New Ohio Mayors Alliance can give cities united voice

The power of strength in numbers lies at the foundation of a promising statewide coalition of mayors of Ohio’s 30 largest cities that officially formed last week. That power should be exploited to the max to assist residents of those important urban centers and the larger metro areas that surround them.

The Ohio Mayors Alliance, which includes Youngstown and Warren, asserts in its mission statement that “by coming together and speaking with one voice about the challenges and opportunities of Ohio’s cities, we can more effectively advocate for our communities and constituents.”

Such united advocacy brings potential to tackle a myriad of serious concerns befalling large and medium-sized municipalities in the state that impact a significant portion of Ohio’s population. After all, more than one-third of the state’s residents live in our 30 largest cities. A substantially higher proportion of people living in their metro areas identify strongly with those central cities for their economic livelihoods and overall quality of life.

The new coalition makes sense politically as well. Although two-thirds of its members are Democrats, the new alliance vows to function as a nonpartisan bloc. That apolitical framework will fortify the potential impact of the group as a louder mouthpiece to the ears of the Ohio Legislature, Gov. John Kasich’s administration, the U.S. Congress and administration of President-elect Donald Trump, all of which are solidly controlled by Republicans.

BULKY AGENDA

After all, the major problems and concerns befalling Ohio’s cities are not segregated by political party. All members of this union of mayors deal with many of the same overriding financial and socio-economic conundrums. Some of them worthy of their attention include:

Restoration of Local Government Funds. As Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer, a Democrat, said at the organization’s public unveiling last week, “Since 2004, the local government funds have been significantly reduced, numbers like from $647 million in 2004 to just $365 million collectively in 2015.” Democratic mayors from cities throughout the Valley have long lamented and decried that loss – with no real movement in Columbus toward restoring them.

Encroachment on home-rule authority Several mayors seek to lessen what they perceive to be the long arms of state government usurping the rights of home-rule cities over such issues as traffic-camera regulation.

Solutions to the opiate crisis. Though all sectors of the state are entrenched in the war on heroin, cities tend to be the epicenter of the crisis. The group has tentative plans to lobby not only the state Legislature but Congress as well for additional assistance for treatment centers and programs to better battle the scourge.

Other issues tailor-made for the alliance include strategies for improving strained police-community relations in urban centers and in repairing fast decaying infrastructure, including crumbling roads and century-old water systems.

The list could go on and on. We hope the mayors take their mission seriously and stay united, active and productive. As Youngstown Mayor John McNally put it, “the chief elected officials in all these communities can really hammer home the message to the folks in Columbus.”

In the interests of the welfare of all cities and metro areas in the Buckeye State, go ahead, mayors, and hammer away.