And the Mayoral Inner City Leadership Award Goes To…

Mayor Mark Mallory, Cincinnati, OH!

ICIC is proud to present Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory the Mayoral Inner City Leadership Award at this year’s Summit of the Inner City Economic Forum in Chicago.  The October 3^rd-4^th Summit, Urban 2.0: Next Generation of Jobs and Businesses, will include a networking reception where Mayor Mallory will accept  the award amongst a select group of corporate, civic and nonprofit leaders.

The Inner City Mayoral Leadership Award is reserved for mayors who have a passionate approach and a proven track record for supporting inner city economic revitalization.  Mayor Mallory will be in great company with past recipients that include Mayor Michael B. Coleman, Columbus, Mayor Manny Diaz, OH; Miami; FL City of Miami; Mayor Shirley Franklin, Atlanta, GA; Mayor William A. Johnson, Rochester, NY; Mayor Wellington Webb, Denver, CO; and Mayor Thomas Menino, Boston, MA.

Since first taking office in 2005, Mayor Mallory has pursued bold projects to transform the city and build upon its natural assets.  He has proven dedication to inner city economic revitalization through initiatives directly aimed at economic development, business recruitment and increased city revenue, as well as to projects for inner city community development.  Mayor Mallory continues to work on Cincinnati’s revitalization, including through the following avenues.

Downtown Development:
Mayor Mallory struck an agreement with Hamilton County to develop The Banks -- 18 acres of land between the Reds and Bengals stadiums at the Southern edge of Downtown along the Ohio River.  The mixed-use development, currently under construction, will be home to shops, restaurants, a hotel, apartments, condos and office space.  The first phase, including 80,000 square feet of retail, 300 luxury apartments, and 1,600 parking spaces, opened in the spring of 2011 with the first restaurants and residents moving in.  The Banks and the adjacent new Riverfront Park will transform downtown Cincinnati into a place everyone can enjoy.

Business Recruitment and Retention:
In his first year of office, Mayor Mallory commissioned the GO Cincinnati (Growth and Opportunities) Project to help create jobs and grow the local economy.  GO Cincinnati, aimed at increasing the City’s tax revenues through targeted economic development strategies, has helped the City attract and retain businesses.  Several new businesses including Medpace, Eurostampa, and Rockfish as well as existing businesses like P&G, Macy's, Humana, US Bank, FirstGroup, Burke, Inc., Graeter's, and Cincinnati Children's are located in Cincinnati partly due to GO Cincinnati. Cincinnati's aggressive effort to attract business investment and expansion has helped the city to grow despite the national economic challenges.

Crime Reduction:
In an effort to ensure safety for Cincinnati residents, Mayor Mallory works with public partners to help reduce gun-violence.  The Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Crime or CIRV is a multi-agency initiative designed to limit crime with a focused preventative strategy.  CIRV uses statistical analysis to map criminal networks for increased law enforcement, community and social service attention.  The collaborative approach to safety has become embedded in local law enforcement and has garnered international recognition.  Since the program’s inception in 2007, annual homicides have declined in Cincinnati more than they had in the sixteen years prior. 

Public Transportation:
Mayor Mallory is currently advocating for the construction of a modern streetcar that would connect the city's two largest employment centers, Downtown and the university and hospital area known as Uptown.  The Streetcar project is designed to spark development, job creation, neighborhood accessibility, growth in the urban core and help attract young, talented individuals.  The Cincinnati Streetcar is on track to complement the Metro bus system and serve as a catalyst for a multi-modal transportation system.  For every $1 spent on the project, an additional $3 is expected to be returned to the local economy.  The first segment should create more than 300 construction jobs and 25 permanent jobs needed for ongoing operations.

Neighborhood Development:
Another focus of Mayor Mallory has been revitalizing city neighborhoods and increasing housing opportunities.  Cincinnati’s award winning Neighborhood Enhancement Program targets specific neighborhoods for 90 days of concentrated City services.  The program focuses on developing neighborhood assets and producing services such as:

• Concentrating building code enforcement
• Identifying and "cooling down" crime hot spots
• Cleaning up streets, sidewalks, and vacant lots
• Beautifying landscapes, streetscapes and public right-of-ways
• Engaging property owners and residents to create and sustain a more livable neighborhood

City Revenue:
Under the Mayor’s leadership, Cincinnati has made major increases in the city's ability to attract conventions and meetings.  Convention growth is up 33% since Mayor Mallory was elected into office in 2005.  The region has recently attracted high profile conventions like the NAACP, the National Baptists, the largest Hispanic organization in the country: LULAC, the Fraternal Order of Police, the International Association of Firefighters, the Urban League, the American Legion, and the city’s largest meeting ever, the 2012 World Choir Games.  The World Choir Games is expected to draw 200,000 spectators and have an economic impact of $73.5 million dollars on the region.

Mayor Mallory’s efforts and achievements in Cincinnati should be looked to as an inspiration for other communities across the U.S. 

Join us and Harvard Business School Professor Michael E. Porter at the Summit’s urban leadership networking reception. Together let’s celebrate Mallory’s success in making Cincinnati a safe, sustainable and prosperous city!

BY Mary Duggan on August 29th, 2011

TAGS: urban 2.0 | mayor | cincinnati | inner city economic summit | community development | economic development | cities