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Cincinnati
Enquirer…
State
leader: Kids need compassion
5 QUESTIONS: Harvey J. Reed
Written by Paul E. Kostyu
COLUMBUS
— Every day, Harvey J.
Reed is one of the 95.7 percent of Americans the U.S. Census Bureau
says
commute to work. But Reed is one of just 8 percent who take 60 minutes
or more
– in his case about an hour and 40 minutes – to get there. That’s
because as
director of the Ohio Department of Youth Services, Reed travels 94
miles each
day, from Blue Ash to Columbus. Then back again. Reed is one of the
highest-ranking Southwest Ohioans in the administration of Gov. John R.
Kasich.
Kasich appointed Reed, a Cincinnati native who grew up in Evanston, as
the
department’s director in March 2011. After earning a degree in criminal
justice
from University of Cincinnati, he’s spent 34 years working in Ohio’s
juvenile
corrections system. Before the state job, Reed, a Republican, was
superintendent of the Hamilton County Juvenile Court Youth Center.
QUESTION:
Are you worried about a
recent study by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that found
a long
commute by car not only takes hours out of your day, but could take
years off
your life?
ANSWER:
I balance my days by
scheduling, getting eight hours of sleep, and building in time for rest
by
sometimes leaving early and taking long weekends. The commute forces me
to end
my day at a reasonable time and keeps me from trying to get it all done
in one
day. I include time in the day for me.
Q.
What attracted you to work in
youth services?
A:
Surprisingly, my father worked
in adult probation for years. He was director of the Boys Club of
Cincinnati.
He was involved in youth camps and all that. He always came home happy.
He
enjoyed what he did. So this service thing was just there. I grew up
with a lot
of guys who went “south of the border.” In one of my (UC) classes we
toured
Lebanon (Correctional Institution) and people (said) “Hey, Harv how you
doin’?”
I thought they were in the Air Force. They were incarcerated.
Q:
No temptation to go with your
buddies “south of the border”?
A:
Oh no. The consequences with my
father were too severe, much too severe.
Q:
What do you see as the
differences in youth services in Hamilton County and what you’re called
on to
do in Columbus? …
Read
the rest of the article at the Cincinnati
Enquirer
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