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Healthy Neighborhoods Committee advances honorary 'Larry A. Donald Way' and an opt‑in city text‑message pilot
Summary
The committee advanced an ordinance to give Windsor Street at Gilbert Avenue an honorary secondary name honoring Larry A. Donald and approved moving forward with a pilot opt‑in text messaging program to extend non‑emergency city communications; both items were placed on the committee or council passage calendar without objection.
The Cincinnati Healthy Neighborhoods Committee on May 20 agreed to advance an honorary street‑naming ordinance and asked the administration to design an opt‑in text‑message pilot for nonemergency city communications.
The committee voted without objection to put forward an ordinance declaring Windsor Street at Gilbert Avenue in the Walnut Hills neighborhood to carry the honorary secondary name "Larry A. Donald Way" in recognition of Larry A. Donald's contributions to the city and his boxing career, which the committee summary listed to include national Golden Gloves championships (1989 and 1990), United States Olympic Festival medals, world amateur championships and representation of the United States at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. The ordinance was reported to have been approved by the Walnut Hills Community Council; a dedication ceremony date had not been set.
Council member Anna Albee introduced a motion asking the city administration to design and pilot an opt‑in text‑messaging program, using the existing CincyAlerts platform or another community engagement tool, to push nonemergency service and event notices to residents who choose to opt in. The motion asked administration to deliver a program design in quarters 1–2, launch a pilot in quarter 3, and evaluate and report results in quarter 4 with recommendations for next steps.
Committee members supported the concept and raised implementation questions about governance, message frequency and avoiding duplication with existing emergency alerts. Council member Scottie Johnson cautioned that multiple or frequent messages could cause recipients to stop engaging. The vice chair and others emphasized setting clear governance (who authorizes messages and limits on frequency) and allowing geography‑based opt‑ins so residents can receive neighborhood‑specific notices.
Both the honorary‑naming ordinance and the text‑message pilot motion were recorded in the committee as placed on for passage without objection; the committee also filed the two preceding presentations without objection.
