Episode Details

We welcome first time candidate for City Council Emily Cole to the podcast.

We open with Tim’s summary of our goals for the interview series and Kevin kicks us into gear with a question about the nature of Emily’s candidacy and what drove her specifically to seek a council seat in this challenging election.

Emily centers her answer on the inherent responsibilities of the office and how those tie in to her Old Hilliard family life, her kids education, and the willingness to build community. She talks about her upbringing in the shadow of Washington DC and the feeling of wanting to fight for community instead of moneyed interest.

Jordan asks about the role “families” play in Hilliard and its governance. Emily responds with her path through the Hilliard real estate game and wanting to live somewhere locally centered, walkable, with a diverse range of people and opportunities for her family to mingle with and pursue.

She continues by describing the nature of her work and advocacy in the groups Health Policy for Ohio and Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change. Jordan asks how that experience building and reinforcing coalitions of people around needs could play a role in her future council work.

Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change

Emily talks about her experiences during the pandemic and how her work life was impacted - mirroring the plight of many families all across Ohio - and how that led to her work in Police study and reform advocacy around building safe communities.

Emily further describes her willingness to adopt a policy first view and work across traditional lines to create change by working to create relationships within the Law Enforcement world to see that resources, skills, and support are delivered to create the best environment for safety in the communities served.“Hilliard Police Department sets the standard in the state…they are well above and beyond any kind of minimum recommendation.”

Tim asks Emily for some Hilliard policy highlights that have been well regarded and effective. Emily highlights the mandatory pursuit policies and trust building that the open sharing of the annual “Use-of-Force” data reporting has built in Hilliard’s police force from the reform and integrity community around the state.

Jordan asks if there are any potential “leading edge” changes that Emily foresees in Hilliard’s policing - whether that be school related or municipal. Emily’s response includes the mental health support made available within the various departments for first responders and community members affected by adverse or traumatizing situations. In Emily’s eyes she’s very interested in a variety of pilot programs available but would seek HPD recommendations before pursuing structural change or funding in any meaningful sense.

Jordan asks Emily her perspective on the incoming ALPR camera systems and the advancing nature of facial recognition software as a police tool and the dangers inherent in a technology that may be advancing racial bias. Emily responds that the inclusion of various private security systems and data aggregation in police work is concerning and that any technology promoting a racial bias would be unusable. The path forward is careful information sharing and study of usage.

We shift the conversation to Emily’s desire to seek community input and we ask how she might pursue that in an ongoing way. We talk about the changes in communication through the Covid-19 era and how they are more and less effective for certain pursuits in local politics. Further, how the government commission structure could be changed and the potential for ward meetings and youth engagement to build a recurrent bridge to the future with better engagement and understanding of change.

Jordan asks Emily what the number 1 issue has been on the doorstep