Dan Driehaus, Candidate for City Council
https://www.facebook.com/DanDriehausOH
In 2021, WCIA found that fewer than 35% of minorities felt their perspectives were valued in Wyoming. If you were elected to City Council, what would you do to ensure all residents feel their perspectives are valued?
The core of democracy is listening to the will of the people. It is not only imperative that all citizens feel as though their voices are valued, but that those in public roles elevate perspectives that are often unheard. I am proud of my success elevating minority voices in the City of Cincinnati when I served as Chair of the Planning Commission. Today, there is a Community Benefits Agreement in place in the West End due to our specific efforts listening to minority residents in proximity to the FC Cincinnati development. In Wyoming, I knock on ALL doors. I listen to concerns and act where appropriate with support of our City Staff. If re-elected I intend to continue representing ALL residents with a continued focus on underserved populations.
Only one third of survey respondents of all backgrounds feel that all residents are treated equally in Wyoming. If elected to City Council what would you do to ensure Wyoming is a community where all residents are respected and treated equally?
In many circumstances, perception is as important as reality. If only 30% of our population believes that they are respected and treated equally, that is a problem. As an elected official, I have the privilege of witnessing the work of City Staff who work tirelessly for the betterment of our residents. I believe they are committed to respect and equality for all our residents, because they are people of high integrity. If low perceptions of equality exist, direct meetings and discussions with City leaders and staff are crucial to understanding. I am open to all dialogue in this area.
What will be your top focus on City Council and how have your background, experience and skills prepared you to create change in your focus area?
My focus areas align with my current responsibilities. First, as Chair of the Wyoming Finance Committee, our fiscal health is paramount. Our financials remain healthy due to the diligence of our Finance Director, and other City Staff. Secondly, my focus on walkability and road improvements is being fully realized during this term and the next two years. The technical expertise of our Public Service Director and City Staff are critical to our success. I am fortunate to Chair the Infrastructure Committee for Cincinnati Metro/SORTA. I can relay firsthand that our applications for sidewalk and road projects have received exceedingly positive marks by METRO. Last month, Wyoming received an additional $2.1M toward infrastructure improvement in Wyoming during 2026. The professionalism of our Staff and Engineering consultants have been essential to success and deserve high praise. Good planning and technical expertise are helping us deliver resources. I intend to stay focused on these areas of high importance for our City.
One factor that leads to segregation in housing and schooling (racial and/or economic) is zoning decisions, for example, restrictions on multi-family zoning. What are your thoughts about our current zoning map (which limits rental properties, commercial spaces and mixed-use configurations), and the feasibility of welcoming a more economically diverse population to our city?
We are due for a refresh. Our Wyoming Community Development Staff is outstanding at engaging with our residents, while looking toward a prosperous and inclusive future for our jurisdiction. Current City staff, previous City leadership, and your current representatives have converted on much of the vision of the 10-year Wyoming Master Plan. I am excited about the refresh for our next 10-year Master Plan. The most critical part of any plan is the extensive listening and engagement with residents and various groups. We will all be sharing these discussions together. My degree in Public Administration, focus on Urban and Regional Planning, lends itself to this next phase for our City. While Chairing the Cincinnati Planning Commission, I strongly supported density for business districts in the 52 City neighborhoods. We approved over two dozen updated community plans that aligned with that vision. I am confident our refreshed plan will include focus on ethnic inclusion, economic diversity, and long-term livability in Wyoming. I look forward to that future with you.
Do you think that Wyoming has made strides toward making our community a more welcoming place for diverse peoples? What concerns are most pressing?
Nothing delivers on the desire for diversity and inclusion more than representation! I am proud to have been endorsed by our first African-American Mayor. I am also proud to serve on council(s) led by our outstanding Female Mayor and Vice-Mayor(s). In addition, I actively worked with African-American residents seeking election to our Council and School board. Both prevailed and serve our City and Schools today. As we prepare for the next 10 years, we must pro-actively seek input from residents who may not have engaged or felt unwelcome to engage in the past. How we seek input during our planning process is critical to serving residents from all backgrounds to ensure we are delivering on a vision that includes the diverse interests we aim to represent.
Are you open to building relationships with our surrounding communities? If so, how would you go about doing this? What experience do you have doing this?
100%. We engage our neighboring jurisdictions in a manner that is professional and respectful of each other. There have been obvious areas of mutual interest relating to the upcoming I-75 changes. We listened well to each other on the staff and elected officials’ level and provided coordinated input. There is mutual interest in the North Pike Area and dialogue among staff and business leaders is ongoing. Also, we interact formally via groups such as OKI, where I serve as our Wyoming representative. Much relationship-building comes via informal interactions. Wyoming residents are notorious for supporting businesses in nearby jurisdictions. We also have residents deeply committed to non-profit work in neighboring areas. I have personally represented Wyoming in every capacity I mentioned in the previous comments.
Do you think the City Strategic Plan is on track? What have you done to help advance it? Is there anything you would modify?
Yes. The vision laid out by residents and City leaders before our tenure has served our community quite well. I look forward to the 10-year refresh and feel confident the new planning document will continue with the highest priorities of past plans, with a strong vision for the future. Theme 1 of the City Strategic Plan is Governance and Fiscal Health. As Chair of Finance, I have been fortunate to serve as we continue strong financial health, led by the expertise of our Finance Director and City Staff. Theme 5 is Adjacent Jurisdictional Cooperation. I have been engaged in the areas mentioned in answer above. Theme 7 is Community Mobility. I have helped secure financial benefits that support our new sidewalks, extended bike trails and additional road improvements. My role was/is to support the expertise provided by our staff. Modifications are inevitable because it will be a forward-looking document. The key is deep community engagement with our planning process.
As a current member of City Council, what contribution or achievement are you most proud of?
Infrastructure. We are currently delivering on overdue road improvements, an enormous increase in sidewalks and enhancements to our biking trails. All these enhancements have been accomplished with no new tax increases. Without a doubt, the improvements in these critical areas have been successful because our City Manager employs the proper professionals. Fiscal health and engineering expertise are fundamental to our success. As Chair of the Infrastructure Committee at Metro/SORTA, I have the good fortune of interacting with many jurisdictions. Of the many outstanding public entities, our professions truly stand out. All credit goes to the City Administration. I am happy to support them as your representative.
