I hope to serve as your next County Commissioner because I know that there is so much we can accomplish together—for the people of our county, and also for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot.

What do the people of Franklin County need in their next Commissioner? I’ve spent a long time thinking about this question, and I’m sure you have, too.

Here’s my answer:

First, they need someone committed to progressive policy-making. On Columbus City Council, I’ve shown what’s possible when we put families and healthy, resilient community-building at the center of policy-making: paid family leave, early childhood education access, financial empowerment resources, our Right to Recover program, employment for restored citizens, and so much more. Attached to the end of this memo is a larger list of just some of my main accomplishments in office.

Together, these policies recognize that working families are the backbone of strong neighborhoods, a thriving city, and, ultimately, a county that uplifts and supports every one of its residents. Everyone benefits if we put our families first.

Second, they need someone with extensive experience managing budgets that are fiscally sound, attuned to the values of our community, and meet the needs of the people we serve.

In my five and a half years on Council, I’ve served as chair of the Finance Committee for the last seven nearly billion-dollar budgets passed by Columbus City Council. I have played a key role in understanding revenue, crafting budget priorities, and expanding public feedback.

My budget experience as Finance Chair includes the essential ability to invest federal dollars locally. After CARES Act dollars were provided to Columbus last year, I worked with Council and the Mayor to prioritize initiatives that help families who suffered the most due to the pandemic, as well as grant programs that aid the hardest-hit portions of the economy. This experience is particularly relevant as Franklin County gets ready to spend $255 million American Rescue Plan dollars on pandemic recovery.

Third—and this one’s for us Democrats—they need a proven leader who will drive success for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot.

I have a proven track record as a hardworking campaigner and fundraiser. Due to the size of the City of Columbus, I have run and won twice in two-thirds of the county. Polling in my 2019 reelection campaign demonstrated that Columbus voters know me and rate my performance highly. A petition in support of my nomination for Franklin County Commissioner garnered more than 300 signatures and counting from grassroots supporters who have seen my leadership in action, know what I bring to the table, and stand ready to help in the next chapter.

In 2015, in my first-ever campaign, I raised $220,000 in the mere 65 days I had to campaign prior to giving birth right before the election. In 2019, I raised $500,000 for my reelection. Both times, I spent those dollars on other candidates too, rather than solely my own campaign.

Whether I’m on the ballot or not, I consistently support local officeholders in Franklin County and progressive leaders across Ohio, like Nan Whaley, Desiree Tims, and a whole slate of women candidates in last fall’s election. Doing this from the position of Franklin County Commissioner only magnifies the impact I can have on down-ballot races in our county and on turnout of the Democratic vote for our statewide candidates. If you are, like I am, sick of the direction the General Assembly has taken our state, the work to end their radical right-wing hold on Ohio begins right here in Franklin County.

But most of all, the people of Franklin County need someone who understands that to build strong, resilient communities, we must first build strong, resilient families.

Over the last year, the pandemic has brought to the surface long-simmering structural issues that threaten the very foundation of our society. A growing childcare crisis that stacks the deck against working parents and children not born into privilege; a looming elder care crisis that forces families to make impossible choices to care for loved ones; neighborhoods burdened by violence and addiction; and far too many women and families—especially Black women and families—facing eviction and housing insecurity. How we work to solve these problems will define who we are as Democrats, as Ohioans, and as residents of our diverse, vibrant county.

I’ll close with the same thing I tell the people of Columbus whenever I get the chance: My door is open. I’d love to hear from you, answer your questions, and learn about the things that keep you and the people in your ward up at night. Please give me a call anytime. My personal cell is (614) 397-9259.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I look forward to all we can accomplish in the future, together.

Liz

If you’d like more reading, here’s that list of some of my accomplishments in office:

Family Stability and Childcare

• Instituted paid family leave for city employees, including the ability to take time to care for a sick or aging parent, spouse, or close family member
• Partnered with the Community Shelter Board to provide housing and wrap-around services to pregnant women facing homelessness
• Created the Columbus Families Together Fund (which included a 1:1 match of private philanthropic dollars) to help keep immigrant and refugee families intact after being threatened with deportation
• Co-sponsored a quarter-million-dollar investment of CARES Act funds for Restoring Our Own Through Transformation (ROOTT) to expand their critical work to fight infant and maternal mortality among Black families by connecting them with doula services and providing training to health professionals
• Launched a Financial Empowerment Roadmap targeted at boosting the financial security of women and families in Columbus
• Dedicated funding for a comprehensive review of the early childcare landscape in Columbus with a focus on identifying and removing barriers to affordable, quality care for all families

Women’s Health

• Passed an ordinance to reduce harassment outside reproductive health clinics that intimidates patients, volunteers, and clinic workers in the process of doing their job and exercising their rights
• Codified a ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual and reproductive health decisions, including abortion and birth control choices and trans residents’ choices to seek gender-affirming care
• Provided access to free menstrual products in Columbus recreation centers and city buildings and brought about the launch of a free menstrual product program in Columbus City Schools and Columbus homeless shelters
• Partnered with Auditor Megan Kilgore to publish a report highlighting the importance of Title X funding for community partners like Planned Parenthood, when it was under threat by former President Trump (“former” still feels great to say doesn’t it!)

Economic Development and Living Wages

• Created an incentive in city code for employers to hire formerly incarcerated people
• Instituted a youth jobs program that leveraged private and federal dollars for an 8:1 match on low-income participants’ savings for their college or vocational pursuits
• Passed a $15 minimum wage floor for companies who participate in city programs and for city employees
• Funded a program through Community Development for All People to provide free birth certificates and state IDs or licenses to low-income residents to assist in securing housing, school enrollment, or employment

The Environment

• Partnered with the Recreation and Parks Department to create the city’s first Urban Forestry Master Plan to plant and protect trees, with a focus on equity and on the neighborhoods most in need of the benefits of additional tree coverage- Dedicated capital budget funding for the planting of hundreds of additional trees in neighborhoods
• Worked with the Recreation and Parks Department to create the first ever strategic planning document to responsibly manage and reduce the Department’s use of pesticides with a focus on protecting the environment

COVID-19 Response and Recovery

• Launched the Right to Recover program to provide emergency financial assistance to low-income workers who needed to take time off due to a positive COVID-19 test but who could not afford to miss a paycheck
• Directed millions in CARES Act dollars to support safe learning environments for Columbus City School teachers and students, as well as support for childcare centers and teachers during COVID-19
• Established a third-party delivery fee cap to protect local restaurants and business owners from exorbitant fees from out-of-state food delivery apps during COVID-19

Community Safety

• Banned the use of certain military-style equipment by the Columbus Division of Police while supporting the creation of a Civilian Review Board, restricting the use of no-knock warrants, and establishing a $10 million fund dedicated to protecting the safety of every resident and neighborhood in Columbus, including youth-centered summer programming and employment
• Expanded the City’s violence intervention work to help credible messengers defuse conflict, provide resources, and give residents a pathway to safe and secure lives
• After meeting directly with Independence High School students, responded to their safety concerns over their route to school by working across departments and utilizing walkability data to invest in the installation of new sidewalks around CCS schools
• Sponsored funding for a youth soccer program in the Wedgewood neighborhood that provides enrichment, leadership development, and jobs to the predominantly Somali refugee residents who live there, resulting in reduced gang activity and violence in the area

Support for Older Adults

• Included eldercare as a part of the city employee paid family leave policy, which made it the first of its kind in the Midwest and third nationally, and inspired the adoption of similar policies among other local employers including the County
• Served on the Age-Friendly Columbus Outdoor Spaces and Buildings Subcommittee to guide work focused on promoting safe and accessible indoor and outdoor places for older adults
• Supported funding to implement the Age-Friendly Columbus strategic plan to improve housing, transportation, healthcare, and other services for Columbus’s aging population
• Co-sponsored funding for Village in the Ville and Village Connections, grassroots organizations that empower older adults to age in their community by providing engagement and connections to services
• Sponsored legislation to purchase property for the creation of a senior creative campus to be administered by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department
• In response to extensive community engagement and feedback from our older residents, advocated for expanded opportunities for residents to play pickleball in city parks