Cincinnati Free Beacon

Fourth-generation Cincinnatian and Wegman Company vice president Melissa Wegman tells about her life and experiences, as well as some of the issues at stake in the upcoming City Council elections:

Chapters:

1 — She tells about some of the first-generation Cincinnatians in her family tree.

2 — Mrs. Wegman opposes the Streetcar—as does her grandmother, still living, who remembers the last time Cincinnati had a streetcar:  “It was a lark then, and it’s a lark now.”

3 — As someone who has heard gunshots in the neighborhood where she works, she appreciates the importance of public safety.

4 and 5 — Her work as vice president of the Wegman Company includes HR and community outreach.

6 — Wegman praises the 52 neighborhoods and their small businesses as the lifeblood of the city.  She argues that City Council has run roughshod over them, to everyone’s loss.

7 — She discusses the breakdown of community and how to reverse it, and tells a charming story of one woman’s experiment in being a good neighbor.

8 — Her “Your Vote, Your Voice” billboard campaign takes iconic images of Cincinnati landmarks and argues that if you don’t vote, your city is the poorer for it.

9 — As an athlete in high school and college, Melissa Wegman played soccer and ran track, setting state records for speed.  As a coach, she saw her students break her records.  She also tells a surprising story about the way one person discouraged her, and how she took it as an encouragement to excel in spite of it.

10 — She tells about the historic building where this interview took place.