Columbus City councilmembers share priorities for new year

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – With the new district set up for Columbus City Council, members have priorities for their specific districts and the city as a whole.

Council is now made up of nine members where it previously had seven. With the new year also comes the new council residential districts. Each member represents one of the nine districts.

“Really excited about 2024 bringing a lot of changes to council," Councilmember Nick Bankston said.

Bankston represents district five which includes the northeast part of the city. He called growth the biggest opportunity and challenge for his part of town and the entire city.

“I think one of the biggest ones for us on the northeast side of Columbus is going to be housing and transportation," Bankston said.

He said part of the reason those are topics he's focused on for his district is its proximity to Intel and other job centers. Councilmember Melissa Green, a licensed social worker, is new to city council. Her district includes the Hilltop. She said mental health and the opioid crisis are issues affecting her district and other parts of the city.

“This is people's parents, people's kids, your friends, your families, your loved ones, and with the increases we’re seeing we can't wait, we can't afford to wait to stop taking action," Green said. “I’ll be the first licensed social worker to serve on council, so coming into this space with a mental health background as a practitioner, I'm really excited for the opportunity to use that lens in all of that work we’re doing."

Her district also includes the Westland area which she said has gaps in availability of recreation centers.

“Our ability to have a safe place to go and play with kids, that's good for drug and alcohol prevention, that's good for your mental health," Green said.

The Linden and Northland neighborhoods are represented by Councilmember Emmanuel Remy. He described Cleveland Avenue as a speedway and said it needs to be safer. While members have their own districts, they said they are still working for all residents of Columbus.

“Public safety is my number one concern. Nothing else works if the people don't feel safe," Remy said. 

Councilmembers also said issues like housing, safety, jobs, and improving quality of life for residents are priorities they have citywide. Columbus residents can see which district they live in here.