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Mayor John Cranlely

State of the City Prepared Remarks
October 23, 2019

Cincinnati is on the rise and is doing better than any time in my lifetime. Instead of bleeding jobs and
people, we are adding more jobs and people.

The Cincinnati Miracle is a comeback. We are the only major city in Ohio to have been declining in
population and to make a comeback, reaching over 300,000 residents for the first time in over a decade.
The torch of this comeback is growing brighter everyday and spreading opportunity as it marches
forward.

Since 2013, we have added over 1,000 new business and increased tax receipts by $51 million, with a
revenue growth rate of almost 19 percent over six years, compared to a national growth rate during the
same period of 12.6 percent. I shared this stat with my dad the other day. And my dad, a republican
said, “wow, you are outperforming Trump.” Indeed, we are!

Last year Greater Cincinnati’s economy reached $138 billion outpacing national growth rates. And we all
know that it is the city that is leading this growth. The City’s growth rate is averaging 3 percent while
our regional economy is growing at 2.4 percent. Cranes are everywhere. Children’s Hospital is building
an enormous patient building and is breaking all records on diversity inclusion as they do. FCC’s stadium
is under construction and because of the work of Councilman Jeff Pastor, bringing new opportunities to
the people of the West End.

Phil Denning and our economic development team, with help from Luke Blocher, Kaitlyn Geiger, Marion
Haynes, Andrew Garth, Samantha Bradenburg, Rahiel Michael, Karen Alder, and many others, have led
this growth for our city and have brought in more than 2,300 new jobs just this year.

They say that you are either growing or dying and the state of our city is growing!

The torch of this Cincinnati Miracle was on display at BLINK, burning brighter than ever. A lot of work
went into BLINK and I want to especially thank Jill Meyer, Brendon Cull, Chief Isaac, Chief Winston, Tim
Maloney and the Haile Foundation, ArtsWave and the people of Cincinnati who showed up to make this
weekend our best. We had a record crowd of 1.5 million people. Let’s take a look back.

BLINK VIDEO

The success we have achieved over the last year has been in large part due to the outstanding
leadership exhibited by City Manager Patrick Duhaney since taking over the job last year. The leadership
that Mr. Duhnaey and his team of Assistant City Mangers Chris Bigham, John Juech and Sheryl Long
along with City Solicitor Paula Boggs Muething and my chief of staff, Bobbi Dillon, is invaluable. They
make my job easy, and of course I am always easy on them. They are lighting the flame of Cincinnati’s
miraculous comeback.

As proud as we are of our growth, inequality and poverty remain stubbornly too high and so we are
trying to extend the light of the torch of the Cincinnati Miracle into the shadows.
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Four years ago, at this speech, I announced the formation of the Child Poverty Collaborative, to be
co-chaired by Tom Williams, Sally Duffy, Donna Jones Baker, Odell Owens, Michael Fisher, and myself.
Later, Pastor Ennis Tait and Ellen Katz have since joined, and Alandes Powell replaced Donna Jones Baker
when she retired. And throughout Jessica Baker and Bridget Patton have ensured that this is my top
priority.

After engaging in dozens of community meetings, led by Bernadette Watson, we heard two things loud
and clear from people experiencing poverty. One: Help me with the resources I need instead of hiring
somebody to fix me, and two: Encourage employers to raise wages and build better opportunities for
advancement.

And so that is what we are doing..

The child poverty collaborative started what is now known as the Workforce Innovation Center, led by
Audrey Treasure and located at the Chamber, to help willing employers adopt policies and actions to
help retain employees and ensure that newer employees can earn a living wage.

With an incredibly generous financial commitment, Dave Herche is providing employer life coaches to
help newer employees stay on the job and earn what they need to take care of themselves and their
families.

Companies such as Kroger and Children’s are using this assistance and seeing retention and morale go
up. It is a true win-win.

In fact, we won a Bloomberg What Works Cities grant for this unique approach.

But that is not all.

We are also helping people directly.

Mary Asbury, Neil Tilow, Dora Anim, and Peggy Zink, who have served tirelessly on the Child Poverty
Collaborative Advisory Committee, have formed Project Lift, that provides direct financial assistance to
people struggling in our community.

Just this year, 129 families have been helped, receiving on average over $1,000. That is 154 adults and
278 children who were helped with needs such as housing, utilities, childcare and educational expenses.
See the results for yourself.

POVERTY VIDEO

Inspired we are more committed than ever to this work.

Together, we are committed to raising $5 million per year to provide additional support to people
through the Workforce Innovation center and Project Lift.

The child poverty collaborative also inspired the United Way to reprioritize all that it does to poverty
reduction, annually allocating over $50 million to local efforts. I want to thank Ross Meyer, Julia Poston,
Tim Elsbrock and Steve Shifman for their many efforts.
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City Council has made poverty reduction our key moral priority too.

Since 2014, our Hand up Initiative, which invests roughly $1.2 million in federal funds in job training, has
helped 2,173 people.

Councilmember Greg Landsman is leading the charge to keep people who may struggle to stay in their
homes by establishing funding for eviction prevention. And under the leadership of David Mann, we
have established the first ever affordable housing trust fund. And everyday Art Dahlberg, Ed
Cunningham and Erica Faaborg lead efforts to hold private landlords accountable for providing humane
living conditions.

My wife Dena, Barbara Lynch and the first ladies from churches around the City are working to make
sure that no matter what neighborhood you live in, you have access to resources to take charge of your
health. Partnering with UC Health, Kroger, Children’s and Health Commissioner Melba Moore, they have
helped thousands of people and they have literally saved lives.

In 2013, we invested $1.5 million in human service funds annually. Now, thanks to the leadership of
David Mann and advocacy from the Human Services Chamber, led by Gina Marsh, we invest $7.1 million
annually—more than a fourfold increase and over of the course of those years we have helped over
257,000 people.

All of these efforts are truly making a difference. We continue to see our poverty rate decrease, down
from 31.3 percent in 2013 to 25.2 percent today, That’s a total of 18,000 people who have escaped
poverty in six years, a reduction of 19.4 percent, compared to a national poverty rate reduction during
the same period of 18.6 percent. And thanks to Data Chief Nicolette Staton, we can better track these
outcomes.

The private sector is following suit.

In 2015, leading by example, we passed a $15 per hour minimum wage for full time city workers. We
hoped that private sector companies would follow our lead because they compete for the same
workforce.

And boy has it happened!

In this past year, Greg Carmichael at Fifth-Third, John Barrett at Western and Southern, Michael Fisher
at Children’s, Mark Clement at TriHealth and Mark Lawson at the Community Action Agency have all
raised their minimum wages to $15 or higher.

We have a business community committed to lifting up Cincinnati, expanding the light of Cincinnati’s
Miracle to even more people.

Since the beginning of this effort, we have faced some mild criticism about the name the child poverty
collaborative, because obviously kids do not choose to be poor and it is their parents and caregivers who
need the tools to provide for their families.
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We have heard this concern and are renaming our effort Cincinnati LIFT, which is more fitting to what
we are actually doing—helping parents and caregivers earn what they deserve to take care of their
families, including their children.

Our stated goal four years ago, was that, once launched, to help 10,000 kids and help 5,000 families
escape poverty within five years.

Project Lift and the Workforce Innovation Center just started assisting people this year and now we are
seeing faster poverty reduction since it started, with 6,500 Cincinnatians having escaped poverty in just
the last year, thanks to this and all our other efforts I just discussed. We are doing what we set out to
do, which is to lower poverty faster than the nation as a whole. To be a beacon of hope, to spread the
light of the Cincinnati Miracle to all.

In 2020, an extremely important part of our poverty reduction efforts is getting an accurate census
count. Commissioner Driehaus and I have the monumental task of making sure Cincinnatians get
counted for the Census.

For every person not counted in the Census, our community loses $1,814 per year. So, if 10,000 people
are undercounted, our region loses $18 million per year for ten years. That’s $180 million lost. These
dollars, that we lose, provide critical services like government assistance and Medicaid benefits. It would
be crazy not to do everything we can to obtain that money by getting a complete Census count.

With Chandra Yungbluth leading from the City administration, Katherine Keough-Jurs chairing our
Census committee, and critical help from Yasmin Chilton, we will mount an aggressive grassroots
campaign to ensure we get an accurate count. We need your help too.

This year we lost a champion for equality and inclusion, Marian Spencer. Small in stature, but a giant in
impact, Marian Spencer led by example to build a more integrated city and we are all trying to live up to
her example. I want to thank Councilman Wendell Young again for helping to lead the effort to rename a
street for Marian Spencer. We mourn this loss, but we are so grateful our city is better for her life.

We are trying to live up to her legacy by becoming more inclusive, letting her eternal light shine to more
people who have fought to overcome hardships as she did.

Under Markiea Carter’s leadership, we have spent $59.6 million with minority and women owned
businesses since the creation of the Department of Economic Inclusion in 2016.

We are continuing our efforts to be a City that welcomes immigrants under the leadership of Bryan
Wright at Cincinnati Compass.

For the sixth year in a row the Human Rights Campaign gave Cincinnati a perfect score on the Municipal
Equality Index. And Councilmember Chris Seelbach led the way for City Hall to externally represent
those values by displaying the rainbow flag during the month of June.

We are building a healthier city with Councilmember’s Dennard’s leadership on reducing tobacco use
among young people.
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Our friend Commissioner Todd Portune has been at the forefront of the fight for equality and inclusion
his whole life. He announced his retirement last month and we will miss him. He is a bright torch that
has fueled our community’s comeback for decades, bringing people up along the way.

TOOD PORTUNE VIDEO

As you can tell, Todd is a fighter for all he believes in, and for those reasons I am especially glad when he
isn’t fighting me.

In addition to improving our community in thousands of ways, the eternal values of human rights
Commissioner Portune has fought for will be the most important and enduring of his legacy. He fought
for gay rights before it was popular, against police brutality before it was popular, for disability inclusion
before it was popular, for harm reduction and addiction assistance before it was popular, for all
minorities and for those who had no voice. That’s the legacy his kids will know, and I will trumpet. It’s
the legacy that has inspired all of us, me included.

For his many years of public service, it is my honor to recognize Commissioner Portune as Humanitarian
of the Year. We are joined tonight by his children Ellie and Ethan and many family and friends. Please
join me in welcoming my friend, Commissioner Portune. Thank you for your service.

Two years ago, I challenged every Cincinnatian to spend one hour each month volunteering by giving
back to a charity of their choice--whether in a soup kitchen, picking up litter or working on literacy--just
to name a few. We set a goal of 100,000 service hours in 2018 and we met it. This year we are well on
our way of reaching the even larger goal of 250,000-hours.

Give One for Cincy depends on individuals and nonprofit organizations to share the hours they
contribute to our community. Since our inception, no organization has been more committed to this
effort than the Cincinnati Arts Association that contributes over 50,000 hours a year to support our local
theatre productions.

For that reason, I am giving CAA the Volunteer Organization of the year and ask their leader Meghan
Kaskoun to come accept their award.

Last year our worst nightmare was acted out when of a madman shooter unleashed deadly gun violence
on Fountain Square. Luis Calderon, Prudhui Raj Kandepi, and Richard Newcomer lost their lives and we
feel those losses every day.

After this tragedy, we called for common sense gun laws, but little has happened and recently a mass
murder struck our neighbors in Dayton. After that, I was glad to see Governor Mike DeWine introduce a
legislative package that will save lives. But sadly, and not surprisingly, the NRA controlled state
legislature appears to be about to do nothing, rather than to do something.

But we will not give up. Whitney Austin and Brian Sarver fought like hell for their lives that day on
Fountain Square and now we fight alongside Whitney, Mayors across the country, Umeirra Savani, Emily
Woerner, Jaci Martin and our Moms Demand Action folks Michele Mueller, Kristine Woodworth and so
many others for common sense gun laws.
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Last month, Chief Eliot Isaac joined the mayors and chiefs of Dayton, Lima, Columbus, Toledo,
Youngstown and many others to demand that the General Assembly in Columbus stand on the side of
law enforcement rather than mass murderers in Dayton and Cincinnati.

But Columbus is not listening.

Therefore, I am announcing today that I am endorsing and will work to pass the statewide referendum
to mandate universal background checks. This effort will finally do what people want in this state—put
our safety ahead of the rights of mass murderers to kill dozens of people in 30 seconds.

Here, while over a ten-year period overall crime is down, shootings are still too high. Under the
leadership of Chief Eliot Isaac and Assistant Chiefs Neudiagte, Theetge and John, our police and outreach
workers are using a holistic approach to remedy the root causes and keep guns out of the hands of bad
guys.

In Avondale we have seen a 50 percent reduction in shootings using ShotSpotter. We deployed the same
technology in Price Hill over the summer.

Under the leadership of Jayson Dunn, our Emergency Communications Center continues to make several
improvements and now 911 call times continue to exceed national standards.

Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman led the charge on ECC and shotspotter. He was showing leadership
to this city while also serving as an example of love, endurance and commitment to family. Please join
me in taking a moment of silence for Pamela Smitherman.

Over the last six years we have placed a growing emphasis on neighborhood revitalization.

In Westwood, in just two weeks we will cut the ribbon on the town hall and park. The remodeled park
includes a new playground, community gathering space, and a dog park. The renovation is part of a
larger project including the development of a new home for the Madcap Puppet Theater. Thanks to
Rodger Pille, Tim Perrino, Sister Ann Rene McConn, Mary Jenkins, Leslie Rich, Larry Eiser, Henry
Frondorf, Greg and Liz Kissel, Joel Kimmet, John Eby, Shawtee' Stallworth Schramm, Fred Berger, Greg
Hand, Joe Henke, Herschel Benkert, Tom Bonhaus, WestSide Brewing, and Hickory Wald and Andrew
Salzbrunn at Nation for the upcoming opening of a restaurant in the old firehouse.

In College Hill, we are finally breaking ground on College Hill station after literally 16 years of efforts and
let me thank Mike Cappel, Elizabeth Sherwood, Tina Stuberal, Marty Weldishofer, Amos Robinson,
Cheryl Meadows, Jim Bodmer, and Pennrose and Model Group for making this happen both in mid block
as well as at Hamilton and North Bend.

After many years of hard work, the Avondale Town Center opened last month. Located on more than 10
acres in the heart of Avondale, the $43 million project is bringing 75,000 square feet of commercial
space and improving much-needed affordable and market-rate rental housing. Thanks to ACDC, Jim
Beam at TCB, Russ Hairiston at ACDC, UC Health for the health center, Pastors KZ Smith, Donald Jones,
Robert Baines, James Milton and Elder William Madison and John Rickert, Patricia Milton and Sandra
Jones-Mitchell for making this happen. And thanks to Recreation Commission Chair Pat O’Callaghan and
Director Betts for the renovated and recently reopened Avondale Recreation Center.
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And for the continued renaissance of Madisonville we have Dobbs Ackermann, Medpace, Sara Sheets
and many others to thank.

We are also in the process of building one of the most extensive urban bike and hike trail systems in the
country. This year we opened an off-road mountain bike trail built at Mt. Airy Forest, championed by
Parks Board Chair Brad Lindner and Mt. Airy resident Kevin Flyn, led by Kara Kish Parks Department and
built with the volunteer labor of CORA, thanks Doug McClintock and Liv Birkenhauer.

In the next 30 days we will open the second Phase of Wasson Way extending the trail west over 71, to
Xavier University in Evanston. We are excited to announce that we recently received a $6 million grant
from OKI, led by Mark Policinski, to complete Wasson Way from Ault Park to Avondale, and to UC and
the Innovation Corridor. Wasson Way would not be a reality without the work of Councilmember Amy
Murry, John Brazina, Jay Andress, Sean McGory, Susan Schaefer, several community members and
donors such as Betsy Neyer and Tom Brennan. I want to say a special thanks to Wym and Jan Portman
who are co-chairing a private fundraising effort for the next phase.

And we are cleaning up our neighborhoods too. Our team at public services continue to improve service
delivery under Jerry Wilkerson. Last year, we announced a new anti-litter effort, led by some great
volunteers at Keep Cincinnati Beautiful and Nora Fink. Our public services department has delivered big
time collecting more than 12,500 bags of litter this year, resulting in a 50 percent reduction in litter
complaints.

Sadly, this year we were devastated by the loss of Leroy Garrison who tragically lost his life installing
police surveillance cameras in Hawaiian Terrace. He was defending the public good at the very moment
that he was killed.

Please join me in taking a moment of silence for Mr. Garrison and his family.

Public service employees are absolutely the unsung heroes in our City. Please give them a round of
applause.

One city employee I want to especially recognize this year is Ronetta Engram. Ms. Engram oversees the
communications center for the department of public services, and she does an outstanding job. She is
accommodating, courteous and joyful to both her peers and constituents. Under Ms. Engram’s guidance
wait times are down and satisfaction is up.

Please join me in honoring Ronetta Engram as our Employee of the Year.

We have accomplished a lot over the past year, but we still need to conquer the future.

Nothing is more important to the future of our city and region than greater mobility, public
transportation, and fixing roads and bridges we all must use to get to work and home each day.

While we are leading in so many ways that I have described, we are still lagging when it comes to having
the transportation system that we all deserve.

But there is a plan to fix it. For the first time, we have a proposal that is jointly led by City and County
political leadership, the Chamber, and grassroots transit advocates. Thanks to Commissioners Driehaus,
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Portune, and Dumas, PG Sittenfeld, Jill Meyer, Gary Lindgren, labor unions, Daryll Haley, Brendon Cull,
Pete Metz, Taylor Liggins, Cam Hardy, State Senator Cecil Thomas, State Representatives Bill Seitz and
Tom Brinkman, Kreg Keesee, Rod Hinton, Mary Miller, Maurice Brown, Gwen Robinson, and Heidi Black
this is possible. We will ask the voters of Hamilton County to approve a sales tax that will fix the
Western Hills Viaduct and other bridges, expand bus service, reduce city taxes and end the historic
injustice of city taxpayers solely paying for a regional public transit system. Watch this video to see what
is at stake.

LEVY VIDEO

Our coalition is strong. We have a plan with community buy-in and support from Democrats,
Republicans, Independents and civic groups. This is finally our moment.

Vote Yes on 22 in November and then let’s work together to pass the plan in 2020.

We also have to do our part to combat global warming that is threatening us all.

Due to increased rainfall, rising temperatures and record 100-year storms, we are dealing with
unprecedented landslides on the West and East sides of the City. From 1871 to 1999 rainfall averaged 40
inches. Today rainfall averages 46.4 inches–a 17 percent increase. We are spending over $20 million
alone to fix Columbia Parkway because of this erosion—global warming is expensive.

But sadly our country and our state are not helping.

Donald Trump pulled our country out of the Paris Accord. Then this year, in one of the most corrupt and
crony capitalist corporate bailouts of all time, Columbus eliminated renewable portfolio standards for
the State of Ohio.

We are the only state in the country to eliminate such standards. Those standards not only clean our air
but put thousands of people to work. Ohio today has the most wind turbine part jobs in the country and
a vibrant solar job industry. Our state will miss out it if we don’t continue to invest in renewable energy.

But in the meantime, we are picking up the slack and leading by example.

Under the leadership of Larry Falkin, Michael Forrester, Ollie Kroner, Andrew Garth and Holly Stutz
Smith, we continue to emerge as one of America’s leading sustainable cities.

In fact, this year, Bloomberg Philanthropies selected Cincinnati as a winning city in the Bloomberg
American Cities Climate Challenge.

Over the last two years, we have worked hard to make our commitment of building the country’s largest
municipal solar array a reality. Tonight, I am thrilled to share that we have secured a site and selected
additional city rooftops to construct over 100 megawatts of solar to serve the City and our aggregation
load. This solar array will cover approximately 1,000 acres consisting of over 310,000 solar panels. It will
utilize labor from Cincinnati’s IBEW union and result in hundreds of local jobs during the construction
period. I want to thank our partners, Creekwood and Hecate, Monica Posey of Cincinnati State and Rick
Fisher of IBEW union for making this happen.
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It has become clear that cities will lead the global effort to fight climate change, and Cincinnati is on the
front lines. And on the very front line are the water and sewer departments. Under the leadership of
Cathy Bailey and Diana Christy, they work hard every day to deliver clean water and remove
wastewater, the most vital of city led environmental and public health services.

Cincinnati is also leading the way on establishing one of the nation’s largest 2030 sustainability districts.
After only one full year of meaningful recruitment, we are the 6th largest district, covering more than 22
million square feet. Participating members make a collective commitment to reduce their carbon
footprint by 2030. Working with Ryan Mooney-Bullock and Elizabeth Rojas at Green Umbrella, it is my
goal to make Cincinnati the largest 2030 district in America.

In fact, I am announcing tonight that I am convening, along with the Ohio Environmental Council, Green
Umbrella and the Ohio Mayors alliance, an Ohio Climate Summit here in Cincinnati on April 30, 2020. At
this summit, we will enlist local governments across Ohio to commit to meet and expand the renewable
energy standards that the State of Ohio just gutted. We will do what our state will not—take the
responsible steps to invest in renewable energy and reduce our carbon footprint before it is too late.

To sum up our city’s values, those embodied in the Cincinnati Miracle, it is first and foremost to grow by
adding jobs, to reduce poverty and expand opportunity, to reduce gun violence and improve the quality
of our environment.

I’ve outlined the ways that our city has lived up to these ideals this year, but we are lucky to live in a
community that also has corporate leadership towards these exact same goals.

And the one business that has done more to lead on these values over the past year is Kroger, led by
Rodney McMullen.

Nobody is more committed to reducing poverty and expanding opportunity than Rodney McMullen

Starting as a Kroger bagger, Rodney knows the value of a job, the value of hard work. I suspect his
experience has something to do with Kroger’s efforts to provide job training, hire ex-felons and support
anti-poverty programs in Cincinnati. Rodney understands the dignity of work.

With his support, HR director Tim Massa has led the way to get Kroger involved in the Workforce
Innovation Center, Project Lift and encourage other major employers to do what they can to help
workers.

But fighting poverty is not all Rodney and Kroger have done for us.

This year, under Rodney’s leadership Kroger asked customers to no longer openly carry guns in their
stores and has endorsed stronger background checks. Due to growing health concerns, they also
stopped selling e-cigarettes. Maybe these are not profitable decisions, but they are the right ones.

Kroger also took a stand last year pledging to phase out the use of plastic bags by 2025.

Kroger has consistently said yes to Cincinnati and now we have a brand-new store just blocks away as a
symbol of just how true that is.
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In fact, when I marvel at Cincinnati’s miraculous comeback over the past 20 years, nobody has done
more than Kroger.

From repopulating all of its headquarter building, to growing 84.51, to bringing the first full-service
grocery downtown in 50 years, Kroger makes it happen. While Kroger is a team effort, it all gets back to
Rodney McMullen.

This uncommon courage to do what is right and good, is something we should all aspire to. These are
Cincinnati values. It is for these reasons that I am honored to name Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen as this
year’s Cincinnatian of the Year. Rodney could not be here tonight but received his award earlier this
week. Let’s give Rodney a round of applause.

Unlike Rodney and the many people thanked and unthanked who help make Cincinnati’s miracle burn
brighter each day, there are far too many reasons the torch of freedom is dimming around our world,
nation, and state. Instead of standing up for freedom in Hong Kong or for the Kurds, or privacy rights
and the hopes of freedom for refugees, religious minorities and racial minorities the world over,
Washington is stepping aside. Instead of leading on renewable energy, Washington and Columbus are
shirking their duty to our kids and grandkids. Freedom only exists in the safety provided by our military
and first responders, but Instead of standing with law enforcement and banning assault weapons and
demanding background checks, Washington and Columbus are siding with the criminals who demand
the right to kill 9 people in 30 seconds.

Their actions betray our commitment to freedom, stewardship and safety. I believe that they betray the
very essence of what it means to be an American or what Lady Liberty beckons with her torch.

The arc of the moral universe, as Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, is long but bends towards justice,
and for almost a hundred years, bent towards state capitols and Washington to deliver the civil rights
and worker rights that people are entitled to, but local governments too often denied.

Our nation’s highest ideals were achieved, through blood sweat and tears, at the highest level.

Now that situation is reversed. We are delivering on our national ideals at the local level while our state
and national leaders are not.

Given the abdication of state and national leadership, hope is hard to come by. But we are giving hope
at the local level.

The torch of hope that was dropped in Washington and Columbus has been picked up here and is
lighting the WAY for the Cincinnati Miracle.

In Cincinnati we are lifting people out of poverty, reducing gun violence, building a renewable economy
while we save our environment, expanding transportation freedom, standing up for human rights, gay
rights, disability rights and equal rights here at home.

The Cincinnati miracle—faster job growth and poverty reduction than the national average—is not
happening in spite of our ideals of compassion and providing a hand up to those in need, but BECAUSE
we are putting our ideals into action. And that lights the fire of hope for America!
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And just as Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr. had hope for America’s promise in times far
worse than ours, they believed that if they kept marching forward, America would eventually catch up
and once again inspire the world with uncommon achievement for the advancement of the human
spirit.

I believe that the march for our ideals in our time starts in local communities and I can’t think of a better
place that is showing more promise than Cincinnati.

So, I continue to pass the torch of freedom to you, my fellow Cincinnatians. And I ask you to march on
by giving one hour for Cincy each month, counting each of our fellow humans as worthy of being
counted, lifting up the poor in material and receiving in return their richness in spirit, educating and
mentoring our kids to put down guns and to pick up good books that teach us to remember our
inheritance that our creator created us equal, and so we are duty bound to extend equal opportunity to
all, and to make sure that our air and water and land will give our grandkids an equal chance. In short,
act to extend freedom to all. And by acting that way, by giving new life to the Cincinnati miracle each
day, joined by great local activists in cities all over this country, we will rekindle the American spirit in
Columbus and Washington, and unleash freedom the world over.

Thank you.