If you go to the Poll, vote for C.O.L.E. Welcome to my website. I am Councilmember Y. Laketa Cole. During my tenure on City Council, I have been successful in increasing economic stability, increasing access to City Hall, and increasing homeownership by working in an open and collaborative way with elected officials and citizens, being optimistic about the future of our great City, taking leadership roles on many important issues, and using my experience- both as a two-term Councilmember and as a former Council staff member. I hope to receive your vote during the upcoming election season. If you would like to donate, you may click onto the paypal link on the upper right hand side of the website, or write a check to Citizens for Laketa Cole, 1415 Joseph St. Cincinnati, OH 45237
Examples of my accomplishments on Council include:
Economic Stability
Neighborhood Business District Support Fund: This fund gives $5,000 to each neighborhood business district in order to encourage community based economic development. This fund is administered by Invest in Neighborhoods and Cincinnati Neighborhood Business Districts United. I am proud of the successes of this program since I founded it in 2004.
Innovative platforms to put Cincinnati on the development forefront: wonderful example of this is the LEED initiative, which I spearheaded. This encourages "green" building in Cincinnati through a tax abatement program, and will open up an entirely new industry to the area.
Spearheaded $1.5 million in the 2007-08 budget for youth jobs: For Cincinnati to be successful over the long term, our young people must not only have employment opportunities, but also the opportunity to develop themselves over time. The $1.5 million youth jobs initiative will create employment and educational opportunities for our young people.
Increased access to City Hall
Neighborhoods in the Neighborhood Program: This program brings the regular meeting of the Neighborhoods and Public Services Committee directly into your community. These meetings take place in the evening, so that more people can see the inner workings of City Hall.
Neighborhood Walks: Neighborhood Walks enable the City Council and City Administration to see first-hand the problems and successes of our neighborhoods. It makes our elected officials more responsible to the neighborhoods they serve.
Monthly Evening Meetings: City Council meetings take place during the workday, which hinders the ability of the average citizen to attend. By holding one Council meeting per month in the evening, we are opening up the political process to all of Cincinnati citizens.
Increase Homeownership
One-Stop Center for Homeownership: Were you prepared for all of the hidden costs when you bought your first home? Did you know you can get a tax abatement for rehabilitating your house? With the One-Stop Center for Homeownership, you can find those answers. Citizens can learn how to be responsible homeowners and prevent foreclosure. I will be working to get the One-Stop Center for Homeownership off the ground and fully operational during this term.
Further leverage the Community Reinvestment Act: The Community Reinvestment Act, or CRA, encourages our local banks to provide loans to groups like minority owned businesses or first time homeowners. These loans have better terms, and they prevent citizens by being ripped off by unscrupulous lenders.
