While the exit of Mayor Michael B. Coleman from public office is one of the biggest news stories of 2015, there’s another public servant who’s also leaving City Hall from more of a behind-the-scenes position. Mike Reese holds the designation as the sole staff person who has worked with the Coleman administration since day one, and is also the longest serving Chief of Staff for the Mayor’s Office in the city’s history.
“I always saw this as a career,” says Reese. “I was in it for the long haul, but I didn’t know it was going to be 16 years.”
During that time, Reese has worked on policy work impacting constituents and neighborhoods, and spent a year at the Columbus Department of Development, before settling into the role of Chief of Staff for the final nine years of Coleman’s tenure. Reese said that his most memorable accomplishments are the very tangible efforts that can now be enjoyed by future generations.
“The work on the Big Darby Accord was one of my proudest moments — working with townships, counties, cities, and environmental agencies to make a comprehensive plan,” he stated. “The cool thing about that is that my kids have grown up now and have experienced the results by canoeing on Darby.”
Reese said that while Mayor Coleman has been the visionary leader in office, it has been his job to help execute the vision behind the scenes.
“I’m very proud of Coleman’s vision, which was to strike the right balance between investing in neighborhoods as well as investing in Downtown and job creation,” explained Reese. “Closing the infrastructure inequity gap for neighborhoods that did not have the basics has set the stage for future improvements. All of that takes a team, and I’m proud to have been a part of that team.”
During a separate interview with Columbus Underground, Coleman spoke very highly of the results of the “Pay As We Grow” plan, which was implemented to help curb suburban sprawl and make new infrastructure development more cost effective. Reese agrees that the policy was one of the most important of the past two decades.
“It all started in the northwest area where we had several developers who were willing to contribute millions to roadway improvements,” said Reese. “We knew that before we zone or annex, there needs to be a conscious effort to level the playing field and leverage more dollars for police, fire, and other basic infrastructure. We had to be smarter about it.”
Reese added that those types of development negotiations would not be possible without collaborative partnerships between the private and public sector. When asked if there’s a winning formula behind those partnerships that can be implemented in the future, he indicates that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
“You have to take it on a case-by-case basis,” he said. “If you look at Northland or City Center or the old Bob Evans site, they’re all different. We did everything we could to keep Bob Evans here, but they moved away and now we’re helping redevelop that area, which is a good deal for tax payers. We seized the opportunity to take over City Center, get the site, and control our own destiny. It took taxpayer money to demolish and build the new park, but that was a good investment that led to new development and vibrancy. With Northland, if we hadn’t stepped in through some of our partnerships, we’d still have a vacant mall there.”
Reese says that the ability for the City of Columbus to play a strong role in determining its own future is largely due to the income tax increase that was approved by voters in 2009.
“We would not be the city we are today if it weren’t for that,” he stated. “We’re in a strong financial position to invest in our neighborhoods because of that effort. We’ve also achieved over 200 million in savings since 2009. We’ve made those commitments.”
While Reese has not said exactly what comes next for him, he plans to stay in Central Ohio, and plans to focus more spare time on his newfound love of yoga — possibly pursuing a teacher training program. He said that the practice has helped him to relax during intense situations, laugh at himself a bit more, and be more reflective about his life in general.
“It sounds kind of corny, but I still remember putting my key in the keyhole of my office on my first day,” he said. “My dad was a police officer, so I’ve always had public service in me. It’s been a great ride, and I’m really excited about the future.”