I am not interested in politics as performance. Well… actually, I kind of am. Mostly, though, I am interested in systems that work.

As a designer and professor, I spend my life diagnosing broken systems, asking uncomfortable questions, and rebuilding things so that real people can use them. That is leadership. Design thinking is not theory. It is applied problem solving, and cities desperately need more of it.

Cincinnati does not need louder leaders. It needs clearer ones. Leaders who prototype instead of posture. Leaders who test small, fail fast, and iterate publicly. We should treat civic ideas the way we treat good design. Launch early. Measure impact. Improve continuously.

Imagine a city that:

Runs small neighborhood pilot programs before scaling policy citywide
Uses public dashboards so residents can see what is working and what is not
Invites artists, designers, and technologists into civic problem solving, not just developers and consultants
Treats accessibility, mental health, and dignity as baseline requirements, not afterthoughts

I have led classrooms, creative teams, and community projects. I have managed budgets, personalities, deadlines, and expectations. I know how institutions stall and how thoughtful pressure moves them forward. That experience matters, whether you are running a studio or a city department.

I love Cincinnati because it is practical, scrappy, and weird in the best way. We care about neighborhoods. We argue about chili. We show up. That same energy can power a more imaginative, human-centered city.

Creative leadership is not about being flashy. It is about clarity, curiosity, and follow-through. If I ever step into public office, it will be to redesign how things work, reduce friction in everyday life, and prove that thoughtful, experimental leadership belongs right here in The 'Nati.