Time for Change: A Smarter, Fairer, More Responsive City

Purpose: To provide meaningful opportunities for Cincinnati youth through employment, mentorship, and structured engagement. 

Proposed Action: Re-establish and modernize the Citizens Committee for Youth (CCY), a city-funded summer employment program that once played a vital role in Donald’s own development.

Benefits:

• Provides local youth with paid summer jobs
• Builds strong partnerships between the city and local businesses
• Offers mentorship, structure, and skill-building
• Supports long-term personal and professional growth for teens

Purpose: With over 6,000 illegal firearms estimated to be on Cincinnati’s streets, the goal is to reduce gun violence and improve neighborhood safety by removing these weapons from our communities.

Proposed Action:Implement a no-questions-asked gun buyback initiative that offers flat-rate compensation for turning in illegal guns.

Benefits:

• Takes illegal firearms out of circulation
• Offers a safe, anonymous way to reduce weapons in communities
• Helps restore peace and security in high-risk neighborhoods
• Signals a proactive approach to public safety

Purpose:  To give troubled youth the chance to connect with mentors who have walked in their shoes, individuals who have served time and overcome similar struggles. These mentors utilize their lived experiences to guide and redirect youth who may be headed down the same destructive path, demonstrating that change and growth are possible regardless of their circumstances. 

Proposed Action:  A “Big Brother–style” program where mentors and mentees meet twice a month in person. Each mentor will provide individualized support based on the unique needs of the youth, including:

• Building confidence and self-worth
• Providing a safe space for venting and emotional release
• Offering boy-to-manhood guidance (life skills, respect, responsibility)
• Being the consistent presence of a big brother figure
• Partnering with local businesses, sports teams, theaters, and cultural institutions to provide tickets, experiences, and opportunities for youth

Benefits:

• Identifies risky behaviors early in at-risk youth and provides positive guidance 
• Builds trusting, supportive relationships that extend beyond the program
• Demonstrates in real time how to turn struggle into strength and success
• Exposes youth to positive outlets and new environments and encourages healthier lifestyle choices

Purpose: To address childhood trauma at its origins by introducing somatic-based approaches that go beyond traditional cognitive and behavioral methods. 

Proposed Action:
To formally recognize childhood trauma as a state of emergency, acknowledging it as a crisis that requires immediate and coordinated intervention across schools, families, and communities. This declaration will prompt the integration of trauma-informed, somatic-based strategies, such as movement, safe relational environments, and nervous system regulation within educational and community health systems.

Benefits:

• Shifts the focus from managing behavior to healing the root cause of trauma. 
• Equips teachers, parents, and caregivers with tools for trauma-informed care.
• Creates safer, more emotionally regulated learning environments.
• Strengthens family and community resilience through shared healing practices.
• Lays the foundation for long-term improvements in public health, education, and social stability.
   

Purpose: Business owners are frustrated with the city’s fragmented system for permits, inspections, and compliance. The current process is inefficient, requiring visits to multiple offices and causing delays and confusion.

Proposed Action:  Establish a Centralized Business Services Office to 

• Combine all business-related functions in one location
• Increase staffing to improve service speed
• Streamline workflows and reduce red tape
• Enhance coordination across departments

Benefits

• Faster, simpler compliance for business owners
• Stronger support for entrepreneurship
• Improved trust and collaboration between the city and its business community