League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund
Hamilton County, OH November 8, 2005 Election
	Damon Lynch, III Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Cincinnati

Questions & Answers

1. What are your Qualifications for Office? (50 word limit)

Ten-year faculty member of Northwestern University's Asset Based Community Development Institute in Evanston, Ill; Chaired the Urban Land Institute's Inner City Study in Over-the-Rhine; Co-Chaired Cincinnati Community Action Now; Initiated the Elm Street Development Project with the purchase of an entire city block.

2. What plans do you have to address your top three priorities? (100 word limit)

• Would work to forget stronger bonds between the city and the board of education with regular joint meetings, not just infrequent collaborations on issues such as school levies.
• Would work to ensure that the most distressed neighborhoods in the city get their fair share of government funds - spurring an economic development and housing renaissance that would lead to safer streets and benefit the entire city.
• Would work to establish an ongoing job-creation initiative in which the city would regularly meet with private industry and labor about workforce needs and gauge how well Cincinnati Public Schools graduates working for private industry are performing. Would also work to make sure that private industry gets every incentive possible through the city, state and federal governments to create new jobs and hire Cincinnatians.

3. What steps would you take to ensure that all public facilities are accessible to people with disabilities? (100 words limit)

One way would be for people with disabilities to take Cincinnati officials on a tour of public buildings and services. Sure, there may be a ramp to the front door of a building, but that's little help to people in wheelchairs if there are insufficient curb cuts in the surrounding streets. Under provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, people with disabilities have civil-rights protections much like those provided to people on the basis of race, sex, age and religion. Making public facilities accessible to people with disabilities is not just the right thing to do it's the law.

4. What specific steps will you take to expand recycling services in your community? (100 words limit)

The city should get in touch with representatives of its 50-plus neighborhoods and brainstorm ways to publicize the fact that Cincinnati offers free weekly curbside recycling - including providing recycling bins. Perhaps the city could remind its citizens of the program at community council meetings. Currently, curbside service is available only to people who live in residence of four units or less. Why? People who live in apartment complexes and public housing communities also care about the environment. We should expand the recycling program to allow anybody who wants to participate to participate.

5. What steps would you take to provide affordable housing for all residents of your community? (100 words limit)

Cincinnati must redouble its efforts to promote homeownership and private investment in its housing stock, which is the backbone of a strong city. For example, posting information on Web sites isn't helpful for people who can't afford personal computers. We need to find a way to make people aware of the umbrella of housing agencies + including the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority, Hamilton County Public Housing Agency and the Better Housing League - that offer a multitude of programs ranging from help with down payments for low-and-moderate-income families to tax incentives for private developers who build or rehab homes.