Charleta Bell Tavares is a committed public servant who has served as a member of Columbus City Council since 1999. She has successfully been elected to Council three times, with the most recent election occurring in November of 2007. Tavares’ state and national reputation as a leader in the areas of health and human services was instrumental in her appointment to serve as the Chair of Council’s Health, Housing and Human Services, and the Workforce Development Committees. In addition, she serves on the Finance, Development, Public Service and Transportation, Recreation and Parks, Rules and Reference, and Zoning Committees. Tavares was the chief sponsor of and successfully passed some of the most significant legislation in recent history in the areas of health, housing and human services, and workforce development including: - The Clean Indoor Air Act
- The Housing Preservation Fund
- Living Donor Paid Leave Program
- Emergency Human Services Capital Fund
- The Columbus Noise Ordinance
- Columbus/Franklin County Affordable Housing Trust
- Columbus Legislative Internship Program (CLIP)
Prior to joining Council, Tavares left a legacy for the citizens of Ohio during her 5 ½ year tenure in the Ohio General Assembly as the State Representative in the 22nd House District. Tavares was the first African-American female to serve in the state legislature from Franklin County and the first African-American woman ever to hold a leadership position in the Ohio General Assembly (Minority Whip). Tavares currently serves as Executive Director of Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence (MACC), a statewide non-profit membership organization whose mission is to enhance the quality of care in Ohio’s behavioral healthcare system and to incorporate cultural competency into systems and organizations who provide care to Ohio’s vulnerable and at risk populations. Tavares formerly served as the Chief of the Children’s Protection Section in the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. In this position, she played a leadership role in developing and advocating for policy and legislative initiatives to protect the health, safety, education and security of Ohio’s children. She also served four years as Associate Director of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio and as a Legislative Assistant and chief staff person to the Human Resources Subcommittee of the Ohio House Finance-Appropriations Committee. Boards:
National: National League of Cities Advisory Board; National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO); Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND);
State: The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (President);
Local: Columbus Compact, Franklin County Family and Children First Council; Access Health Columbus; Community Research Partners (Chair) and Columbus/Franklin County Housing Advisory Board (Chair). Memberships: Immediate Past Chair of The National League of Cities Human Development Steering Committee; Corporate Sisters; Ohio Business and Professional Women’s Organization; The Ohio Municipal League; Chair, Policy Committee for the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials. Previous Boards: Central Community House (President); Metropolitan Human Services Commission (Secretary); Ohio Commission on Minority Health. (Commissioner); The National Black Caucus of State Legislators; National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women; and Women in Government (Director) Ms. Tavares has received over 200 national and state honors and awards including the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill’s Legislative Leadership Award for her work in drug, alcohol and mental health parity legislation, the Columbus Education Association's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award 2005, City Year Columbus' MLK Day Dreamer Award 2005, Women Legislator’s Lobby 1997 Leader in Women’s Health Award, Friends of the Homeless Leadership Award, NASW-Ohio Chapter Legislator of the Year Award, Metropolitan Area Church Council’s Living Faith Award, Southeast Mental Health’s Public Official of the Year and the Franklin County Prevention Institute’s Partner in Prevention Award (drug and alcohol) to name a few. Councilmember Tavares was named a 2001 YWCA Woman of Achievement and became a board member of Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND) October, 2004. WAND is an organization that empowers women to act politically to reduce violence and militarism, and redirect excessive military resources toward unmet human and environmental needs. In addition, she was selected as one of 35 - 1996 Flemming Fellows, a member of the American Council of Young Political Leaders and the Darden Institute’s Executive Leadership Program. Tavares is a founding member and former Vice President of the Columbus Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. She serves on the Executive Committees of the Franklin County and Ohio Democratic Party and served as a member of the 1988 Platform Committee and a delegate to the 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000 Democratic National Conventions. Tavares is a graduate of Eastmoor High School and attended Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia and The Ohio State University. High Resolution Image  
TAVARES TIMES NEWS 
FREE FOOD FOR KIDS Kids ages 1-18 can receive FREE NUTRITIOUS MEALS while school is out this summer with the Ohio Summer Food Service Program. Click here for more information.
EARTH DAY RESOLUTION Columbus City Council declares April 22, 2008 as Earth Day and encourages the community to support environmental cleanups, educational events, and a celebration at Goodale Park organized by Green Columbus and their partners in Let's Get Busy Week, April 19-26, 2008. Visit www.nowgetbusy.org for volunteer information and events. Click here to download Columbus City Council's Resolution.
VISIT-ABILITY RESOLUTION On May 17, 2008, Columbus City Council passed a resolution encouraging a change to the Ohio Revised Code to require the Board of Building Standards to adopt rules requiring that new residential buildings be build with specific "Visit-ability" features. Click here to download Columbus City Council's Resolution.
Emergency Shelter Contacts
Children's Product Recalls
FORECLOSURE RESOLUTION On November 5, 2007, Councilmember Charleta Tavares sponsored a resolution supporting recommendations of the Ohio Foreclosure Prevention Task Force. This group was established in March 2007 by Governor Ted Strickland to examine the increasing number of home foreclosures in Ohio and includes representatives from local, state and federal governments, members of the Ohio banking and mortgage banking communities, and non-profit housing advocates. The Task Force recommendations were issued in a final report September 10, 2007. Two pieces of federal legislation currently being considered support findings of The Task Force, which are to remove obstacles that currently prevent bankruptcy courts from restructuring home mortgages in order to help people avoid foreclosure and to allow the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants to local governments to fund the demolition of dilapidated vacant housing. Additionally, the Task Force makes recommendations that include educating people early in the home buying process and encouraging them to get help before a foreclosure is eminent. Community Development Block Grant funds are currently used to support such programs, but the use of funds for this purpose are restricted to a 15% Public Services cap. In order to expand programs that will help homeowners avoid foreclosure, while keeping the bulk of funds for housing, it is proposed to list such programs as specifically eligible for the bulk of the funds used for home building, home rehabilitation, and if the recommendation is followed, now homebuyer counseling and other programs to help keep people in their homes. The resolution and an accompanying letter from Councilmember Tavares were sent to all state and federal elected officials. 0813X-2007 Foreclosure Resolution Ohio Foreclosure Prevention Task Force Final Report Ohio Department of Health’s Injury Prevention Program
EMERGENCY HUMAN SERVICES FUNDS (ESF) &
EMERGENCY HUMAN SERIVCES CAPITAL FUNDS (ESCF) In 1985, City Council created the Emergency Human Services Fund (ESF), allocating a portion of the City’s bed tax to address one-time emergencies and unforeseen circumstances in non-profit human service agencies that lacked adequate financial resources of their own. Council wanted to ensure that agency clients continued to receive critical life services. In 2007, this funding source generated about $1.2 million for this important purpose. To refine the ESF, Councilmember Charleta Tavares sponsored and successfully passed Ordinance No. 0153-00 in January 2000 to create the Emergency Human Services Capital Fund (ESCF). This fund sets aside $300,000 annually to assist social service agencies emergency capital needs. Download ESF & ESCF Guidelines Brochure | 
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