Talk of the County Podcast | 2024 State Of The County Discussion

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:00:14

Hello, Franklin County. On this week's episode of Talk of the County, we're proud to feature a panel discussion amongst the commissioners from their state of the county luncheon about their work as equity champions and the future of diversity, equity, and inclusion. I know you're gonna enjoy it.

Damika Withers [: 00:00:33

Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon. I'm, like, so excited to be here with all of you, some familiar faces, some new faces, but definitely a collaborative effort because we cannot do business as a county by ourselves. We do it with all of you here in the room. And I am so grateful to not only work, live, and play in a county where I have county leaders who deem it important to serve our residents in the very best way. And I am excited about this panel. I'm excited to hear, with our commissioners and county administration. I have to say, they have been working really hard and champion, DEI and its efforts and the work that we have been doing.

Damika Withers [: 00:01:13

I have been doing county government for 23 years, and I have to say this is the best county that I have worked for in the state of Ohio and the best folks that I have worked for to be able to have that support, not only for me and our division and moving forward. So let's get right into the discussion, shall we? So in 2019, the, commissioners and county administration began an initiative to analyze the causes of poverty and what we know right now as a rise to get their poverty blueprint, which quickly revealed that you can't talk about poverty without talking about systemic racism. Then in 2020, you declared racism as a public health crisis and added racial equity as one of your core principles on how we do good governance. What has that commitment looked like over the past 4 years? And how has racial equity landscape landscape changed since 2020? Commissioner Boyce, mister O'Cauley, Administrator Wilson?

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:02:20

I sit here so I can go last. You know, can you hear me okay? No. They can't hear me.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:02:26

Did you touch your mic? There you go. Alright. Hey.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:02:38

Commissioner Crawley looked at me and said, did you turn it on? No? I gotta turn it on. I didn't know that. Anyways, so think about what was happening in our country in 2020. George Floyd had been murdered, in Minneapolis And we saw unrest all over the country because I really believe that it started, a new chapter in American history where cities and counties should bring up something. Cities and counties are better? Up higher. Okay. Is that better? Okay. Thank you.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:03:16

Alright. Well, cities and counties alright. I feel like I'm not I'm a just talk it in. Let's do it this way. Where cities and counties, I think were awakened to really look in the mirror and say to themselves, what can we do better? And for us in Franklin County, it was a number of things. 1, it was working with our sheriff department to, outfit our, law enforcement offers for us with body cameras. But it's not as simple as just saying we're gonna order new body cameras. You know, you have to think through policy and procedure and and quite frankly, it's a cultural change for law enforcement.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:03:53

And so, it's not as simple as it may seem. But that to me was the very beginning of a change that hadn't happened since the beginning of Franklin County. And it's that kind of nuance that I think has given Franklin County a new life and how we look at diversity, equity, inclusion. Secondly, and finally, I'll just say, we also zeroed in with our racial equity council to ensure that we were doing our part to make sure that business owners had an opportunity to do business with Franklin County, and that we opened up our doors, to women owned businesses, minority owned businesses, to veteran owned businesses, not not just for the purpose of inclusion, but also to ensure that we're getting the best product, you know, because that's that's really what the d e and I conversation is about. Yes. It's inclusion, but it's also ensuring that we're opening up the the net casting the net so that we get the very best product that we can possibly get. And I think that's the difference that we've seen over the last 4 years, since the 2020, since the since George Floyd's definite. If there was a silver lining in such a a harsh tragedy, it was opening our eyes to what how we can be better as a county and as a community, and I think we've taken a few of those steps.

Damika Withers [: 00:05:14

Absolutely. Absolutely. Thank you. Commissioner Crawley?

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:05:17

Well, I'll defer to, administrator Wilson because I wasn't here 4 years ago. I haven't even been here 3 years just yet. So I'll let him chime in, and then I can go.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:05:28

Thank you. You know, we when, the pandemic hit, we were, as a county, already aware of many of the disparities, particularly when we talk about economic, segregation and the lack of economic mobility in, certain parts of our community. So just imagine when the pandemic hit. You know, there's a old adage that when the majority of America has a cold, communities of color and marginalized communities have the flu. So now we have a global pandemic. We had a realization to know just what that means to communities of color. So it we can't just, at that point, express words. It was very important that the declaration was made, to make, racism a public health crisis.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:06:26

But one something this board of commissioners did, they tied that to 10 actions that were not, just, lightweight things that county administration and the agencies under the board of commissioners needed to carry out. And the same goes with declaring, racism, racism and racial equity, linking that to the core principles of everything that we do. We talk about it being in our value set. We talk about show me your budget and I'll know what your priorities are. So during the pandemic, investments have been made particularly targeted at African American communities, communities of color, to give them an opportunity to, at a time of crisis, be able to seek out opportunity. The development of freedom equity came out of the pandemic, which was the first, in this community, now CDFI, that is unapologetically focused on, putting capital in the hands, of those that in the past went to the bank and got a, no answer of no. Where others may have got an answer of yes. So we worked with partners like the Columbus Urban League, to accomplish that.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:07:49

We created a equity fund, where we gave loans to, and grants to small business owners as a part of all of this. We've distributed, and, over 40 some odd $1,000,000 in emergency rental assistance because we know the importance of, someone being able to keep a roof over their head. So it's been not about talk. It's been about action. And, I credit this board of commissioners, for allowing me as, the administrator to lead those efforts.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:08:23

Absolutely. I think what I would add is, before we could even really serve the community and our organizations, we had to look in internally. Right? Like, if we're gonna declare racism as a public health crisis or make a racial equity a core principle of good governance, we had to really look internally and say, does our staff reflect the community? Is our staff and our agencies under the board of commissioners reflective of the community in which we serve? What are the thoughts, beliefs, and values that we hold, as employees serving the community. So, you know, one of the things that we changed is making sure that when we're onboarding new employees, that they understand the Rise Together Property Blueprint plan. What the community said that they wanted, the property blueprint plan is our framework for doing business for what the community said that they wanted to see. It was made for the community by the community. And one thing and I know one of the questions we'll talk about is, the first thing that they said is, like, we can't really remove barriers if we don't identify racism as being a problem. So leading you leading the work, Chief, looking internally at our agencies.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:09:44

We've had agencies that predominantly white men and not inclusive of women, and we're changing that to have more women, and more people of color. Also, people with, disabilities, those are who who are differently abled. When we think about DEI or inclusion, sometimes oftentimes, often times people who are differently abled feel like they're left out of that conversation and I know that you're working hard to make sure that people are inclusive. I think the other thing that's important that we have done and that we're very focused on, especially when we make board appointments. So the commissioner is appoint to more than more than 40 boards and commissions, right? So we're talking about Adam H. We're talking about COTA. We're talking about, you know, large non profits. What were those boards looking like? What was the makeup? These are our designees.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:10:33

These are people who are serving at the pleasure of the commissioners. And do these boards reflect? Or are appointees reflecting, the community? And is it inclusive? And then I would say the other thing that we have been really focused on when it when we talk about investment, and this has come up a lot in community partnerships, is what does the board make up of the organizations in which we're funding look like? Do they have a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Are they committed to making sure that those who are the most vulnerable or the most at risk are getting opportunities, and being inclusive? So I think since I've been to the board, and I love the fact that I got to join a board of commissioners that had already declared racism as a public health crisis because I came from the legislature and me and my former colleague, Stephanie House, had introduced, a bill to declare racism as a public health crisis, and they wouldn't even bring it forward. Wouldn't even let us have a hearing. And then finally, we had one hearing before I resigned to come down to the board of commissioners. And it was like, well, we're really not gonna move this if we if you don't change the name racism Mhmm. To discrimination. I was like, I'm unwilling to do that. And, state rep house at the time, now councilwoman house, we were unwilling to do that.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:11:51

Like, we're gonna call a thing a thing. Right? And we can't really address the thing unless we identify and and be unapologetic about what we're talking about here. And so, I love the fact that I get to work with administration and 2 colleagues who continues to prioritize, our investments, but also making sure when we talk about inclusion, that everyone in Franklin County feels like this is a place that they can live, work, and play, and raise a family. Because if you talk to people, they feel like, you know, there are some that are doing really well in the county and then there are some who feel like they've been left behind and that people have forgotten about them. And this board has not forgotten about anyone. Yes. Thank you.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:12:30

Can I have to add something? Commissioner Crowley made me think of something. 2 things. 1, 7 years ago when I started on the board of commissioner, I became the first African American in the history of Franklin County to serve as a member of the board of commissioners. And, just a couple years later now, we have a majority of the board is minority. So majority minority board, and that's never happened in the history of Franklin County. And I think why that's important is because it it also sets forward the values of this community. And it says to us what the value set is of Franklin County. And so we know that it's not just a fad or a saying.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:13:11

It is, the value set of Central Ohio, and we feel obligated to carry that out. Commissioner Carly and I, to some extent, commissioner O'Grady. We talk about this all the time, and we prioritize it in a way that is reflective in as, administrator Wilson said, in our budget, in our priorities. And and even through DNI, you know, if you remember when you first became director, I said, hey. Tell me what you need budget wise. Mhmm. Don't don't this is some gratuitous position where you just come in and make recommendations. You tell me what you need, and we'll get you that.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:13:46

And let's set the bar for the

Damika Withers [: 00:13:47

entire country. Mhmm. And I believe

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:13:47

that we're working our way to do that. Yes. We are. Yeah. Entire country. And I believe that we're working our way to do that. Yes. We are.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:13:51

Yeah.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:13:51

Thank you so much. Definitely, I

Damika Withers [: 00:13:51

let's get on my hand and clap because so many things have happened outside of the the George Floyd tragedy. You've seen a lot of organizations across America adding a DEI division, making notes that we needed to focus on racism. But what were you really doing? And commissioner Crowley said, if you wanna call a thing a thing and call it out and be unapologetically about it and then and make sure that we are put in action. And what this this board of commission and our county administration have done has put things into action. And you should be commended and not only put into action, but Commissioner Boyce just mentioned in one of our first conversations about the budget. And I often remember that. I go back to that. I talk to my staff about that because you challenge.

Damika Withers [: 00:14:39

You challenge me. You challenge the staff. You challenge the DEI division to make sure that the work and the actions that we were doing were gonna remain sustainable. And I I do you are to be commended for the work that you are doing and while we're having this conversation today. Let's talk about equity for a moment because folks get equity confused with equality and well, that's not fair. So let's just dive into that that subject. When people talk about equity, we often think of it as a race issue, but you've tried to embrace a fully inclusive culture that also supports women, immigrants, our LGBTQIA plus community, and more. Why do you think it's important to be active and a SAME partner in all these different spaces?

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:15:20

I'll lead off. I mean, it's, just interesting that we we have the conversation still around equality and equity. And they are far apart. They've been illustrated. Equity assume equity does not assume that we all start at the same place. Equality would assume that we all are at at the same place and you give us the same resources and we all should have the opportunity to the work of our ourselves, blood, sweat, and tears, then you should be responsible for the result. But that's not Franklin County. That's not America.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:16:03

We all have different unique needs that have to you have to speak to. You see the illustration that that uses the analogy of height and and a fence. And every you everybody need a different size box to stand on to be able to see over that fence. That's really what equity is all about. You know, it's not about in many of our policies, and I'm I'm under this board, we try to be intentional to think about, one size don't fit all. You can't give every child the same size shoe and say run a marathon. They gotta have the shoe that fits. And then with the proper nurturing and coaching, then they will be able to achieve results

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:16:50

Mhmm.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:16:51

With the proper motivation and training and being in the proper environment and having those health and human services around them. And and equity is is that's what equity is about. And that's why we have to elevate the conversation about equity. And that and, you know, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Diversity is a reality in Franklin County when we look at our population of 1,350,000 people. And and and equity, I just talked about. And inclusion is policymakers, administration making a conscious choice to give people a space, but not only a space in the room, but a space that they feel comfortable in in that room and expressing themselves.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:17:36

Yeah. I would say I would add to that and say, when I think about equity, one of the phrases that comes to mind is when people say you should, everyone should just pull themselves up by their bootstraps. But the assumption is that everybody has boots, right, which is not the case. And so, you know, since we have a majority minority board, and we have been focused on addressing racism, addressing discrimination, sexism, everybody isn't on board with that. Right? Like, people wanna know why are we making investments just for minority businesses. Right? So we created the CDFI, Freedom Equity, because during the pandemic, a lot of, small and minority businesses, emerging businesses, didn't have the relationships with large banks. Right? And so they weren't getting PPP loans. They were seeing their doors close.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:18:26

They had to close their business, lay off people, and it was just having an impact where other businesses that had those relationships with larger banks were getting those loans and able to stay open. Well, in order to mitigate that, we like, let's create something that will put capital in the hands of business owners who don't have those relationships. Right? That matters. Or when we did the investment with the city of Columbus to support small and emerging businesses. I think we ended up putting 8,000,000 over 2 years, so 4,000,000 a year. It's it's important to do that. Everybody doesn't have the same relationships. We know, historically, banks have been discriminating against black businesses, women owned businesses.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:19:08

And that's something that we

Damika Withers [: 00:19:09

continue to rectify, especially, even

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:19:10

when we look at housing. We know that redlining

Damika Withers [: 00:19:12

was a thing. We know that we continue to see the impact in our community from redlining, and where people couldn't

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:19:14

get, impact in our community from redlining, and where people couldn't get loans. Homeownership continues to be a problem. And so we are clear that we serve all of our residents, but everybody's not starting at the same starting point, and therefore, we need to make strategic investments, So, those who feel like they've been left behind, and truthfully have been left behind, can at least catch up and be on the same playing field. Absolutely.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:19:42

Absolutely. The only thing I'll add to that is very well said by both my colleagues here. The only thing I'll add to that is in 2018, we launched an effort where we brought together many of our, collaborators and partners, to really study poverty in Central Ohio. Yeah. I know, council member former council member, Charlene DeBarge, is on that, committee. And I I know I saw some others that were a part of that group, but we brought in a consultant that helped us study this. And in in the findings that they provided us after a year long meeting effort was that racism was at the core of some of our challenges. And, somebody said earlier, if it call it a thing is a thing.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:20:23

Is that what you said? Something like that. Yeah. It's what my grandmother used to say. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then damn it, it ain't a frog. And so if it's in poverty, that that's the same thing. It is what it is, and we know that racism is connected to that. And so we made a very conscientious and deliberate decision to address that. And and so we formed the Rise Together Institute.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:20:47

I see Danielle here, sitting here here, who is leading our effort, for big ideas. So and I bring that up because by no means are we finished yet. By no means do we have all the answers. By no means are is central Ohio or Franklin County a finished product of this discussion or work. Quite frankly, we're at the very beginning of that discussion. You think that, Franklin County existed for far more time before there was ever an African American or an African American woman as a commissioner. And today, that's a majority of the board. That means we're making progress, but it also means we've got a lot of work to do.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:21:26

Mhmm. And I'll just add. I mean, it took 220 years to get a meet. Yeah. Right? 1st woman of color. Right. And, because it has taken so long and government is slow, like, I go into a lot of rooms where I am the only. Mhmm.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:21:40

I am the only woman. Not even just the only one person of color. I am the only woman. And so I think when we talk about equity or an inclusion, it's usually from, as you point out, like, a race perspective. But we're talking about a veteran. I'm a veteran, and I'm often only in the room. But just being a woman and going into rooms with a lot of men all the time, like, we got a long way to go. Mhmm.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:22:03

And I know, at the board, we're very much focused on women being included

Damika Withers [: 00:22:08

Yeah. As well. Definitely a lot of progress made. Go ahead.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:22:10

So I just wanna add one point that because I I wanna point out how a different it does make a difference when there is a woman at a table or when there's a different perspective to teach you. When commissioner Crowley came on, she was the very first person to raise doulas, in the the the role of doulas in health care and for women and in the birth process. And I'm gonna be honest with you, I was like, what's I don't know anything about this. Like, what is what is that? And and the point is that but for her leadership in the conversation route, the value and the role that that plays in households, and particularly with the, maternity rates and, and and so forth, You know, it just it it to me, it was something I would not have been exposed to, but for her leadership. I can go on and on about different from early childhood education and different things. And and and we collaborate, education and different things. And and and we collaborate on these things. So it's it's she brings perspective, I bring John brings perspective, but more importantly, it it it represents the, the broad scope of Central Ohio and the diversity of Central Ohio.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:23:14

And that to me is is how it really does make a difference to be inclusive and to have a diverse group leading, whatever the agency or entity is.

Damika Withers [: 00:23:22

Absolutely. And our representation matters so much. And even intersectionality that you talked about, Commissioner Aquali, with being a black woman, being a veteran, and how that goes to our inclusivity, inclusive, inclusive efforts and and the things that we are doing here at the county and what you heard so far is not only those actionable items but making sure that voices are lifted externally and that we are collaborating with our community partners, with our internal staff. You all mentioned earlier our Racial Equity Council, and part of the Racial Equity Council was a initiative through our county administration that is really an extension of our diversity, equity and inclusion division. As well as that strategic effort, we completed a cultural climate audit the first time that an audit was done to identify the mindset said that 85% of Franklin County employees believe a diverse said that 85% of Franklin County employees believe a diverse workforce is more successful than a culture that does not include equity. This board has been unapologetically passionate in their approach and goals in creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and community, which is why they have invested $21,000,000 in minority owned businesses, spent 14,000,000 uplifting women owned businesses over the past year in 2023. What are you doing to ensure that your own team accurately affects the community you serve? And you talked some about that about being a majority minority board. What else? How does that how does that reflect in our organization?

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:24:57

Oh, I can. I can. Yeah. I can start. No. I think what you see as far as, like, administration and when I think about our directors, over our 14 agencies, it is very much reflective. Like, you have black women leading. You have white women leading.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:25:16

You have, inclusive of LGBTQIA plus individuals. You have men leading, and you have, diversity in African or white or just African American. We are inclusive of those who have disabilities, Jewish people. When I first came, to the county, my own personal staff, I had a young white woman, a Jewish woman, a black woman, and then me. And now I have, 2 black women and getting ready to hire a black man. And and so you you see a representation of the community. And then as we hire more staff, we hire people who are knowledgeable and are experienced, but we are we are very much looking at, how does this bring more diversity to the county? How does it and that's why when we even have our, administrator Wilson can talk speak to this a lot when we have our hiring process. There is multiple people on those calls.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:26:19

So it's not just the person that's doing the hiring. They bring people from different agencies to sit on that call. Usually, it's about 4 or 5 individuals, even on the initial interview. And then on the second round of interviews, you have more people, who are from different backgrounds, different walks, interviewing and asking questions, so we can very much hire what the community looks like. Absolutely.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:26:41

The only thing I'd add to that, as well said, is that it also transfers in procurement. You know, that's where I I like to see the measurement. You know, when we built, you know, it's it's not something fun to talk about when you say you built a a A jail. A jail, you know, but that jail was a 350,000,000 plus project. And and embedded in a $350,000,000 new jail are the services and resources that we can use to serve our residents. And, I'm proud to say that we we we did that, almost 30%, Chris, or, almost almost 30% of that went to minority owned companies. I mean, that that's a lot of money. That's what that is.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:27:24

And and quite and honestly, that was that was the first project that the county and the history of Franklin County was able to do that where we set goals in, the, in the in the in the contracts we're getting. Council member favors, you'll appreciate this. You know, we had, before I it is I'm I'm not taking credit for this. Before I got to the county, we couldn't you you obviously can't have set asides, but but what you can have is we challenged the prosecutor at the time to say, can we have goals? And and finally, after a lot of conversations and, discussions, the prosecutor at the time agreed that we could set goals. But here's the thing, community. Why he did that, and I'll just recognize, former prosecutor Ronald Bryant for this. Why he did that was when we were out campaigning he heard that in the community. He heard that we were at Candace Knights and and they presented that to him.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:28:24

We wanna see more and we wanna see the peanut butter being spread, if you will, through procurement. And so when we came back that year after election, we said, can we have this conversation again? And he said, yeah. I think it's time to have that conversation. And and and so he he approved because we had to get the the prosecutors, I I think council member favors those is we have to get the prosecutors support for that kind of goal, and he did. And not only did we meet the goal, but we exceeded it significantly. And through our DNI efforts, we continue to exceed that kind of performance every single week. Every time we have a a a board of commissioners meeting, they have to provide us, the board of commissioners, with the report on how we're doing with regards to every single contract that goes out about d and I and inclusion d and I. Every single contract, and that's different.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:29:16

That's not how we did business before, and that's how we do business today, and it makes a difference. Mhmm. Because everybody's on the hook. You know, I quite frankly, I'm sitting here thinking you said 85% something of the 15% who don't have that value set.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:29:28

That was right. Yes.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:29:29

Yeah. You know, and so because because that's something that we really believe deeply, and we see it every day. And it and it comes out in the procurement process that you're always a part of on, Tuesday morning.

Damika Withers [: 00:29:40

Yes.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:29:41

Additionally, this board, set up a construction inclusion team that you all appointed members to, that serve as a body that, follows the principles that you all laid out, and are monitoring not only construction, but workforce participation. Our people from the community monitoring who's working on the projects. Projects. So that is something that,

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:30:08

Senator Tavarez

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:30:09

is leading us. Emphasized, Senator Tavarez in our audience. So, you all had, that in place after we owned our first project, the Franklin County Forensic Science Center and the James a Kearns Correction Center, both of those projects had aspirational goals tied to them. And every project thereafter will have aspirational goals tied to them. I was in a meeting just yesterday in the Franklin County Crisis Center. That is a $63,000,000 project that Adam h, is spearheading, with the county's assistance is at 31%. Mhmm. As we said at about the midway point of construction.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:30:51

So we are, leveling up as a community and setting a new standard.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:30:55

Mhmm. And I and I'll just add to that. I'm glad you raised that point, but the city of Columbus has been great partners with us as well. As many of you know, we're building a new terminal at the airport. I mean, Central Ohio is growing. And as a part of that growth, we've gotta build a a new airport essentially. And, embedded in that conversation is that didn't exist before. Is that those projects that it's $2,000,000,000 is that something like $2,000,000,000 project.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:31:23

Embedded in that conversation is the same inclusion conversation that we had about the jail and about the other places. But we partnered with the city of Columbus to set that standard with the airport because we're both joint owners of the airport and or at least we appoint the board, that's owners of the airport. And so that standard is embedded now in agencies outside of the city of Columbus, outside of Franklin County. And that's where you see real growth in d e and I, When other agencies understand, hey. That's the value set by the city of Columbus in Franklin County. We we need to hold that too. And so for that project and and we've been in heavy negotiations about that, and everyone that's involved has held firm on the fact that there will be a inclusion, goal of 25% plus. Mhmm.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:32:07

And that's that's progress. That's progress.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:32:11

Mister McConnell? I don't know where we are on time, but I would just add that, even when it comes to our investments, when it comes to public private partnerships, if we're even talking about affordable housing or mixed use and people are seeking county dollars, we have a requirement. Like, well, what is the minority participation? Our goal is this. And if you want our investment, like, are you willing to work towards that? And we even have a public private partnership, for the North Tap North Market North Market. That's gonna be a hotel as well as apartments, and we even, asked for it to be included in the contract for Experience Columbus. They they're here. They have a workforce development program to get people in the hospitality industry into middle management, which had been a problem for years, and the pandemic exacerbated that. So outside of making sure that we have affordable housing component with the people who are gonna be working there, who's gonna be building it? So when we talk about the tower or, the forensic science center or the child care center that we're getting ready to build after we demolish the jail, What does participation look like from a minority perspective as well as gender? But then also people who are gonna be working there, what is your goal as well? So, I mean, we go deep.

Damika Withers [: 00:33:29

Yes. We do. Yeah. We do. And we have hard necessary conversations. And not only are we held accountable by our residents and partners like you, but we also make sure that we're leading into conversations to say that these are our measures and what we want you to follow and not just being a great funding partner but a collaborative on the boots. We'll be there with you having these hard necessary, conversations as partners and I love that not only does our board do that, but that seeps through all of our county leaders, in the county. Another thing that, that's one of the things that they pointed out is that our people look to Franklin County to see how are you leading, how are you guiding, how are you building standards, making sure and wanting to say, what is the county doing? How can I work to incorporate these practices into my organization? And so many of us, Commissioner Boyce and Commissioner Crawley and Commissioner O'Grady, myself and Administrator Wilson and other county leadership work really hard with our national partners through a National Association of Counties and we are at the table.

Damika Withers [: 00:34:29

Our voice is heard, what we're doing is looked at as best practices. So with that being said, lots of jurisdictions across the country have limited or even dismantled, their DEI practices. So much to say they can't even say diversity, equity and inclusion, have training, you see so many legislation has passed that provides even more oppression in our communities. And so we've been doing the work for quite a while now with progress that we can point to so many accomplished, accomplishments as you have already talked about. But what do you think the future holds? We talk a lot about sustainability, we talk a lot about how this division of diversity, equity, inclusion, although we've been doing this work for a long time, now it sits somewhere, you have something to call it. What does sustainability look like and how does the path forward look for this work and why do you think it's important to continue to create a workplace culture and society that dedicates itself to inclusion and equity?

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:35:23

I'll take that. I'll start off. Just say that, you know, we said earlier there's not a place in central Ohio you can't go and see a crane in the sky, orange barrels on the street. I mean, we are growing. Even our highways are expanding. And so, as we grow, I think that we will become more diverse. We'll become more advanced. And, you know, with the with the new intel project, I mean, that is a lifetime kind of project that has implications for generations to come.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:35:54

And so I think what you're going to see is that as a value set, not just of Franklin County and Central Ohio, but of the region. And when you see that, truly, you'll have a, what I would say, is an anchor in the Midwest to lead the way for the country. And I so I only see it getting better.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:36:10

Mhmm. Yeah. Can we just I mean, I would just echo that. I I think as you as we continue to grow, I would like to see some of our other municipalities have a focus in this area, When it even comes to, like, housing and transportation, there are many who feel like they're left out. There are I I was on a panel up in, Dublin for leadership Dublin, and there are some townships. And I know our township association president is here, and I'm sure he understands and knows well for his members that everybody is not on board for having an inclusive community. They're actually standing in the way and standing in the way of progress. But I say all the time, development is going to happen.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:36:54

It can happen to you or it can happen with you. Mhmm. And the community will speak. They will their voices will be heard. And people need to have a place to live. They need to have a safe place to live. Columbus can't hold everyone. It is, growing outside of the the city.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:37:09

We're responsible I won't say responsible. We but we have, like, 42 jurisdictions that are in Franklin County, and we would love for every one of them to be a partner, but they are not. So I think there's work to be done. But I think it will

Damika Withers [: 00:37:20

be the community who it

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:37:22

will be the community members, our neighbors, who move that community to be more inclusive, to be more diverse, to to champion the things that they wanna see. It can't always be the top down. I very much believe it should be bottom up, and those who are closest to the problem are closest to the solution.

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:37:38

So,

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:37:38

just having them to be at the table as decisions are being made about where investments go when it comes to COTA and Link US, like, what they would like to see. We know in places, where they have had a levy on the ballot that has failed, it has failed in places where the community felt like they didn't see a value for them.

Damika Withers [: 00:37:57

They didn't see how it was going

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:37:58

to benefit them or their life, how it was gonna make a difference. And so when we think about these large initiatives that are coming, that are happening, we need to make sure that the community is at the table and being part of the decision makers because they that's where they live. Absolutely. Administrator?

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:38:14

Engagement is the key in my opinion. In order to make, provide an opportunity for everyone and organic action. All of the residents need to engage in the process and participate in the process, and every resident, should think about what is my agenda as an individual, to advance myself individually, my family, my community, my church, my circle, and bond together with others. And and if you do that, inclusion will be an organic action. If people participate in the pride process and ensure that their administrators and their elected leaders, reflect, their interests and their well-being.

Damika Withers [: 00:39:07

Mhmm. I think what I heard today is that collaboration is so important, that we want to hear from the community, we want to hear from our collaborative partners, and we're moving forward.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:39:17

I ask something real quick? And we can get the heaters back on in a minute. Because it is hot up here. My fingers are freezing. But what I will say is it's disappointing, when I come to general session or I come to briefing. I see the same faces as county, county leadership, but I don't see anybody from the community. And so as I've been having these, coffee and conversations or cones and conversations with Crowley, and I'm representing, my colleagues and administration and and what we do, because people don't know what commissioners do. Like, we would love to see people show up. We would love to have people's input.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:39:53

We move a $2,200,000,000 budget. People are so focused on the city of Columbus. That is our largest municipality. It's not the only one who have a larger budget than they do. Right? Like, when it comes to our investment, we move 1,000,000 of dollars every week. This is your dollars. These are your dollars. You should have a say.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:40:11

We would love to hear. People have stopped movement. Like, we will table a resolution if there's, questions. I know we'd love to we'd love to be challenged. Right? Like, we work for you. We work for the the people. But we don't if you're having nobody yet Right. Come out.

ommissioner Erica C. Crawley [: 00:40:27

Right.

Damika Withers [: 00:40:27

Come. Yeah. We need the people.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:40:30

We need people to see us, and we need to be intentional about that. And and that's why and you you're going to your question about, Franklin County as an employer reflecting the community. That's why we created, programs such as County Futures, in order to have that extra outreach to provide that support to people we're able to recruit. That county government belongs to you. You can work for county government. You can be a part of every resident every day. You can promote and help us advance service excellence and progress. It's not just words, it's actions.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:41:03

Mhmm. Because you got to be in the community where the people are, and that's why we're having events where we're out in the community, we're going to local coffee shops, we're starting to do these things. We got 2 mobile units that will be going into as many neighborhoods as we can, bringing the government, Franklin County, to individual residents.

Damika Withers [: 00:41:26

Mhmm. Commissioner Boyce?

Commissioner Kevin Boyce [: 00:41:27

Yeah. That I was just gonna bring that up and say that we got the mobile units covered in.

Damika Withers [: 00:41:32

Let's give them a round of applause. These are your county leaders. These are the people who are working for you, working for our community, working to build stuff together for you. So we ask that you, like Commissioner Crawley's charges, come find out, challenge us with county dollars and we want to thank the Commissioner Crawley, Commissioner Boyce and county administration for add adding your insights and what we have been doing and what we need to do to build a better community. Thank you.