Unpacking Justin Bibb’s TIF idea, and the questions that still need answers
This piece originally appeared on Cleveland.com. What the heck is a TIF and why does it matter to me? These are logical questions for Cleveland and county residents. You’ve probably heard something about a “tax increment financing” proposal of Mayor Justin Bibb’s and wondered what it was all about. It’s a big deal — and […]
New data show just how upside-down Ohio’s tax code is
This piece was originally published on Cleveland.com and is reprinted here with permission. A smart, progressive tax system has enormous benefits: great schools and libraries, well-maintained roads and bridges, public goods that benefit everyone and public support for people who need it. When designed correctly, a tax system ensures that these benefits are sustained by […]
Ohio needs to do better when it comes to child care
This piece originally appeared in Crain’s Cleveland Business as part of a forum on child care. Links to other pieces in the forum are available below. High-quality child care doesn’t just lay the groundwork for kids to have a better future; it’s part of Ohio’s economic foundation in the present. Our labor force is stronger […]
Doing the Work: Columbus Education Justice Coalition
Bringing the community back to schools Last year, teachers, parents, students and other community advocates showed what they can do when they come together in solidarity. Due to years of underfunding and disinvestment, Columbus City Schools (CCS) were full of unsafe school facilities with leaking or missing ceiling tiles, lead-based paint, and broken playground equipment. […]
Doing the Work: InterReligious Task Force on Central America and Colombia
Simply by comparing our organizations’ names, a person could imagine major differences between the work of Policy Matters Ohio and that of the InterReligious Task Force on Central America and Colombia (IRTF). And yet, we regularly find ourselves working alongside the IRTF’s passionate, compassionate co-director, Chrissy Stonebraker-Martínez. I asked Chrissy how to account for all […]
Doing the Work: Ohio Federation for Health Equity and Social Justice
Today, many public health experts and advocates are tackling the “social determinants of health” in response to a growing body of research that show how a person’s environment, housing, family life, race and income all play a role in shaping their well-being and health outcomes. Ron Browder, a native of rural central Alabama, however, didn’t […]
Doing the Work: Honesty for Ohio Education
Cynthia Peeples believes that every child in Ohio, regardless of how they look, identify or where they live, deserves a quality education that doesn’t shy away from the hard truths about our history, and teaches them to think critically. Ohio’s kids deserve schools that teach an inclusive curriculum so students of all races and backgrounds […]
Keeping a promise: The Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition
As a Black woman who lived her entire life in Cleveland, Yvonka Hall knows health is multidimensional. Where people live, their jobs, their housing, their education, their family situations — all have profound effects on their wellbeing. It’s hard for people to be healthy if they’re exposed to toxic pollution, can’t afford good food, are […]
George Zeller, poverty fighter
Cleveland, and Ohio, lost one of our fiercest fighters against poverty Saturday. George Zeller, 71, died in a fire at his West Side home. George was a cantankerous person, motivated always by a desire to ensure that the economy and public policy served working people – and poor people especially. In the 1980s, he published […]
Happy Something Else Heritage Month!
Native Americans deserve better in data collection and reporting If you weren’t following Native Twitter or Facebook on election night, this screengrab of a CNN exit poll might have slipped past your newsfeed. Native Americans noticed, though, and we didn’t appreciate being labeled “something else.” What followed was the takeover of the hashtag #SomethingElse, fresh […]
Government’s biggest cuts hurt America’s smallest citizens
This article originally appeared on Cleveland.com and is reproduced here with permission. Now that they have passed funding to get through the rest of 2018, President Trump and his allies in Congress will begin sharpening their knives to slash federal programs that keep our kids healthy and safe: Trump’s 2019 budget proposal calls for deep […]
Proposed change in rules for tipping would cause hardship for workers
by: Deanna Krokos This piece originally appeared on Cleveland.com in March 2018 In August, I’ll hang up my server’s apron and head to law school, leaving the job I’ve worked for six years. Since I was 16, my near-constant employment in serving positions has allowed me to pay my tuition, rent and put away some […]