Posted April 28, 200718 yr First link contains a photo. Both from the 1/1/07 Dispatch: IN HIGH GEAR Mayor Coleman's ambitious plans suggest he's running for a third term Monday, January 01, 2007 Jodi Andes and Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Facing the last year of a second term, many politicians focus on what they can finish. Mayor Michael B. Coleman is gearing up for long-term projects. Twelve months before his term expires, he is looking for a way to pay for streetcars. He also is telling his crew to proceed with the first full year of a six-year plan called Home Again, aimed at tearing down blighted houses and helping low-income families keep their homes from falling into disrepair. And Coleman is starting to talk about plans for the city?s bicentennial in 2012. Coleman would have to win a third and fourth term to see those plans carried out. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/contentbe/dispatch/2007/01/01/20070101-A1-00.html Mayor's to-do list Monday, January 01, 2007 At the beginning of 2006, Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman outlined some things he hoped city employees would accomplish by year end. Where those initiatives stand: * Investigate bringing streetcars to Columbus. Done. City employees now have been asked to determine how streetcars can be paid for without increasing city taxes. * Start a six-year, $25 million program to attack blight and help keep inner-city homes from becoming blighted. Two months after Coleman announced the program, 12 of the worst homes cited, all owned by the city, remained standing with numerous code violations. Another 99 homes have been demolished by the city or private entities facing court action. In addition, 104 roofs have been repaired. * Beef up strike forces to combat crime and guns on the street. Police arrested more than 900 people and took 387 guns off the street. However, homicides continue to be a problem. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/contentbe/dispatch/2007/01/01/20070101-A1-05.html
April 28, 200718 yr From the 1/11/07 Dispatch: GOP lines up probable Coleman challenger Thursday, January 11, 2007 Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Four years ago, Republicans scrambled to find someone to run against Mayor Michael B. Coleman. No luck. This year, they apparently have found a candidate for Columbus mayor, a lawyer and political insider heavily involved in state Republican causes. He's William M. Todd, who has represented controversial groups that campaigned against Ted Strickland in his run for governor last year and against an Ohio Supreme Court justice seven years ago. Todd, 54, was the only mayoral candidate to screen for Republican officials yesterday evening at Franklin County GOP headquarters. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/contentbe/dispatch/2007/01/11/20070111-C1-05.html
October 26, 200717 yr Coleman ahead in all aspects of fundraising Friday, October 26, 2007 By Robert Vitale, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Michael B. Coleman has out-raised, out-spent and out-saved rival Bill Todd in the final stretch of the Columbus mayoral race. Coleman, a Democrat seeking his third term in the Nov. 6 election, has raised more than $700,000 this year and spent nearly $600,000 on his campaign. Because he started the year with money in the bank, he has more than $300,000 still to spend. Todd has raised more than $250,000 this year and spent more than $185,000. He has nearly $67,000 left. In the most recent reporting period, Todd reported $162,156 in contributions. His biggest individual donor was Al Barber of Columbus, founder of NexGen Bio Energy, who gave $20,000. Coleman raised $212,214 since July 1. His biggest donor was James Hagedorn, chairman of Marysville-based Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., who gave $8,000. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/content/dispatch/2007/10/26/20071026-B1-02.html
November 7, 200717 yr Mayor and council Positive vision won for party, Coleman says Wednesday, November 7, 2007 3:49 AM By Robert Vitale and Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The most lopsided victory of Mayor Michael B. Coleman's political career leaves Democrats firmly in charge at Columbus City Hall. Coleman won his third term by defeating Republican Bill Todd by a margin of nearly 40 points yesterday, while five Democratic City Council incumbents swept their races, according to final, unofficial results. http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/contentbe/dispatch/2007/11/07/20071107-A1-04.html
November 7, 200717 yr In the end, it wasn't even close - Coleman 69% / Todd 31%. A good day to be a Democrat in Columbus. All five of the Democratic City Council incumbents won too.
January 19, 201114 yr COLUMBUS MAYORAL ELECTION GOP picks former police spokesman to face Coleman Friday, January 14, 2011 By Doug Caruso THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Republicans have chosen Earl W. Smith, a retired police sergeant who is comfortable in front of a camera, to challenge Mayor Michael B. Coleman this year. Smith, 57, was the unanimous choice of the county party's Central Committee last night. He was the public face of the Columbus Division of Police in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when he served as the Police Division spokesman. Before that, Smith was a community-liaison officer, working with block watches and other neighborhood groups on crime-prevention and safety issues. Coleman, a Democrat seeking his fourth term, issued a statement welcoming Smith to the campaign. "I know and respect Earl Smith from his decades of service as a Columbus police officer," Coleman said. "I look forward to a healthy discussion about building strong, safe neighborhoods, maintaining a high quality of life and creating jobs for our future." Franklin County Republican Chairman Doug Preisse has said that anyone running against Coleman would enter the race as an underdog. But last night, he called Smith "the next mayor of Columbus." MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/01/14/gop-picks-former-police-spokesman-to-face-coleman.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
January 21, 201114 yr More about Mayor Coleman's 2011 republican opponent from the weekly tabloid The Other Paper. With the customary TOP snark: My name is Earl GOP found Coleman’s opposite—except for the mustache, of course BY LYNDSEY TETER, THE OTHER PAPER Published: Thursday, January 20, 2011 In 2003, Coleman won his second term without a Republican challenger. In 2007, attorney and longtime county political insider Bill Todd went down in flames, losing by nearly a 70-30 margin to Coleman. That’s probably part of the reason the county party went a different route when tapping a challenger for the 2011 version. They found a respected cop at a time when crime seems to be escalating. And they found one who’s spent nearly as much time as Coleman in front of a camera. “We’ve had our eye on Earl for more than a few years now,” said Doug Preisse, GOP county party chairman. “But when he was an officer, his options were limited.” MORE: http://theotherpaper.com/articles/2011/01/20/cover_story/doc4d3858af67267083081923.txt
January 21, 201114 yr Coleman named to federal historic-preservation panel Wednesday, January 19, 2011 By Alan D. Miller, The Columbus Dispatch President Obama has named Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman to the administration's Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. A White House statement issued says that Coleman has focused efforts rejuvenating downtown Columbus by encouraging businesses and homeowners to fix up and clean up their neighborhoods. Coleman also created the Affordable Housing Trust Corporation to provide more housing options to inner-city residents, led efforts to revive the stalled restoration of the historic Lincoln Theatre on the Near East Side, and the landmark Lazarus Department Store building in downtown Columbus. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/01/19/mayor-named-to-federal-historic-preservation-panel.html
January 25, 201114 yr Coleman trims city budget In anticipation of less state funding, Council OKs cuts totaling $1.1 million Tuesday, January 25, 2011 By Doug Caruso THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Columbus would put off hiring code enforcers, replacing vehicles and buying computers under Mayor Michael B. Coleman's plan to cut $1.1 million from his 2011 budget. The Columbus City Council last night approved Coleman's amendments to his budget proposal, shaving off a sliver in anticipation of cuts to state funding for cities. On Monday, the council will vote on the amended operating budget of $705.3 million, down from the $706.4 million spending plan originally proposed in November. Columbus City Council President Andrew J. Ginther and other council members agreed earlier this month to not spend $1.9 million left over when the books closed on the 2010 budget, and Ginther asked Coleman to pitch in with at least $1 million more in cuts. Council members and the mayor said they're preparing for expected cuts in state funding for cities. MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/01/25/copy/coleman-trims-city-budget.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
August 4, 201113 yr RACE FOR MAYOR Campaign vibes differ from '07 Sunday, July 24, 2011 By Doug Caruso, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH By this time four years ago, Republican mayoral candidate Bill Todd had challenged the City Council's appointment process and blamed Mayor Michael B. Coleman for crime, the quality of city services and the decline of Columbus City Center mall. Todd's campaign had filed repeated public-records requests with city officials for documents on spending and policy decisions. He also challenged Coleman to a series of debates. Actually, Todd had done all of that by the end of May 2007. Now, it's the steamy end of July four years later, and Earl W. Smith, the retired Columbus police sergeant whom the Republicans have thrown up against Coleman this year, has been a lot quieter. He has put out a news release saying that the money spent on the Scioto Mile and Coleman's other Downtown projects would have been better spent in neighborhoods. He has a campaign blog (one entry: "It's Time for My Colonoscopy!"). And 282 people were following his campaign's Facebook page as of Saturday afternoon. READ MORE
November 9, 201113 yr Coleman strolls to 4th term as mayor Four City Council incumbents, all Democrats, also win By Doug Caruso and Lucas Sullivan, The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday, November 9, 2011 - 10:21 AM Mayor Michael B. Coleman won a historic fourth-consecutive term yesterday, cruising to victory over Republican Earl Smith, the retired police sergeant who challenged him. (. . .) Coleman won with 69 percent of the vote, about the same percentage he got when he defeated Bill Todd in 2007. (In 2003, Coleman ran unopposed.) In 1999, he took 60 percent of the vote against former City Councilwoman and County Commissioner Dorothy Teater. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/11/09/coleman-strolls-to-4th-term-as-mayor.html
January 12, 201411 yr Coleman Becomes Columbus’ Longest Serving Mayor By: Walker Evans, Columbus Underground Published on December 30, 2013 - 4:00 pm On January 1st, 2014, Michael B. Coleman will begin his 15th year as Mayor of the City of Columbus, marking the longest tenure of any mayor in the city’s history. Mayor M.E. Sensenbrenner held the previous record of 14 years during two separate terms from 1954 to 1959 and 1964 to 1971. MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/coleman-becomes-columbus-longest-serving-mayor
November 26, 201410 yr Michael Coleman, the first African-American mayor in Columbus history and the longest-serving mayor in Columbus history, announced yesterday that he will not be running for re-election and seek a fifth term of mayor when his current term expires at the end of 2015: http://www.columbusunderground.com/mayor-coleman-will-not-seek-a-fifth-term-jb1 http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/11/25/coleman-won-t-seek-re-election-as-columbus-mayor.html http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2014/11/coleman-it-s-time-to-venture-into-new-frontiers.html http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/11/25/Coleman_out.html http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/11/26/ohio-politics-now-coleman.html
November 26, 201410 yr He was the best. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 4, 201510 yr A look back at Coleman's four terms as Columbus mayor from WOSU's 'Columbus On The Record' and Mayor Coleman:
November 12, 20159 yr Mayor Coleman to rejoin law firm, with a focus on economic development By Carrie Ghose, Staff Reporter - Columbus Business First Updated: Nov. 11, 2015, 1:39pm EST When his 16-year run as Columbus mayor ends, Michael Coleman is returning to his former law firm to form a bipartisan team with former U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce to spread “the Columbus way” of forming public-private partnerships for economic development. Coleman starts Jan. 1 as Ice Miller LLP's director of business and government strategies and a partner in the firm’s Arena District office. Indianapolis-based Ice Miller merged in 2012 with Columbus’ Schottenstein Zox & Dunn Co. LPA, where Coleman was an attorney in the business practice from 1984 through 1999, rising to partner. He also sat on Columbus City Council from 1992 to 1999, the last two years as president. ( . . . ) Richard Barnhart, Ice Miller's managing partner in Columbus, said the firm is drawing on Coleman’s skill at building coalitions and strategic partnerships between business and government, for deals at local, regional and national levels. Together Coleman and Pryce will expand the governmental practice’s consulting and lobbying services. ... “A lot of the work as mayor during my time has been the chief economic development officer for the region and for the city,” Coleman said. “This firm wants to see me advance that in the private sector.” As mayor, Coleman drew on his experience as a corporate attorney who had negotiated mergers and acquisitions, and said his four terms in office brought more deal-making experience and leadership skills that will enhance his return to law. ... Pryce, an eight-term congresswoman who left office at the end of 2009, joined Ice Miller two years ago and is principal of Ice Miller Whiteboard LLC, the consulting arm of the firm’s governmental practice. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/11/11/mayor-coleman-to-rejoin-law-firm-with-a-focus-on.html
January 4, 20169 yr A couple bits of good personal real estate news for the outgoing mayor, as reported by the Dispatch: -- Feds: Mayor Coleman won’t face charges for sale of Berwick home -- Departing mayor is already on the move (He sold his downtown condo for a townhouse near Easton)
January 4, 20169 yr And a couple of farewells to Mayor Coleman: -- CU Interview: Michael B. Coleman Reflects on 16 Years as Columbus Mayor -- NBC Video: Columbus’ longest-running mayor hands over reins to Mayor-elect Andy Ginther
