In his 2013 State of the City speech, Mayor Michael B. Coleman said Columbus had earned some swagger. And it’s well deserved. “He gets ideas and makes them happen,” said Robert Bell, co-founder of the Intelligent Community Forum, which last year selected Columbus as one of the top seven intelligent communities in the world.
In 2000, for example, Coleman started Neighborhood Pride, a week in which city staff, volunteers and community members clean alleys, mow grass, paint, and repair public facilities and parks in specific parts of the city.
And his drive to improve Columbus reaches the boardrooms of the region’s biggest organizations. He formed the Columbus Partnership, a nonprofit organization of 52 area CEOs from the region’s businesses and institutions that help the mayor and Columbus get things done. There’s also TechColumbus, which offers expertise and funding to startups.
All of this activity is paying off. In 2013, Columbus’ workforce grew by 20,000. In addition, the city has received accolades for livability, safety and economic vitality.
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