Coleman Ready to Lead Ohioans

(Chillcothe Gazette)Columbus mayor addresses state's issues By LISA ROBERSON Gazette Staff Writer Who is Michael Coleman? For those who live in the capital city of Ohio better known as Columbus, he is well known as the elected mayor of the city, serving in that capacity since Jan. 1, 2000. He is former president of the Columbus City Council as well as a former Columbus City Council member. He is a 1977 graduate of the University of Cincinnati and a 1980 graduate of the University of Dayton Law School. He is the husband to wife, Frankie, and the father to three children: Kimberly, Justin and JohnDavid. However, beyond his biographical information, Coleman is also a man who wants to lead this state as its top elected official. He has dreams of being the next governor of the state of Ohio and has articulated such when he was the first Democratic candidate to announce he wanted to run in the 2006 election against incumbent Gov. Bob Taft. To that end, Coleman, who visited Chillicothe Saturday as the keynote speaker for the 39th Annual Ohio Statehood Day Celebration, wants everyone outside the imaginary walls of Columbus to know he is also a man who is tired of this state's current leadership. He is a man who thinks a lot needs to change and wants to be in the position to do the changing. Following Saturday's prayer breakfast amidst a stampede of well-wishers clamoring for the opportunity to either say hello to or wish him luck in his gubernatorial campaign, the Roberson had an opportunity to sit down with Coleman and ask him questions pertaining to some very difficult issues facing our community. Whether the topic was drugs, education, jobs or local budgets, Coleman opened himself up as not only a politician, but also an Ohioan who understands how each stands on its own as a vast problem as well as collectively can either build up or tear down a state. Roberson: When did it become evident to you that you wanted to lead this state in its highest elected office? You seem to have a great career in Columbus as mayor. Coleman: I love being there. It's great. I love being there as mayor. It's where the rubber meets the road. But, frankly, our state is in crisis. Our state ... has lost 280,000 jobs in the past four years. We are the number one state in America where young people are leaving our state to go to other states. We are the state where the average worker makes $1,500 less per year than the average worker in America. We are a state that has yet to solve the problem of education. We are a state that has lost its momentum and it's time to get our momentum back. We are a state that has not had good leadership or no leadership. And it's time we get our leadership back. I feel duty-bound and obligated to stand up. Roberson: Outside of Columbus, you may be unknown to people in smaller communities like Chillicothe and other rural communities. So, what is it that you can say to those living in this community that lets them know who you are as a person? What is your message to all Ohioans? Coleman: The message is that ... our state needs to turn around. Leadership is the key. That's what we haven't seen. Rural communities, small towns and big cities all have to come together to help solve the problems that we have. I think our state has been run as one that promotes division. We have been focusing on things that divide us as a state. I am the kind of person who reaches out beyond parties, beyond where we live. We are all in one boat and that boat is the state. We all have a vested interest in the state. And I have resolved myself to take the leadership ranks. Roberson: Let's move on to some of the problems facing Ross County and ones I am sure are plaguing other small cities across this state. The methamphetamine and the clandestine drug lab problem continues to be a hot one in our community. Law enforcement agencies in the area conduct raids, investigations and are bringing individuals to court as least once a week in connection with the meth problem. What do you plan to do to stop or at least curtail the drug use and production in our state? This is not a drug that is imported into our country, but is made in our own backyards from very common everyday products. Coleman: Well, let me just say the way the state is going now, it is actually going to promote drug use potentially. What I can say is what is going on right now is the state is planning to cut local government funds ... and the local government funds for many communities are used for safety and security. And when the state proposes such a significant cut in local government funds what they are doing is putting the safety and security of our residents at risk. It does in every part of our state and that is something that should unite us. This is a time when we need to be fighting this drug proliferation and criminal activity and crime in our state to provide safety for our residents and the state is cutting us back. It seems to me what they ought to be doing is providing more money, not less. Roberson: In Chillicothe, we are fighting budget problems and in the process are letting go some safety and service personnel. What can you do to ensure small cities like Chillicothe can not only keep their first responders on the streets, but on the payroll? Coleman: Resources. Cites need resources to keep police officers funded and hire more police officers, if we can so they deal with some of our problems. If the state cuts the resources, the local community will be forced to cut safety officers and firefighters. And that's just wrong. Roberson: Another big topic that you touched on briefly was school funding. Right here in Chillicothe, we recently lost an important levy and the school district may be forced to lay off teachers and cut programs in order to balance a budget because of that factor. So what do you propose doing to stop the endless cycle of going to the taxpayers only to see levies fail? Coleman: Education. That is one the toughest problems facing the state. And... the truth of the matter is, state government -- those who have been in power that includes those who are running and those who have been there -- have had an opportunity to deal with this and they have not, in my view. Now, do I have a solution now? No, I don't. But I can tell you one thing. It's something -- education and the issue of funding education -- it's something I will focus on. I will bring the best resources, the best people together to help solve this. And then do something about it. Enough with all these studies and everything. It's time to act, time to do. We haven't seen that at the state level. One thing I will do is taking the responsibility to deal with the problem. It's a tough problem. There are no easy answers and there is no silver bullet. It doesn't exist. But, the key to this issue is to tell the truth, to say... to focus on it unlike you've ever focused on anything else before and make the tough decisions. And that's not happening. That and jobs. The key role for our state governor is to do a few things well. One is to create jobs and opportunities in the state. When you have lost 280,000 of them, the focus of a governor should be to expand business and small businesses, and promote job opportunities in the state. And the second thing -- they both go hand-in-hand -- is to get the state and local communities out of the education crisis that exist now. One relates to the other. As in, if our children aren't educated, they're not going to be prepared to take the jobs. But the problem is right now there are no jobs to take. So, it's a cycle, a downward spiral that is taking place in the state of Ohio. We are sliding so fast that our young people are actually leaving the state. Currently, we are number one in the country of young people leaving the state because the education system is not adequate -- both high school education and college education. College education is unaffordable. Number two; there are no jobs when we get out of school. There just aren't any. And the quality of life is low. Roberson: Which brings me to my next question about jobs? How do you plan to bring jobs not only to the state, but also to this area? Chillicothe is centrally located between Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton and Gov. Taft has previously said he is committed to see the employment levels grow in this area. Coleman: Chillicothe is in a prime position. It should be in a prime position. I view that it is in prime position to be a job center in many ways. But what we have to do in the state of Ohio is focus on small business. That's where the growth is. We are beyond the time ... every once in a while or every decade you will see a Honda pop up and bring thousands of jobs into a state. But, that happens once every 10 or 20 years. The real work is in the day-to-day work. You have to promote small business. You have to create a spirit of entrepreneurial in the state of Ohio. That's what we have lost in the state. We need a spirit of ownership of business and taking the risk of business in Ohio. And the state needs to be in a position to encourage it. Now, I have developing ideas to do that. It's still early in the campaign, but I am developing ideas that will promote the spirit of entrepreneurial, that will enhance and encourage business ownership and small business expansion. That's where the jobs are going to come from. The day-to-day work is what's going to make a difference. Another thing is to build upon the assets of each region of the state and tailor make an economic development plan and job development plan based on the assets of that community. One of the things I would do as governor is help this community develop a partnership with the state. I'll identity what the assets are of this community and build upon it in a tailor made economic development effort that results in jobs and small businesses.