Mayors from Ohio鈥檚 30 largest cities have formed a coalition to discuss state policy and lobby lawmakers about the issues their communities are facing.
The 20 Democratic and 10 Republican mayors are concerned about the state鈥檚 economic development and about home rule. Democrat John Cranley of Cincinnati says lawmakers need to know some state policies can cause local problems. 鈥淲e鈥檙e educating the state that we are the golden geese. We鈥檙e the ones who pay the taxes, and it鈥檚 not good to hurt your golden goose.鈥�
The formation of the Ohio Mayors Alliance comes at a critical time 鈥� as lawmakers will be meeting for their lame duck session, and before a new session of the General Assembly convenes in January. One of the first items they鈥檒l deal with 鈥� the state budget. The Ohio Mayors Alliance has sent a letter to Congress urging it to provide more than $100 million in funding for drug addiction and recovery promised under a pair of recent federal acts.
