I've lived in the University Area for about three and a half years, and I've lived in Columbus for a total of around 30 years. Over that time, I've experienced the challenges of being a renter in an increasingly-expensive city. Columbus is growing, but working people in the city have not always seen the benefits of that growth. I'd like to see that change.
I'm a lawyer, and I worked as a public defender for around five years. I then worked in research and systems improvement for public defense, which I've been doing for around a decade. You can learn a lot more about my work on my work website.
I've also been active in local organizing for many years. My organizing work focuses on economic and racial justice, affordable housing, and better public transit and bike infrastructure. I've been in leadership in the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and Showing Up for Racial Justice. I've also organized with the Sunrise climate justice movement, the National Lawyer's Guild legal observer program, Heer to Serve, and Transit Columbus. In my spare time, I ride my bike all over the city, make relief and letterpress prints, and hang out with my cat.
The University Area Commission is responsible for representing local interests to the city. All of the Commissioners are volunteers. The Commission sends recommendations to City Council on all sorts of issues, including housing and development. For instance, if a property developer wants to build a block of expensive luxury apartments on campus, they would have to share their plans with the Area Commission first. The Commission would then send a recommendation to City Council before Council votes on whether to grant permission for the development. Area Commissions are one of the only ways that regular residents can have a say in what happens in Columbus.
You can learn more about the University Area Commission on their website.
You can vote for me only if you live in District 2 of the University Area. District 2 is the area from north campus to just south of Clintonville, sometimes called the Old North area. There's a map below. If you live in this area, I hope you'll vote for me!
Voting is on Saturday, November 2nd, three days before the general election. Voting takes place from 10am to 4pm at the Northwood-High Building (2231 N. High St.). The University Area Commission has more details, including ID requirements and parking instructions, on their website. If you want any more information or help with these details, please reach out to me at stephen@makingarecord.com