As Capital Crossroads seeks to respond to the needs of its members, it has brought back its Advocacy Committee. The Advocacy Committee is charged with reviewing requests for assistance from SID members and recommending issues to the Board that should be addressed by the SID. Specifically, the committee will focus on developing and promoting downtown-friendly policies that advance the goals of the SID.

The committee is comprised of SID board members Java Kitrick, Paul Sipp and Kristen Easterday, plus Michelle Chippas from the Downtown Residents Association (DRAC). SID staff support is provided by Marc Conte.

In previous years, the Advocacy Committee and SID Board have had great success in working with the City of Columbus to address issues raised by property owners. In 2009, the SID successfully advocated for the removal of the rush hour parking ban on blocks that had potential for new retail activity. The SID also worked with the City to schedule downtown street sweeping on specific nights for each street to allow residents and visitors to park vehicles overnight on the street.

For 2013, the Advocacy Committee has identified three priorities:

1. The noise, crime and other quality of life issues stemming from a small number of nuisance nightclubs.

2. The physical quality and safety of parking lots and garages.

3. The continued deterioration of neglected buildings and their effect on surrounding properties.

If you would like to provide feedback on these issues or if there are other issues you would like to bring to the SID's attention, please contact Marc Conte at (614) 645-5273 or maconte@sidservices.com.