"We are building the best city in the nation to live, work and raise a family, and the strength of our foundation is our neighborhoods."

- Mayor Michael B. Coleman

Mayor Michael B. Coleman took office with a commitment to improving the quality of life for families in Columbus neighborhoods and has set forth a variety of strategies to support that vision.

A Partner in Job Creation

Mayor Coleman has leveraged incentives to create and retain more than 65,000 jobs and bring more than $4.5 billion in private investment to Columbus throughout his tenure.  Growing companies enjoy an educated workforce from 18 regional colleges and universities. Columbus is centrally located to national markets and a growing transportation, distribution and logistics hub. The city, currently the 16th largest in America, is also growing as a retail hub.

Building Safer Neighborhoods

Mayor Coleman’s top priority always has been Public Safety, illustrated by the fact that more than 70 percent of the General Fund budget is dedicated to the Divisions of Police and Fire. Through 2008, the mayor’s Police Summer Strike Force made 3,269 arrests and seized 687 guns. In 2010, the mayor's Community Response Teams made 165 arrests and recovered 20 guns. The mayor is Ohio chairman of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, leading a regional effort against gun trafficking and gun violence. These combined efforts have helped make Columbus Ohio's safest big city, with a lower homicide rate than Cleveland or Cincinnati.

Government Reform

Mayor Coleman has a proven record of balancing budgets and reforming government. Columbus is the only large city in the nation to maintain an Aaa Bond rating from all three major rating agencies. Since 2009, Mayor Coleman has taken steps that will save more than $100 million over the next decade by getting employee benefits in line with the market while reducing unnecessary overtime, increasing the use of technology and making the city more energy efficient.

Get Green Columbus

Columbus has made tremendous strides protecting the environment under Mayor Coleman, who created the ongoing Get Green Columbus campaign. The mayor has made a commitment to improving energy efficiency in older city facilities while requiring that every new city construction project be LEED-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The mayor’s Bicentennial Bikeways Plan calls for an additional 36 miles of off-road trails and 58 miles of on-street bike lanes and routes by the year 2015. In 2008 Mayor Coleman created the GreenSpot program to inspire, educate and recognize residents and businesses making efforts to protect our environment. The mayor also plans a comprehensive curbside recycling program for 2012.

Neighborhood Pride

Neighborhood Pride is at the heart of Mayor Michael B. Coleman’s vision to make Columbus “the best city in the nation in which to live, work and raise a family.”

Neighborhood Pride is a team effort by City departments, neighborhood groups and individual citizens, businesses and other partners to make our neighborhoods safer and cleaner, keys to a more vibrant and exciting future for Columbus.