View video tribute (7 minutes, 12M) COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & PARTICIPATION James R. Tarbell, Cincinnati Nominated By: H.C. Buck Niehoff

James R.Tarbell is a tireless advocate for the neighborhoods, architecture and cultural institutions in Cincinnati. In 2002, Mayor Charlie Luken appointed him as the chairman of the newly formed Cincinnati City Council Arts & Culture Committee. The committee was created to supervise Cincinnati's funding for local arts organizations and promote public value. It promotes community development through the arts and helps to realize an environment in which the creative population can grow and succeed. Tactics for homeownership assistance, technical resources for creative entrepreneurs, public art in public spaces and community buy-in through public relations and marketing efforts are being explored. Tarbell is serving his seventh year on Cincinnati City Council and shares his expertise with numerous groups including the Community Development Committee, the Cincinnati Planning Commission and the Hamilton County Planning Partnership Executive Committee. His commitment to the historic preservation of Cincinnati helped save the Evangelical United Methodist Church and St. Paul's Parish Complex. During the last three decades, the prominence of the 360 acre Over-the-Rhine district has grown because of Tarbell's dedicated efforts. His unique style and ability to articulate the role of the arts is obvious in the revitalization of Cincinnati's urban neighborhoods. James R.Tarbell's boundless optimism for the opportunities Cincinnati has available makes no greater champion for community development and participation.