April 25, 2005
Behind Every Candidate...
Newcomer Paul McGhee works for nomination
By Jason Haap, MA
Guest Columnist
Paul McGhee has characterized his campaign by getting an early start: he was one of the first to get all the signatures together, to establish a campaign web page, and so on. This has allowed the campaign team to focus quickly on issues affecting neighborhoods.
Mr. McGhee has been visiting about three community council meetings weekly. He has also interviewed business leaders, police officers, and church congregations as a way to hear the voices of our city.
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Members of his campaign team meet every two weeks, and we are continuously assembling a team that is diverse in terms of age, gender, and race. Mr. McGhee is conducting an open-minded, grass-roots campaign. Team members meet to discuss their perspective on the city and to analyze information gathered from Mr. McGhee's community visits. We then collaborate on forming concepts which conform to Mr. McGhee's ideology. These position papers are published on the campaign website, and some are transformed into flyers for distribution on the street level.
It is this open approach and willingness to collaborate that most qualifies Mr. McGhee for a seat on City Council. Right now, we are excited about something called "The Community Congress," which is a key piece of the campaign. In short, Mr. McGhee would like to establish a forum inside City Hall where — once every month or so — representatives from the fifty-two community councils gather to articulate a common vision and voice for Cincinnati. Communities sharing a concern or border can collaborate on addressing such issues, and they will be able to do so under the umbrella of City Hall. This is a way to bring all lines of communication together so we can truly start working to build our city.
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McGhee's Mission: All City residents who want to work should be supplied with the means to do
so. All City funds should be distributed justly throughout all communities. I remember when Children’s Hospital, Avondale, and BABA came together to inform the community about health programs they didn’t know about before. I like seeing groups work together for the common interest of the people. My candidacy is for the people. I think many people overlook the most important commodity of the City, which is getting citizens involved in City Government. I wish to stand as a model for bringing citizen involvement into City Hall. My mission is based on love for the people, inner-strength, and accountability.
"The Podium" is Queen City Forum Magazine's opinion page. Guest writers and staff writers offer their take on social, political and life issues. "The Podium" will feature a new "Behind Every Candidate" each week on Sunday going to the election on November 8th, 2005. The Mayoral Primary will be held on September 13th.
Contact Information
· podium@queencityforum.com
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