Candidate for
Council Member; City of Cincinnati

BIOGRAPHY OF WENDELL YOUNG

Mr. Wendell Young is a life-long resident of Cincinnati. He grew up in Avondale and attended Cincinnati Public Schools. He graduated from Hughes High School in 1963. After graduation, Mr. Young enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He served until honorably discharged in January 1967. Upon his return home in April of that same year, Mr. Young became a member of the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD).

During his 25 year police career, Mr. Young experienced a variety of assignments. He worked as a uniformed beat officer, plain-clothes detective, semi-undercover police officer, undercover police officer, school resource officer, shift supervisor, and his last assignment as Recruiting Unit Commander. Mr. Young retired from the police department with the rank of Sergeant in 1992.

Also in June of 1992 Mr. Young accepted the position of Assistant Director of Personnel/Equal Employment Opportunity Officer for the City of Cincinnati. He held that post until September of 1999 when he returned to the CPD to be the Assistant to the Police Academy Commander. In September of 2000, Mr. Young was recruited from the Police Academy by Mr. Patrick Karney, Director of the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) of Greater Cincinnati, to become the Diversity Manager and Training Institute Director for MSD. Mr. Young would work at MSD until 2005.

In 1994, U.S. Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D-OHIO)recommended Mr. Young to President William (Bill) Clinton for appointment to the office of U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio. Although he did not get the appointment, Mr. Young is proud to have been considered for the office.

In May of 2005, Mr. Young retired from the City of Cincinnati and ran for a seat on Cincinnati City Council. Mr. Young failed to win election but he finished well for a first-time candidate, placing 13th in a field of 31 candidates. This year Mr. Young is making his second bid for election to Cincinnati City Council.

In August of this year, Mr. Young accepted a teaching position at Aiken College & Career High School. Mr. Young is teaching high school juniors and seniors classes on Law & Public Safety, and Government & Public Administration. Teaching is a new experience for Mr. Young but he likes the opportunity to assist the Cincinnati Public Schools with providing opportunity to young people. Mr. Young sees this new endeavor as a way to give back to the school system that did so much for him.

Mr. Young has been active in several community organizations. To include: president of The Sentinel Police Association and the Cincinnati Branch NAACP, two-time president of the Cincinnati Chapter National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA), and former board member of the National Black Police Association and Cincinnati's Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). Mr. Young has hosted weekly radio and television public affairs programs. He was an on-air reader for the Radio Reading Services radio station sponsored by the Cincinnati Association for the Blind. For three years, Mr. Young co-chaired the Mallory Center African American Heritage Celebration.

Mr. Young is married to Flora "Kathy" Young and they reside in North Avondale with two of their children. Wendell (Bear) graduated last school year from Taft Information & Technology High School and Raven is a junior voice and drama major at The School for the Creative and Performing Arts.

Mr. Young is an active member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church where he sings in the Chancel and Gospel Choirs. He also assists his wife with her praise dance ministry.

Mr. Young is an avid Cincinnati Bengals fan. He also enjoys traveling, horseback riding, fishing, swimming, and staying home with a good book.

This past February, Mr. Young performed the role of "Big Moe" in the Cincinnati Black Theatre Company production of Five Guys Named Moe in the Xavier University Gallager Center auditorium.

Mr. Young is the oldest of his parent's four children. His three sisters, Corinna Sims, Sheila Parham, and Ava Pye, all reside in Cincinnati.