Last Chance to Register in Advance for Across the Spectrum

Register now for our December 8^th conference, "Across the Spectrum: The Future of Ohio and the Path to Prosperity" taking place at the Columbus Renaissance Hotel. To register, please go to http://www.futureohio.org/register.php. Greater Ohio, along with the Buckeye Institute and the Center for Community Solutions, are jointly sponsoring this unique conference to promote bi-partisan dialogue and debate about a range of critical issues for our state, including:

• Transforming 21^st Century Government for sustainable growth—governance reform for our urban and metro regions
• Reforming Health Care—how can we improve coverage and outcomes while restraining costs
• Reexamining Government Pensions— balancing the public and employee interests
• Restructuring State & Local Taxes & Ohio’s Future Prosperity—reduce the tax burden, while ensuring essential service delivery
• Ohio’s Constitutional Review—are there fundamental changes we need to make in the state Constitution that underlie many of these proposed structural changes?

Dr. Arthur Laffer, Founder of The Laffer Center for Supply-Side Economics, and Dr. Alice Rivlin, former Director of Office of Management and Budget under President Bill Clinton, will keynote a lunchtime discussion on the national debt and deficits.  During dinner, Professor Walter Russell Mead, Editor-at-Large of The American Interest will give a keynote address on the country’s future course.

The panels comprise a variety of ideological viewpoints and will engage in a healthy exchange of ideas. This conference challenges individuals and organizations to think out of their intellectual and ideological silos and work collaboratively to jumpstart a new economy in Ohio.

For more information about the event, please see our September 26, 2011 Press Release.

We look forward to seeing you on December 8^thand to your participation in this dialogue.   Warm Regards, Lavea Brachman Executive Director, Greater Ohio Policy Center

Growing Support for Franklin County Land Bank

On Sunday, The Columbus Dispatch ran an article on the potential formation of the Franklin County Reutilization Corporation. This morning, the Dispatch had an editorial supporting the establishment of the county-wide land bank.  We applaud the Dispatch for their coverage and support of this significant development, and Ed Leonard, Franklin County Treasurer for undertaking this vital program. Though Franklin County currently operates a land bank, they are barred from obtaining residential property. The Franklin County Reutilization Corporation could acquire foreclosed properties (including residential homes), rehabilitate them, or sell the properties qualified non-profit developers.  The City of Columbus currently has a land bank that holds almost 900 properties; the establishment of a county-wide land bank would work in conjunction with the city’s land bank to combat the vacant property crisis.    

Since the passage of both SB 535 and HB 313, in which Greater Ohio was instrumental, four counties have established land banks: Cuyahoga, Lucas, Montgomery and Trumbull.  Cuyahoga, Lucas and Trumbull counties have acquired an impressive 1900 properties.  There are an additional seven counties who are in the process of launching land banks, including Stark County and Butler County.

With the devastating problem of vacant and abandoned properties, and their negative impact on so many Ohio neighborhoods, it is imperative for the state to help cities and counties develop solutions.  Greater Ohio praises these leaders throughout the state who are implementing land banks and we are working to continue to advocate for additional state tools and solutions that will address the property challenges all our communities are facing.

Deliberating Sustainability in Ohio

Greater Ohio's many partners from across the state and nation host innovative and thought-provoking events throughout the year to discuss issues concerning the prosperity and future of Ohio.  The GreenCityBlueLake Institute is presenting a series of seminars on energy, and the environment, and how both issues impact Ohio.  The three events will take place at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. For more information on these events, and others visit the Institute’s website.     The Promise & Peril of Energy from Shale Formations in Pennsylvania & Ohio Wednesday, November 2; 7 pm Dr. Nels Johnson, director of conservation with The Nature Conservancy of Pennsylvania, leads the discussion. A panel of Ohio experts will follow. Free with Museum admission.   National Policy Forum with the Brookings Institution Climate Change and Our Energy Future: A Challenge for Cleveland, America and the Human Race Friday, November 4, 2011; 7:30 pm Climate change is a critical issue for cities, nations and the entire planet. How do we reach across boundaries of geography and politics to create policies that will actually reduce the threat? Strobe Talbott, president of the Brookings Institution, will discuss the state of domestic and international efforts to tackle the existential challenge of climate change. Bruce Katz, vice president of the Brookings Institution, will describe the vital role of cities in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Moderator is Ronald Richard, president of the Cleveland Foundation. Admission is $8.   Climate Change and Health: Large Scale Risks and Opportunities Wednesday, November 16, 7pm Dr. Jonathan Patz, MPH, professor and director of Global Environmental Health at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, will speak on his research into the effects of climate on heat waves, air pollution and water and vector-borne diseases.  Patz has chaired the health expert panel of the U.S. National Assessment on Climate Change and was convening lead author for the United Nations/World Bank Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.  In addition, Patz has been a lead author for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC).  This lecture is presented in partnership with the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine through the Center for Environmental Health and Human Ecology.  Free with Museum admission.