Council President Pro Tem Elizabeth Brown will hold a special competition event for a unique policy idea, and submissions are due by March 1.
“Creating public policy is not just putting words on paper; it’s about making a difference in peoples’ lives,” said Brown. “No one knows more about the effect of a policy than the people impacted and I am excited to tap into the everyday expertise of residents to learn how our city can do better.”
Brown will partner with Cohear, a Cincinnati-based community engagement and strategy company, to host the city’s first Policy Pitch Night, a civic competition for residents who have a policy idea to solve a problem, improve quality of life, or to make city government work better for all.
Columbus residents of any age can submit a policy pitch for the competition by March 1 and can seek help from Cohear to hone their concept into a policy submission.
Once the submission window has closed, a group of grassroots leaders and community members will then score the submissions and determine the top five finalists, who will have five to seven minutes to present their policy idea at an event on March 31. The audience will cast votes to select the final winner. After the community selects the winning policy, Brown will champion the issue at City Hall.
Policy Pitch Night originated in Cincinnati two years ago when Cincinnati City Council Member P.G. Sittenfeld partnered with Cohear, pledging to bring the winning policy to City Hall. The annual event has been a resounding success in Cincinnati, and the Cohear team is proud to bring this opportunity to the Columbus community for the first time.
Residents must submit their policy ideas at cohear.typeform.com/to/FdAv6D by 10 p.m. on Sunday, March 1.
