the fast-moving 21st century, animals, and the industries built around them, heavily affect our daily lives as well as our economy.

We tackled this discussion from all angles: animals as servants, pets, and food sources.

How has the emotional dynamic changed, specifically the importance of the animal-human bond in relation to our mental and physical well-being?

How and why has society's outlook on animals and livestock changed in the past several decades? How have these changes in attitude affected farming and how has the market shifted?

Our panel discussion featured Rustin Moore, DVM, PhD (Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University), Meghan E. Herron, DVM (Associate Professor of Clinical Behavioral Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University), John Foltz, PhD (Chair of the Department of Animal Sciences, the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Science at The Ohio State University), and Megan Koester(Executive Director of Canine Companions for Independence).

Recorded on January 23, 2019 at the Boat House at Confluence Park in Columbus, Ohio.

Always a perennial favorite, CMC again hosted its annual State of Nonprofits forum, this year featuring a new report on the topic from the United Way of Central Ohio, presented by Michael Wilkos (Senior Vice President of Community Impact).

Following the presentation, the panel will discuss nuances like the economic impact of nonprofit employers and the low pay of their employees compared to the private/public sector. They’ll also explore the changing landscape, including all the new nonprofit “start-ups” that have emerged and the jobs and opportunities they bring.

The panel will feature Ernest Perry Jr.  (President and CEO of HandsOn Central Ohio), Beth Gifford (President and CEO of Columbus Works Inc.) Duane Casares (CEO of Directions for Youth & Families), and Peggy Anderson (COO of Equitas Health).

Recorded on January 16, 2019 at the Boat House at Confluence Park in Columbus, Ohio.