For Cincinnati Councilman David Pepper, 31, youth gives an important perspective on a pressing problem: the city is failing to attract the demographic that is anchoring urban growth nationwide -- young and typically "wired" workers.

"Too many of those who grow up here leave town," Pepper said, "and too few from elsewhere choose to come."

To make Cincinnati an attractive place for younger generations -- and to drive economic growth -- Pepper co-authored the Economic Growth and Fairness Act, which formed an economic development task force with the private sector to streamline regulations and reinvent city hall's economic development infrastructure. Pepper is now pushing the city to implement the task force's recommendations: create a one-stop development center to assist businesses in working through the city's different departments and permit requirements, create an independent development authority with city-wide jurisdiction to usher through and support larger development projects, and create a private sector-experienced "economic strike force" within City Hall to retain city businesses and make new deals happen.

Simultaneously, Pepper's bill reformed Cincinnati's subsidy practices, and required transparency for the city's bidding process -- not just for city-funded projects, but also for any project where the city has provided major subsidies. This greater transparency and competition, Pepper said, "allows for greater opportunity for local and minority companies and assures the best use of taxpayer funds."

Additionally, Pepper has sought to improve the city's quality of life by cracking down on crimes like graffiti and illegal dumping.

Pepper's concern over the community's relationship with Cincinnati police in the wake of riots two years ago led him to play a leading role in negotiating the city's historic Collaborative Agreement. The agreement calls for a new paradigm in policing, with numerous reforms to create a truly community-oriented police force. This resulted in a complete overhaul of the education, oversight, monitoring, hiring practices, and accountability of the Cincinnati Police Department. During the same period, there was an equally important agreement between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice, which will implement best practices with respect to the city's use-of-force policies, officer training, discipline, and other areas.

The city council also recently approved Pepper's $2 million Safe and Clean Neighborhood Fund. The fund will provide grants to support community-initiated projects to tackle safety and blight in the neighborhoods that need it the most over the next two years. Along with this effort, Pepper is pushing to increase grassroots groups' capacity to formulate and implement solutions to neighborhood problems. This began with a neighborhood summit he organized in January, which brought together more than 500 community leaders.

The fund, Pepper said, is designed to empower citizens. "Whether it's cleaning up a crack-infested corner, adding lights to a dark street, or putting public art in a once-cluttered lot, the point is to work with neighborhood leaders to identify causes of neighborhood crime, find solutions, and implement them with city support," he said.

Grants may be disbursed in any amount up to $100,000, but the majority of the grants, city officials say, will be for $5,000 or less so the money will be stretched further. The first round of grants, Pepper says, could be awarded as early as August.

As the new chairman of city council's Neighborhoods Committee, Pepper has sought to empower communities and neighborhoods through accountability and dialogue with the city. Last week, Pepper passed legislation committing the city to a partnership that will create a report card on the health of each and every neighborhood based on a variety of "neighborhood indicators" -- such as blighted areas and criminal activities. This will allow Cincinnati to proactively identify problems and trends in neighborhoods and make targeted investments accordingly, rather than putting out fires after problems have boiled over, as they did in the 2001 riots.