Your community council could be hindering us, please?
So look—we talk a lot about Cincinnati's comeback story, right? From Over-the-Rhine transforming from forgotten to flagship, to FC Cincinnati lighting up TQL Stadium, we're a city on the rise. But I saw something cross my desk that had me scratching my head and thinking, "Are we our own worst enemy sometimes?" There was a forum over at the First Unitarian Church in Avondale asking a pointed question: Are our community councils helping or hindering progress?
Lemme paint the picture: Cincinnati has, like, 52 community councils. They’re these hyper-local groups, usually volunteers, who are supposed to be the voice of their neighborhoods—from Price Hill to Mt. Adams. They weigh in on everything from zoning changes for a new business to speed bumps on a residential street. The idea is pure Cincinnati: local people, making local decisions. But the forum brought up a real question about whether these councils, sometimes, can actually slow down or even block development that could benefit the whole city. It makes you wonder if that chip-on-the-shoulder identity we love so much sometimes turns inward, you know?
* **What This Means for Cincinnati** * **Development Headaches:** A new restaurant trying to open in Northside or apartments going up near Findlay Market can get caught in endless debates. * **Neighborhood Power:** It highlights how much sway these volunteer groups have, which is a double-edged sword. * **The "Cincinnati Way":** It's a question of whether our deeply local approach, which is often a strength, becomes a bottleneck.
It's a tough balance, because you want community input—that's essential. But when you’ve got a city trying to build momentum, trying to attract folks and keep our young talent from moving to Columbus or Nashville, you gotta ask if we're putting up too many hurdles. Is it about protecting the character of a place like Camp Washington, or is it about making it impossible for anything new to happen? Nati on the wire — if you know, you know.
Marcus and the crew are diving deep into this on the morning show, you should listen live at mornings.live.