A month ago, amid the backdrop of a prolonged partial shutdown of the federal government, I wrote about the extreme consequences Ohio would face if federal funding for food assistance were to run out before the shutdown was resolved. Thankfully, with the shutdown ending on January 25 and the recent passage of a spending bill...
February 25, 2019
Addressing racial disparities in childhood: Opportunities in education
This is the second blog in a series responding to the infographic report on racial disparities in Cleveland that I authored in December. Click here to read the first blog. The existence of wide disparities between black and white children living in poverty is not surprising. Poverty is a measure of income relative to family...
February 21, 2019
A Recap of Governor DeWine’s Advisory Committee on Transportation Infrastructure
On Wednesday, February 6 about 100 people packed a hearing room at the Rhodes Tower in Columbus for the second meeting of the Ohio Governor’s Advisory Council on Transportation Infrastructure. The council of 15 individuals, assembled by Governor Mike DeWine in late January, met for the very first time the day before. The committee was...
February 14, 2019
Follow the Money: Launch party and reception
February 11, 2019
A Difference of Perspectives
Upon leaving the Legislative Budget Office in 1982, Richard G. Sheridan relocated to Lakewood on Ohio’s North Coast, where he taught classes and served as fiscal director at Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin Urban Center. He later moved to The Center for Community Solutions (then, the Federation for Community Planning), where he was a...
January 28, 2019
Working for Richard G. Sheridan
Shortly after graduating with a Master’s degree in political science from The Ohio State University in 1977, I sought employment as a “practitioner” of the trade with the Ohio Legislative Service Commission (LSC). Upon interviewing with LSC Director David Johnston, he thought I would best fit the organization in their Legislative Budget Office (LBO). While...
January 28, 2019
Driver’s license suspensions disproportionately impact poor Ohioans
The Center for Community Solutions has written about the ways in which our current transportation policy choices affect health outcomes and Medicaid spending, including how access to transportation increases economic mobility and alleviates poverty. However, it’s important to highlight how a driver’s license is a near necessity for employment in Ohio, with the Ohio Department...
January 22, 2019
Government shutdown: How federal workers impact Ohio’s economy
Assuming there is no agreement reached between congressional legislators and the White House, the partial government shutdown will pass the one-month mark this week. Last Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed legislation guaranteeing back pay to furloughed federal employees, many of whom have already missed a paycheck. There are more than 78,000 federal employees spread across...
December 31, 2018
John Corlett’s top 10 favorite reports of 2018
The Center for Community Solutions’ offices are closed through January 2, and on the last day of 2018 we want to share our president and executive director, John Corlett’s top 10 Community Solutions’ reports from 2018. The report topics span a variety of health and human services issues, ranging from seniors to teens, infant mortality to Medicaid....
December 24, 2018
Achievement Gap or Resource Gap? A Discussion on Poverty and Opportunity at Celebration of Human Services
On October 26, The Center for Community Solutions hosted its annual Celebration of Human Services. As part of the celebration, Community Solutions organized breakout sessions covering select topics. One such session delivered a powerful panel discussion around poverty and opportunity. Chris Matthews, a parent and Community Change Agent, Mary Bogle, Principal Research Associate at the...