See the Columbus power brokers tasked with setting city and county spending priorities
Meet the local leaders who will weigh in on how Columbus and Franklin County governments fund a broad range of important things, including human services, the arts, and tourism.
Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, City Council President Shannon G. Hardin and Franklin County Board of Commissioners President Erica C. Crawley announced the launch of the Funding Review Advisory Committee on Tuesday.
According to the announcement, over the rest of this year, the committee will assess funding trends; evaluate current and potential tax revenue sources; assess revenue utilization; recommend sustainability strategies; and identify opportunities for improvement.
More: Columbus' new titans: The 10 people making a difference in central Ohio
Ginther appointed 15 individuals to the new committee in collaboration with Hardin and Crawley. According to the announcement from the mayor's office, the committee "is composed of a balanced and diverse group of community leaders who have a deep understanding of the local human services, cultural arts and travel and tourism sectors."
The committee will hold its first meeting on Thursday at 3 p.m. at 141 N. Front St. Members of the public may attend public portions of the committee's meetings.
The committee members are:
Sandy Doyle-Ahern, President of EMH&T (Committee Chair)
Trudy Bartley, Associate Vice President for Local and Community Relations at The Ohio State University Office of Government Affairs
Barbara Benham, Executive Vice President and Chief Public Affairs Officer at Huntington National Bank
Darnita Bradley, Senior Manager of Local Government Affairs & Engagement at JobsOhio
Tanny Crane, President & CEO of Crane Group
Janelle Coleman, Vice President of Corporate Philanthropy and Community Engagement at American Electric Power and President of the American Electric Power Foundation
Luke Fedlam, Partner at Amundsen Davis
Jason Hall, CEO of the Columbus Partnership
Traci Martinez, Managing Partner at Squire Patton Boggs
Karen Morrison, Senior Vice President at OhioHealth and President of the OhioHealth Foundation
Matt Scantland, CEO of AndHealth
Jamie Shumaker, Executive Director of the Central Ohio Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Janica Pierce Tucker, Partner-In-Charge of Taft Columbus
Doug Ulman, Board Vice Chair at Pelotonia
Michael Young, Lead Pastor of City of Grace Church
More city hall news: Apartments for homeless residents planned at former Camp Shameless in Columbus
This is the second time the city and county have convened a committee like this. The last time was in 2011.
'As Columbus continues to grow and evolve, it is essential that our funding strategies keep pace with the changing needs of our community, especially in a post-COVID economy,' said Doyle-Ahern, committee chair, in the press announcement. 'This Committee is dedicated to fostering innovation, collaboration and thoughtful solutions to ensure that essential community services are supported sustainably and equitably. We look forward to working together to develop recommendations that will serve our community's diverse and dynamic needs.'
Government and Politics Reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus taps committee of power brokers to advise on public spending
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