Economic Development Reform Panel
On December 16, 2020, Council approved Ordinance 384-2020 authorizing the creation of an Economic Development Reform Panel. This panel was charged with studying the City’s development process and proposing recommendations to Cincinnati City Council to improve the development process and insulate it from political influence.
The Economic Development Reform Panel met virtually every other Friday at 1:00 p.m. starting February 12, 2021, till August 2021. Additional EDRP working meetings were added to June 11, June 25, July 9, and July 23, 2021, at 1pm.
The Panel concluded their report July 23, 2021. All subsequent meetings were canceled. All meetings were aired live on CitiCable and footage of those meetings can be found in the below meeting packets.
The Economic Development Reform Panel’s Final Report
Panelists include:
Ann Marie Tracey (chair): Retired - Hamilton County Common Pleas judge; professor emeritus, Xavier University; former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Former chair of the Ohio Ethics Commission
Tim Burke (member): President, Manley Burke LPA; former Chairman, Hamilton County Democratic Party
Bobbi Dillon (member): Senior Manager, State Government Relations, Procter & Gamble Company
Guy Guckenberger (member): Judge, Hamilton County Municipal Court; former Cincinnati Council Member and Hamilton County Commissioner
Alicia Bond-Lewis (member): Partner, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP
Dan Schimberg (member): President, Uptown Rental Properties LLC
KZ Smith (member): Senior Pastor, Corinthian Baptist Church
Bemadette Watson (member): Retired - City of Cincinnati Public Information Officer, Cincinnati Health Department; former Chief of Staff, Mayor Charlie Luken
Verna Williams (member): Dean and Nippert Professor of Law, University of Cincinnati College of Law
Meeting Materials
Election Notices
City of Cincinnati issues placed on the November 7, 2023 ballot.
Cincinnati City Council
The Cincinnati City Council is the City's legislative body. The popularly elected city council is responsible for enacting ordinances, imposing taxes, making appropriations, establishing policy, and hiring some city officials. The council adopts the local general plan, zoning, and subdivision ordinance.
The mission of the Cincinnati City Council is to provide, in a democratic and transparent manner, efficient and effective services which will make Cincinnati a better place in which to live, work and play.