Incoming Cincinnati City Council member Evan Nolan says he's looking forward to working on the city's next strategic plan.
Nolan was announced Friday as the choice to complete former Council member Reggie Harris' term through the end of next year. Nolan says he'll seek election to the seat in 2025, when all nine council seats are on the ballot.
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" 'Plan Cincinnati' was adopted in 2012 so it's a little dated," Nolan told WVXU, referring to the city's official guiding document related to planning and development. An update to Plan Cincinnati is expected to kick off next year.
"We hope to add the priorities from the Green Cincinnati Plan into Plan Cincinnati," Nolan said. "A focus on pedestrian safety, public safety, affordable housing, racial equity, in particular — a lot of these issues aren't addressed in any meaningful way in Plan Cincinnati."
Nolan spoke with WVXU about his history and plans for the new job, which you can read below.
This conversation has been lightly edited for length, clarity and style.
Since some folks might not be familiar with you, introduce yourself to the city of Cincinnati.
I grew up in Cheviot on the West side, and ultimately went to St. Xavier High School. Went away to college and worked in D.C., and then after went back to school at Georgetown Law and after graduating from law school, worked as a legal fellow in Senator Sherrod Brown's office and moved back to Cincinnati in 2011. And that was always the plan, to move back and find a way to help — you know, make Cincinnati the best that it can be. And at the time, Cincinnati had really turned a corner and was developing in a way that really excited me. When I moved back, I was the second person to sign a lease at The Banks, which was exciting.
And since I've been back, I've spent most of my professional career really trying to find ways to give back and make Cincinnati a better place. And that can mean a lot of different things. I've spent time volunteering on political campaigns. I was on the board of the Oakley Community Council for eight years, as chair of our zoning and economic development committee.
When Council member Owens and the new class of Council members came to City Hall after the election in 2021, I was just really excited about the priorities that they were bringing to City Hall, and so I made the decision to leave the law firm and come work at the city in the law department, and had the opportunity to work on some really cool projects and help push some new policy initiatives. And ultimately ended up after applying for Council member [Greg] Landsman's seat when he was elected to Congress. Ended up back in private practice, part time, really dedicating a good chunk of my professional time to helping organize the community, particularly around campaigns in a coordinated campaign with the Democratic Party.
Talk a little bit about the kind of work you were doing here at the city while in the Law Department.
I had the opportunity to come in along with the new class of Council members who had brought some new priorities to City Hall. And there was a sort of a renewed focus on affordable housing, and attention was being given to climate change and the pursuit of environmental justice and all of these new issues that really excited me. And so I didn't really have a specific role or responsibility while I was here, but I had the opportunity to work on a lot of different things. So I was staffing the Equitable Growth and Housing Committee for a short time. I staffed the Planning Commission for a short time. I had an opportunity to work with Buildings and Inspections, with OES [Office of Environment and Sustainability]. I worked on a number of projects with DOTE [Department of Transportation and Engineering], including the Oasis Trail, and spend some time working on the convention center development district.
You mentioned your priorities being aligned with Council — things like public safety, pedestrian safety, reducing gun violence — are there specific initiatives or policies you have in mind for addressing some of those priorities?
Yes, there are. When I was here in City Hall, there were discussions beginning about what is called Plan Cincinnati, a guiding document that development projects — particularly those that are seeking relief from our zoning code — need to address. And Plan Cincinnati was adopted in 2012, so it's a little dated.
Plan Cincinnati called for a Green Cincinnati Plan; Council member Owens, upon getting elected, came in and made that happen.
(Reporter's note: the first Green Cincinnati Plan was approved in 2008 and is updated every five years. Meeka Owens led the effort to update the GCP in 2023 as chair of the Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Committee).
An update to Plan Cincinnati would give us an opportunity as Council to build in some of these other priorities. We hope to add the priorities from the Green Cincinnati Plan into Plan Cincinnati. Build into Plan Cincinnati a focus on pedestrian safety, public safety, affordable housing, racial equity, in particular. A lot of these issues aren't addressed in any meaningful way in Plan Cincinnati. So it's time for an update there, and given my experience in City Hall and working with some of the folks that will lead that effort, something I'm excited about and looking forward to.
Do you see yourself as bringing an area of expertise or something that is not represented on Council with the eight members who are currently there?
What I hope to bring to Council, first and foremost, is the desire to engage with the community, to sit down, to listen, to understand their concerns, to help lift them up. I think our Council does a great job of that today, so I understand that's not unique, but I'm proud to play a part in that. I do hope to bring maybe a slightly different perspective as someone who's worked in the city administration and has worked through some of the processes, understands what those processes are, sees opportunities to improve some of those processes, and as part of everything else that we do.
This Council is all Democrat and that will continue with your appointment. There's some concern about one political party being in control of everything. At the same time, this Council has had some pretty contentious disagreement on some issues, Connected Communities being the most recent example. What are your thoughts on approaching that? Do you see yourself as someone who follows the party line or do you see yourself as a disrupter?
I recognize that Council is all Democratic members. I understand that, but I truly believe the work of a municipal government is nonpartisan. I think the election for Council and for mayor are intentionally nonpartisan.
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In my work, both here in Cincinnati and when I've had the occasion to work with municipal governments in other cities, there really isn't a Republican or Democrat. When you look at metropolitan areas, the issues that they face and what they're dealing with, regardless of what party they are, they're all trying to address the same issues, and they care. And so I do not see myself as a disrupter. It's important for me, particularly as an appointed City Council member, to listen to the community members, first and foremost, to understand their concerns and help bring those to City Hall, but also to listen to the other Council members and understand what they've learned and what they're trying to do, and how we can work on those projects together.
Do you plan to keep your private sector job as well?
When I left the city and I took a little bit of time off and re-engaged with the with Katz Teller Law Firm, it is on a part-time basis, and I carved out professional space to do community organizing and do a lot of work in that space already. So I see this as an opportunity to really keep doing that. So I will continue in that part-time role at Katz Teller.
