Matt Jacob

Matt Jacob is a life-long Cincinnatian and current resident of Over-the-Rhine.

Now is the time to extend an olive branch to the city of Norwood for annexation into the city of Cincinnati. For too long this carved-out jurisdiction in the literal heart of our city has unnecessarily created divides between neighbors on opposing sides of an imaginary line. The surrounding neighborhoods of Bond Hill, Paddock Hills, Evanston, Pleasant Ridge, Oakley, and Hyde Park suffer today from increased complexity in receiving city services and increased red tape as they tip-toe imaginary lines of differing jurisdictions. It doesn't have to continue to be this way.

We are stronger together. When we can jointly plan our communities, we don't have to stop at imaginary lines or fight through two sets of bureaucracy to get that plan accomplished. When we can ask for public services with one voice to one department, we are more likely to be heard and to have our issues dealt with efficiently and with enough resources. When we spread cost burdens across our entire city, we gain economies of scale that enable us to accomplish more together. And perhaps most important for our greater region; when we market our city to outsiders, we can come closer to showing our region's true size. To see the impact this can have, look no further than fast-growing Columbus, which exploited annexation years ago and now touts itself as "the 15th largest city in the US" when attracting site selectors and new employers. That grabs your attention, 66th doesn’t! It just makes too much sense not to take a hard look at.

In 1902, the residents of Norwood narrowly rejected annexation into the city by only 55 votes. Now is the time to again revisit the question of whether it still makes sense to remain separate. After decades of trying to reinvent itself and 12 years on “fiscal watch,” Norwood recently has been declared in a fiscal state of emergency by the state auditor. Norwood’s current financial burdens can be overcome with discipline in returning to responsible spending, but the built-in inefficiencies of double governments will continue to limit the potential of this area. It will take more than this status quo for the center of our city to truly thrive over the long run.

It will be up to the residents of Norwood whether they recognize the advantages of annexation or whether they choose to continue to live in a protracted state of emergency, but regional leadership is needed to offer a helping hand. We’ve already proven how the health of our urban core can affect the trajectory of our region. Now we need to ensure that our suburban core is also strong. I can’t think of a better way than as one body, 53 strong.