HAMILTON’S THREE NEIGHBORHOOD TYPES
City officials have broken Hamilton’s 17 neigborhoods into three types:
Seven traditional neighborhoods: North End, 4th Ward/Jefferson, East End, Lindenwald, Prospect Hill, Highland Park and Armondale.
Five urban-core areas: Downtown/Central Business District, German Village, 2nd Ward/South East, Dayton Lane and Rossville.
Five suburban areas: Enterprise Park, New London, Millikin, Two Mile and Washington.
MEMBERS OF THE 17 STRONG ADVISORY BOARD
Mitchell Willis, board president
REPRESENTS: Urban neighborhoods
LIVES IN: German Village
TERM EXPIRES: Dec. 31, 2019
HOMETOWN: Newport Beach, Calif.
YEARS AS HAMILTONIAN: 2
OCCUPATION: Director of Development at Shared Harvest Foodbank. Also an adjunct professor at Miami University's Hamilton campus, teaching civic engagement.
EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Southern California and master's degree in public administration/non-profit management from Yale.
BIO: Has worked in Hamilton for 6 years and he and his partner bought their Historic Home in German Village 2 years ago. A fundraiser with more than 23 years of experience, Willis has worked at several respected organizations and institutions in the public and non-profit sectors.
QUOTE: "My heart and soul are truly about community no matter what an individual's socioeconomic background is. At the end of the day, we should all break bread together and be grateful," Willis said. "My excitement for the renaissance our city is experiencing began about three years ago when I knew I was home!"
Don Garrett, board vice president
REPRESENTS: Suburban neighborhoods
LIVES IN: New London
TERM EXPIRES: Dec. 31, 2019
HOMETOWN: Hamilton
YEARS AS HAMILTONIAN: Lifelong
OCCUPATION: Fairfield police sergeant
EDUCATION: A 1980 graduate of Taft Sr. High School, he also attended Coastal Carolina Community College. A graduate of The Police Executive Leadership College, he is currently attending the Certified Law Enforcement Executive Program.
BIO: Has resided in the New London neighborhood since 2012. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, he has worked for the Fairfield Police Department since 1986. He is currently a Police Sergeant and assigned as a patrol supervisor. Don has attended advanced leadership, community relations and executive training courses. He is a member of The City of Sculpture Board. He has participated in the Sense of Place Committee for the past two years and other civic groups in the past. Don believes that being involved in improving our community and building relationships are the keys to the success of our neighborhoods. He supports building trust and communication within the city to spark redevelopment, community pride and a healthy city to live in.
Scott Chadwell, board member and social media officer
REPRESENTS: Suburban neighborhoods
LIVES IN: Taft Place/Governor's Hill
TERM EXPIRES: Dec. 31, 2019
HOMETOWN: Born in Hamilton; raised in San Diego, Calif.
YEARS AS HAMILTONIAN: 1
OCCUPATION: Technology officer for ad agency and co-owner of a software company. Employers are Hyperdrive Interactive, Fanmail Marketing and Storyports.
QUOTE: "(I) moved back to Hamilton to raise my daughter and want to be a part of the community and be of service in Hamilton in whatever capacity I can."
Frank Downie, board member
REPRESENTS: Traditional neighborhoods
LIVES IN: Lindenwald
TERM EXPIRES: Dec. 31, 2019
HOMETOWN: Born in Middletown; raised in Hamilton.
YEARS AS HAMILTONIAN: 61
OCCUPATION: Volunteer/semi-retired from AJ Rahn Greenhouses.
EDUCATION: St. Ann; Hamilton Catholic/Badin High School; Bachelor of Science in psychology from University of Dayton; some graduate work University of Indiana, Terre Haute.
BIO: Has been a Hamilton resident in the Lindenwald neighborhood since age 5, and has spent the past 40 years in the same home on Brough Avenue. He lives in Lindenwald, but says he is committed to all 17 areas of the city.
QUOTE: "I recall when our neighborhoods were distinct entities; rich with small businesses, front porches, pools, parks and residents who knew each other and interaction was high…. The willingness of City of Hamilton administration and City Council to encourage and sanction the 17Strong Initiative resonates with me and I want in on the ground floor."
Alfred Hall, board member
REPRESENTS: Urban neighborhoods
LIVES IN: Downtown/Central Business District
TERM EXPIRES: Dec. 31, 2017
HOMETOWN: Hamilton
OCCUPATION: Urban farmer at Hamilton Urban Garden Systems (HUGS)
BIO: After a 40-year absence, Hall has been back in Hamilton for seven years. He has served as a corporate executive, management consultant and is now an urban farmer.
QUOTE: "We are citizens not consumers. We have an obligation to make our city a better place to live, work, learn and play."
Amy Kibby, board member
REPRESENTS: Traditional neighborhoods
LIVES IN: East End
TERM EXPIRES: Dec. 31, 2017
HOMETOWN: Hamilton
YEARS AS HAMILTONIAN: 40
OCCUPATION: Business Operations Analyst at Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software.
EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science in fashion merchandising from Miami University.
BIO: Born and raised in Hamilton, and a graduate of Badin High School and Miami University, Amy has worked in several industries with a strong focus in sales and customer service and is currently a Business Operations Analyst for Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software. She hopes to create balance and harmony among the 17 neighborhoods.
QUOTE: "I would like to develop opportunities that will celebrate our diverse cultures to strengthen and unify our great city."
Chris Roehl, board member
REPRESENTS: Traditional neighborhoods
LIVES IN: Armondale
TERM EXPIRES: Dec. 31, 2019
HOMETOWN: Montpelier, Ohio
YEARS AS HAMILTONIAN: 18
OCCUPATION: IT Network field engineer
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in architecture, Miami University.
BIO: Chris worked as a full-time designer for 10 years, and now works as an IT Network Field Engineer as well as a freelance designer providing 3D visualization and graphic design service.
QUOTE: "I want to provide added support in any way I can to the city that has really done a lot for me over the past 18 years. I'd love to see a strengthening of community within all of the neighborhoods and hope to use the skills in my toolbox to help achieve that."
Lauren Smallwood, board member
REPRESENTS: Suburban neighborhoods
LIVES IN: Washington
TERM EXPIRES: Dec. 31, 2017
HOMETOWN: Hamilton
YEARS AS HAMILTONIAN: Lifelong
OCCUPATION: Graduate research assistant at Miami University
EDUCATION: Hamilton High School graduate, bachelor's in early childhood education, master's in elementary education, master's in school psychology and current doctoral student in school psychology at Miami University.
BIO: Lauren Smallwood lives in the Washington neighborhood and is a lifelong Hamilton resident. She is a graduate research assistant for Center for School-Based Mental Health Programs at Miami University, doctoral student in school psychology.
QUOTE: "The mission of 17 Strong truly promotes citizen engagement and the betterment of our community at large. As an advocate of Hamilton, I believe this opportunity will further the efforts to highlight all aspects of our city. Now is a great time to be a Hamiltonian!"
Joanne Wallisch, board member
REPRESENTS: Urban neighborhoods
LIVES IN: Rossville
TERM EXPIRES: Dec. 31, 2019
HOMETOWN: Hamilton
YEARS AS HAMILTONIAN: 54
OCCUPATION: Owner/Designer at Piraino Interiors
EDUCATION: Graduate of Western College for Women
BIO: Aside from an 11-year stint in Denver, Joanne is a committed 5th generation Hamiltonian. She is a professional member of Interior Design Society (IDS-CQRID) and has practiced Interior Design for 38 years, with 17 of those as the owner of Piraino Interiors in Hamilton. Joanne has volunteered in the Sense of Place/17 Strong effort for the past 3 1/2 years primarily in the North End neighborhood.
QUOTE: "It is my belief that the stronger and healthier our neighborhoods are, the stronger the city is. I believe this group can facilitate major changes in our landscape."
Kathy Christen, alternate
REPRESENTS: Urban neighborhoods
LIVES IN: Rossville
TERM EXPIRES: Dec. 31, 2019
HOMETOWN: Hamilton
YEARS AS HAMILTONIAN: 50
OCCUPATION: English teacher in the Hamilton City Schools for almost 30 years and an adjunct professor in education at the University of Cincinnati.
EDUCATION: Graduate of Hamilton High School, 1982; bachelor's degree in English education from Miami University, 1986; master's in educational administration from Miami University, 1989; doctorate in educational foundations from the University of Cincinnati, 2005; School Superintendent's Licensure (30 hours) from the University of Cincinnati, 2008.
BIO: Her parents (Dr. Jim and Anne Carr) were fervent believers of giving back to the community and they raised her brothers and her with these ideals of giving and selflessness. In recent years, Kathy had taken a hiatus from many community service projects to raise her children, but now that they are school age, she is ready to begin giving back again. Her mother was on the committee responsible for putting the exclamation point in between Hamilton and Ohio, and she feels it's time for a reboot. She has lived in three Hamilton neighborhoods after growing up in Fairway Hills and also living in Dayton Lane prior to her current home in Rossville.
QUOTE: "I am a true believer in 'hometown pride' and I am beyond thrilled at the progress that Hamilton has been making in the last few years to create a fabulous urban city and a cultural mecca."
Michele Simmons, alternate
REPRESENTS: Traditional neighborhoods
LIVES IN: Highland Park
TERM EXPIRES: Dec. 31, 2019
HOMETOWN: Kingston, Tenn.
YEARS AS HAMILTONIAN: 13
OCCUPATION: Associate professor at Miami University
EDUCATION: PhD in composition and rhetoric, Purdue University; MA in professional communication, Clemson University; BA in technical writing, University of Tennessee
BIO: She has resided in Hamilton's Highland Park neighborhood since 2003. An associate professor at Miami University where she teaches civic engagement, technical writing, grant writing, environmental communication, and research methods, she has a long-term interest in urban revitalization. She is excited by the opportunity that 17Strong provides to work with communities in a citizen-led initiative to not only engage residents within their own neighborhoods but also to build productive connections across and among all city neighborhoods.
Robert Stewart, alternate
REPRESENTS: Suburban neighborhoods
LIVES IN: New London
TERM EXPIRES: Dec. 31, 2019
HOMETOWN: Springdale
YEARS AS HAMILTONIAN: 6
OCCUPATION: Supply Chain Manager at Fischer Process Industries
EDUCATION: Graduated From Princeton High School in 1992; Attended University of Cincinnati 1992-1997.
QUOTE: "I wanted to be involved with the advisory board, as a sense of just volunteering my time to the community. I had been wanting to get involved for a long time, and when I saw this opportunity it just seemed to be a fit for me."
A new panel responsible for better connecting Hamilton’s 17 neighborhoods with city government — to strengthen all parts of the city and build greater trust between citizens and city leaders — has been named, and in recent weeks has been organizing itself.
"We were blessed with more than 30 outstanding citizens" who applied to be named to the new 17 Strong Advisory Board, said councilwoman Kathleen Klink, one of three city council members who chose members of the panel that will also be responsible for awarding $50,000 in micro-grants to single neighborhoods or groups of them working together.
But one thing that’s apparent from a photo of the advisory board is there is no African-American on it. The Census Bureau estimates 8.4 percent of Hamilton residents are black and 5.3 percent are Hispanic. There’s also no representative from the largely black Second Ward and the residences of those on the board skews toward the city’s west side, according to an analysis by this news outlet.
“Well, we don’t have champions from all neighborhoods, and we don’t have people who applied from all neighborhoods,” Klink said, when asked about it. “That was the bottom line.”
Not counting the alternate members, five on the board live west of the Great Miami River, while four live east of it. When alternates are counted, eight are from the city’s western side, compared with four from the eastern part. Nine of the city’s 17 neighborhoods are east of the river.
Pastor Shaquila "Shaq" Mathews, who is black and Klink said lives in Lindenwald and has a church in the Second Ward, did apply, but was not chosen.
“I’m hopeful she’ll remain with us as a person who will be directly involved. But nobody else applied. You hope for as much as you can possibly find,” Klink said.
Klink said organizers tried to spread the word about the committee through the news media and social media with hopes of increasing diversity.
Three members of Hamilton City Council originally planned to appoint nine citizens, but instead named 12 to the new 17 Strong Advisory Board. The additional three will serve as alternatives who can fill in during others’ absences.
The citizen members are joined on the panel by three non-voting members of the council who appointed them — Klink, Timothy Naab, and Carla Fiehrer — as well as three non-voting members of the city administration: Brandon Saurber, Boyce Swift and Karen Wittmer.
“It’s just wonderful, the mix of new and lifelong Hamiltonians,” Klink said. “They also bring points-of-view from across many different areas of our city.”
A newbie will lead them: Board President Mitchell Willis has been a city resident for two years. Others have been Hamilton residents all the several decades of their lives.
Six of the 12 citizens have some connection to Miami University, most as students; with three being employed by the school. Because there are fewer residents on the panel than neighborhoods, members were named to represent three types of neighborhoods: urban, suburban, and traditional.
The alternates help make sure a neighborhood type isn’t under-represented when matters come up for votes.
“I started working in Hamilton the same time that Joshua (Smith) became the city manager, and I just really liked the change that I was seeing,” Willis said. “He was bringing in a younger team with an incredible vibe, and so the renaissance started happening about three years ago, which is very appealing. I want to be part of it — I wanted to be in the middle of all this.”
“I looked at 17 Strong as a different type of advisory council — not as a ‘he-said-she-said,’ but more as a ‘All we want to do is lift you up,’” Willis said. “All we want to do is identify something in your neighborhood that can help you grow, help you beautify, help you be safe.”
“Whatever that looks like in a positive fashion, so that we can lift our entire city,” Willis added. “I like that we segmented Hamilton into 17 neighborhoods so that we can truly work with every neighborhood.”
The panel has been organizing itself in recent weeks, meeting weekly. In coming weeks, the panel plans to list dates of future meeting dates, because, “every single person is welcome to come to our meetings, and to learn more. Whoever we’re not hearing from, we want to knock on doors. We literally want to canvass and get out to the neighborhoods that maybe aren’t represented, maybe nobody from those neighborhoods applied to be part of the 17 Strong council,” said Willis, who noted he is of Mexican heritage.
“It’s definitely the most positives of invitations, I think,” he said.
He and other proponents of the panel, including Klink, are energized by the $50,000 the group will help distribute in micro-grants of up to $3,000 that can be awarded to single neighborhoods or groups of them working together, to put on community concerts and create other programs to improve their areas.
“It’s totally a citizen-led group,” Klink said.
“Grants can be up to $3,000, and maybe there’s a collaboration — maybe there’s a couple of neighborhoods that come together and do something together,” Willis said. “I think it’s a bright future, and it’s really terrific that the city is letting volunteers come together to help make it a better place.”
The best way to contact Willis or any other panel member is 17strong@hamilton-oh.gov. Messages intended specifically for single members will be forwarded to them.
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