Update from the Ohio Development Services Agency

It’s been an exciting few months here at the Ohio Development Services Agency. I’m excited to be at the Ohio Development Services Agency and return to a space I’m familiar with from the early days of my career – community and economic development. Serving as the mayor of Findlay was an honor, and I will call on my experiences as mayor as we work together to strengthen and grow Ohio communities. 

Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted want to keep Ohio moving forward. They are committed to investing in our children, workforce, and infrastructure, and to combating the opioid problem. They want to ensure our communities and neighbors have every chance to succeed. 

Across Ohio, communities need help repairing roads and bridges. The governor wants to provide that help. If we don’t invest in our roads and bridges, they will only get worse. Ohio is 600 miles from 60 percent of the North American population. We need to make sure Ohio businesses can deliver their products to these markets. We also need quality infrastructure, so visitors can safely travel to our great parks, trails, and other tourism destinations. 

And, to do all these things, we must be collaborative and innovative. Let’s look for new ways to address our challenges. For me, I’m hoping we can increase our collaboration and share our best practices. Collaboration was the hallmark of my work as mayor. When we work together, we can make a greater impact. What works in Marietta might also work in Lima. But we won’t know this unless we’re talking to each other.

Don’t forget, April is Fair Housing Month. I hope you will take this time to educate your communities on fair housing rights and laws. It is also time to evaluate your housing and housing-related services and programs to ensure that they are available to all eligible people and eliminate racial and ethnic segregation, illegal physical and barriers to people with disabilities, and other discriminatory practices. You can find more information about Fair Housing regulations on our website. 

Also, the U.S. Census Bureau is hiring! Members of your community can apply for a part-time census job, before the Ohio regional offices open in 2019.  There are a variety of temporary jobs available across the state with pay rates ranging from $14.50 to $18 an hour. Ohio’s regional offices will be located in Akron, Ashland, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, South Point, and Toledo. 

Regional census positions are key to ensuring an accurate census count in 2020. Learn more about the census and the regional census jobs on the census website. 

As we start this new chapter together, I hope we can improve the work we do. If you have an idea – reach out, let us know about it. No idea is too big or too small. We want to hear from you.

Our team in the Office of Community Development can be reached at (614) 466-2285 or ocd@development.ohio.gov. You can also email me at Lydia.Mihalik@development.ohio.gov. 

I know that together we can make a difference in Ohio communities.

Ohio Development Services Agency