Tyson excited to serve

By Donna Marbury
Contributing Writer
Columbus Post
In the next 10 years, newly reelected Columbus City Councilwoman Priscilla Tyson said that Columbus will be a bustling metropolitan city with jobs, entertainment and quality of life for all its residents. “People still see Columbus as a safe place to live and visit,” said Tyson, who hopes to facilitate those changes to make Columbus better. “I am here to serve. I have been reelected to a new term and I am excited about the work in the city. I am very prayerful about what I do.”

Tyson who was first elected to Columbus City Council in 2007, after replacing former Councilwoman Mary Jo Hudson, said that she is proud of how the city has made a commitment to making things better in the central areas of Columbus. “On a positive note, you can see the changes in the center city. There’s the revamping of the King-Lincoln District, especially reopening the Lincoln Theatre, in the Parsons and Livingston Avenue area the Nationwide Children’s Hospital is growing, the Arena District is now host to our new baseball park and downtown is continuing to grow,” she said.

Though the city is growing, Tyson acknowledges that the recent recession has caused city council to make some hard economic decisions. Earlier this year, 11 city recreational centers were closed as the city struggled to balance the 2009 budget. In the 2010 budget, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman has proposed reopening the centers, with the help of some community partners and has earmarked an additional $1 million to Parks and Recreation in the city. Tyson, who is chair of the city’s Parks and Recreation Committee, said that she is excited to hear that the centers will be reopening. “There is a timeline to reopen the 11 centers in some capacity throughout 2010,” said Tyson. “There is a real need for those centers for our families, young people and seniors and we are real excited to be able to reopen them.”

When incumbent Democrats Tyson, A. Troy Miller and Eileen Paley were reelected in November, voters also passed the constitutional amendment that aimed to build casinos in Ohio. The amendment does not allow host cities Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus and Cincinnati to participate in the zoning and placement of the casinos. Casino builders hope to place the Columbus building in the Arena District, to the disapproval of Mayor Coleman and other city officials. Since then, Governor Ted Strickland said he would veto any bill that would not allow cities to regulate zoning. Tyson, who also chairs the city’s Zoning Committee, said that Columbus officials need to be in on the talks about the casino, which is slated to open in 2012. “There needs to be home rule,” Tyson said concerning the controversy. “The city needs to participate in the conversation on where it needs to be placed. I know in this economy, people want jobs. So I hope we will be able to work with the casino owners to make sure it is something the city wants.”

Tyson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Franklin University and is the human resource director for Ribway Engineering Group.
Outside of City Hall, Tyson said she enjoys vegetable and flower gardening, travel and looks forward to baking for her family throughout the holidays. She is a board member of the Grater Columbus Arts Council and has served on the boards of Phoenix Theatre Circle, National Black Programming Consortium, Opera Columbus, and the Community Shelter Board. Arts are very important to Tyson, who is the owner of Start Arts Limited, located at 1465 E. Broad St., and highlights African and African-American artists. She said arts are important to Columbus, not just aesthetically, but economically. “We have to continue to move arts forward, not just because it makes people feel good,” Tyson said. “Art is important to the economic development of the city and it enhances the quality of life. The creative economy is very important.”

http://www.columbuspost.com/2009-updates-12-10/headlines1210-priscilla-tyson-excited-to-serve.html