Heart and Hustle in Hamilton County

Whenever we have a long hiatus in our podcast, we return with a new season of jam-packed government content for our one listener! We jest (but do appreciate our one fan). In our season opener, we talked with Robert Bell and Gabrielle Woehler with the Hamilton County Economic Inclusion and Equity Department.  Robert and Gabrielle discuss the evolution of DEI efforts baked into the County's purchasing, spending, and hiring efforts. Under Mr. Bell's leadership, Hamilton County has an overall MBE/WBE spending goal of $14 million per year and $70 million in five years. This is a direct result of implementing the County's first disparity study. We get into the details and discuss the equity framework that guides the department to provide opportunities for all Hamilton County residents!To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

"Don't call it electrocuting fish," was our first lesson in electrofishing- a practice where you temporarily stun and collect fish and other aquatic wildlife to determine the health of a stream or waterway. We took our podcast on location to Howard's Creek in Whitewater Township with Sara Fehring and Sarah Meadows from the Hamilton County Conservation District. So, grab your rubber waders and your net and get ready to learn about electrofishing and why we collect this data on the fish population!To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

In 2022, over 50,000 calls rang into Hamilton County's 513-241-KIDS hotline, and over 6,000 cases were opened for assessment. During the entire month, Hamilton County Job and Family Services has been sharing tips on how to prevent child abuse and support families. HCJFS Director Michael Patton and Deputy Director of Children's Services Alexandra Patsfall  joined the Heart and Hustle Podcast to discuss the Child Abuse Prevention Month efforts and their #OneSmallThing  campaign. To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

Hamilton County Administrator Jeff Aluotto talks about the County's biggest achievements in 2022 with some of his top operations staff. Human Resources Director Frank Spataro, Senior Policy Manager Marc Von Allmen and Assistant County Administrators Holly Christmann and Lisa Webb take the mic to discuss some of their favorite projects in 2022 and what they have to look forward to in 2023. Hamilton County continues to launch new programs that improve lives of our residents, our businesses, and our employees. This is the penultimate edition of Heart and Hustle in Hamilton County (the final episode for 2022 was canceled so we could use the word-of-the-day “penultimate” in the podcast).To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

Continuing our conversation with local housing experts: Hamilton County Community Development's Interim Director Emily Carnahan, Liz Blum with the Community Building Institute at Xavier University, and Kristen Baker with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) get to the heart of the conversation on whether our neighbors can afford to stay in the communities where they live. Recent studies have shown that Hamilton County currently lacks 40,000 units of affordable housing.  Listen to what Hamilton County is doing about it. To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

The news lately has been filled with headlines around housing values and housing affordability.  In this episode of Heart and Hustle, we talk with three housing experts in who really tackle the question- Is housing affordable in Hamilton County, Oh?Hamilton County Community Development's Interim Director Emily Carnahan, Liz Blum with the Community Building Institute at Xavier University, and Kristen Baker with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) get to the heart of the conversation on whether our neighbors can afford to stay in the communities where they live. Join us in Part 1 of a 2 part conversation!To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

The Hamilton County Environmental Crimes Task Force is heating up this summer. Corporal  Bryan Peak with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office leads a multi-department effort to crack down on illegal dumping of tires, construction debris and other household items. Listen to the latest podcast of Heart and Hustle in Hamilton County, and subscribe, to hear about this great program helping to improve the quality of life for Hamilton County, Oh residents.  To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

In a disaster, Nick Crossley says there's no such thing as 'no.' In Episode 9, the Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency Director talks about the biggest challenge he faced during the early days of the local COVID-19 pandemic. "If you ever call me, I'm saving your cell number," says Crossley who discusses how he gets around the word "no" in order to find a way. He also details the quick partnerships that formed overnight to protect the most vulnerable including seniors. Crossley's agency administers emergency management and disaster preparedness functions for all of Hamilton County and its political subdivisions. This may be the ultimate episode- we can't think of a better department  to spotlight on a COVID-19 podcast. Have a listen!To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

Looking for ways to celebrate Earth Day? What better way to honor our planet than nourishing its soil with your kitchen scraps! Just as gardening and cooking have gained new enthusiasts during this pandemic, so has composting. We discuss tips and tricks with our local composting connoisseurs – Michelle Balz and Gage Bradford with Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste District. Michelle and Gage give us  the latest on how you can buy discounted compost bins and take free virtual composting seminars. Plus, they convinced a ‘reluctant composter’ to stop procrastinating and start reducing household waste.To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

Chances are every person in Hamilton County will dial 911 at least twice in their lifetime.  And connecting people to emergency services like police, fire, and EMS during a pandemic is more important than ever.  911 services have seen a tremendous amount of change over the past year, but the mission has remained the same: providing  the most accurate, expeditious, and innovative communication services possible. Director Andrew Knapp discusses how to keep emergency communication running during a pandemic and why servers and bartenders tend to make the best 911 Dispatchers. To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

“2020 will go down as the year of the public servant,” said Hamilton County Job and Family Services Director Tim McCartney who reflected on the tumultuous year and saw a lot of reasons to be optimistic. On this episode of Heart and Hustle, McCartney  and Frank Spataro, director of Hamilton County Human Resources, discuss the rapid organizational changes that took place in response to the COVID-19 crisis and how front line staff completely relocated without missing a beat. To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

Assistant County Administrator Holly Christmann discusses the heart and hustle behind allocating Hamilton County's $142 Million in CARES Act funding. We dissect how the County prioritized that funding as well as talk to a small business owner who used a CARES Act grant to sustain her business and provide much needed services to her local community. To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

Heart and Hustle in Hamilton County is a podcast about the people, places, and policies that govern our local response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Hosted by County Administrator Jeff Aluotto, Heart and Hustle discusses the issues, challenges, and opportunities Hamilton County, Ohio faces as we battle a global pandemic. On Episode 1: Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman takes a look back at the whirlwind that was his first month on the job at the helm of Hamilton County Public Health. Greg talks about how his department is rising to the daily challenges of contact tracing and messaging out about the dos and don'ts of safe behavior (spoiler: no partial credit for wearing a mask incorrectly).  To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

Long-time Chief of Staff for the Hamilton County Recorder’s Office David Pittinger gets into the details of the office’s efforts to modernize record keeping to improve accessibility and prevent fraud. The Recorder’s Office just announced a new Real Estate Fraud Alert Service to alert those who enroll for the service of filings under their names, warning property owners to potentially fraudulent activity in real-time. The Recorder’s Office is also set to release over 6 million images this month, finishing a project to make Deed Books, Leases, Registered Land Documents, and Registered Land Certificates easily accessible to the public.  Tune in to hear about this and other free services for veterans, the Griffin Yeatman award, and the tumultuous history behind some of the oldest records in Hamilton County.To sign up for the free Real Estate Fraud Alert Service, visit https://recordersoffice.hamilton-co.org/recording-notification-service.htmlTo nominate a person or project for the Griffin Yeatman Award, visit https://recordersoffice.hamilton-co.org/in_the_news/griffin_yeatman_award.htmlTo learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

There's a new Dog Warden in town. Cincinnati Animal CARE Humane Society is Hamilton County’s first no-kill shelter operator -  fulfilling the County's Dog Warden responsibilities of collecting stray dogs and enforcing dog licenses. In August 2020, Cincinnati Animal CARE officially  took over operations of the County's dog shelter in Northside. At that time, the shelter was at full capacity. In 2021, they saw a near 70% increase in total animals coming in, and 2022 has shown no signs of slowing down. Cincinnati Animal CARE has taken in 320 animals since March 1.  Listen as we discuss what a "no-kill" shelter means and how Cincinnati Animal CARE is dealing with the capacity challenges. Cincinnati Animal CARE is open to the public seven days a week from 1pm - 6pm at 3949 Colerain Ave. Visit them today, meet the staff, and adopt or foster!To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

Hamilton County Board of Elections' top officials, Sherry Poland and Sally Krisel,  talk about changes made on the fly to conduct Hamilton County's 2020 elections during the COVID-19 pandemic.  With nonstop directives coming out of the State due to the  Governor and the Courts arguing  election postponement, Director Poland and Deputy Director Krisel reflect on their sleepless night before the March primary.  In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, Poland and Krisel also talk candidly about efforts they took to combat misinformation, while preserving the integrity of our local elections. Discover how the pandemic is impacting future elections. Give a listen on episode 7 of Heart and Hustle in Hamilton County. To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

Hamilton County Environmental Services Director Brad Johnson discusses the rich history of environmental awareness in Cincinnati and Hamilton County that dates back to the 1800s- when Cincinnati was one of the largest cities in the country and one of the first to monitor air quality thanks to a women's organization. With the pandemic, Environmental Services has seen its fair share of change including an emphasis on air quality, pollen and mold counting, and changes in recycling patterns including the shortage of cardboard being recycled. Listen as Anna Kelly, Monitoring and Analysis Supervisor, answers the most common question she hears- "how can air quality be good when the pollen count is so high in Hamilton County?" To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.

The Hamilton County Office of Reentry had to get creative fast when the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak ramped up locally in March of 2020. The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office instituted measures to reduce the jail population while also increasing safety measures inside of the jail. Once inmates served their time and were released, reentry advocates hit the phones to ensure resources were available to keep formerly incarcerated individuals from reoffending and ending back up in jail. Reentry Director Trina Jackson discusses some of her favorite success stories thanks to the hard work of the Sheriff's Department, Cincinnati Police and other community partners. To learn more about Hamilton County, Ohio, our services and job openings, visit hamiltoncountyohio.gov.