Photo By Graham Lienhart

David Pepper emphasizes the loss of middle class families while also proposing improved public transit.

Cincinnati's trend of bleeding population can't bode well for the next mayor: If there's anything he or she will need, it's people to pay taxes.

Some Cincinnatians are leaving for the suburbs and the exurbs, even further out; the latest U.S. Census data suggest they're probably helping boost the numbers in Warren and Butler counties.

But others who crave the excitement of an urban atmosphere -- those lately often called "young professionals" or members of the "creative class" -- are packing their bags for thriving cities such as Portland, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco and New York.

CityBeat asked the four top contenders in the Sept. 13 nonpartisan mayoral primary who's leaving, why and what might change that.

We also asked what the candidates thought of the ideas in economist Richard Florida's 2002 book The Rise of the Creative Class, which sparked a nationwide scramble to lure young, artistic and technologically savvy residents. Cincinnati has been no exception (see "All the News That Fits," on this page).

Florida, whose economic theory has its share of critics, holds that successful cities are thriving on the "three Ts" of talent, technology and tolerance (though transportation could easily be a fourth).

Arts for city's sake
State Sen. Mark Mallory (D-West End) says the city's biggest problem is its current leaders.

"People, I think, are tired of the chaos that's going on here," he says. "They see fighting at City Hall. They see chaos among our leaders, and I think they see that chaos is spilling into the streets."

Beyond that, though, Mallory enthusiastically embraces the "creative class" concept.

"These are people who are attracted to diversity, they're attracted to opportunity, they're attracted to the sense of an area more so than being attracted to a job," he says.

To be successful, cities must embrace that diversity -- of ideas, of style, of race and of gender -- and cultivate a rich arts and cultural life, Mallory says. He wants to see Cincinnati turn to its vibrant arts community for help designing the city's layout, events and attractions.

He'd also encourage the development of a performing arts district replete with clubs, shops and smaller theaters between Walnut, Main, Sixth and Eighth streets, in effect completing the stalled "Backstage" arts district long planned for the area around the Aronoff Center for the Arts.

Local transportation needs a complete overhaul, Mallory says. While that could involve light rail and definitely includes making the city more bicycle-friendly, the city should first repair its dysfunctional relationship with the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (see "SORTA a Mess," issue of Dec. 22-28, 2004).

The city should cautiously explore the option of going entirely Wi-Fi, preserve library funding and celebrate the city's gorgeous parks, Mallory says. He wants a smoking ban left up to individual establishments and legalized gambling put on the ballot. City Councilman David Pepper, a Democrat, also talks up the arts, particularly tapping into the city's music scene. But he's worried first about Cincinnati's families.

"The big picture in the population loss has been middle class families," he says.

Of the 30,000 people who left Cincinnati in the '90s, the vast majority were middle class families lured away by the safer neighborhoods, stronger school systems and increased affordability of suburbs, Pepper says. The city's affordable neighborhoods aren't safe, and vice-versa, resulting in what he calls a "middle class squeeze."

Once that's addressed, Pepper thinks Florida has the right ideas about thriving cities: Cincinnati must better celebrate its diversity and grow the sense of acceptance that began with the repeal of the anti-gay Article 12 of the city charter last year.

"We also have to fundamentally change the image and also the sense of place, especially our central city," he says.

To Pepper, that means Over-the-Rhine must become safer, downtown must become more residential and the Banks development downtown must become a reality.

His favorite new idea is creating what he calls a "21st century transportation system" connecting the Banks through Over-the-Rhine and maybe uptown to Mount Auburn and Clifton. It might look like a trolley system or a free bus like the one serving Denver's 16th Street Mall.

Pepper also believes the city should try improving its sour relationship with SORTA before taking more drastic action.

In fact, he'd like to see SORTA create express bus lines that run later than 5:15 p.m., so city workers who don't have to run for the buses at 5 p.m. might be convinced to stay downtown a few hours longer. He got that idea from MidPoint Music Festival co-founder Bill Donabedian, whose proposed music commission Pepper also loves.

He also hopes to pump up the city's population by making it more welcoming to immigrants.

Pepper thinks the city should offer free wireless Internet access in all its parks to lure more young people to the city's underappreciated green spaces. However, he believes initiatives such as Lily Pad can better serve the city as a whole (see "All the News That Fits," issue of June 22-28).

A smoking ban should be a regional, not a city, move, and casino gambling should definitely be legalized, he says.

Trickle down, not out
Republican candidate Rev. Charlie Winburn also starts with the safety issue, but he pretty much ends there too.

"What I plan to do is restore law and order," he says. "My message hasn't changed."

Specifically unchanged are Winburn's plans to hire 200 more police officers and build a new jail (see "Sound Bite Into Crime," Aug. 10-16).

He says a second reason people leave is Cincinnati's struggling school system, which he'd convene an educational roundtable to address. A third cause is housing, so Winburn wants to create a fast-track development model to ease developers' way and erect 5,000 more homes in the next four years.

Winburn says high taxes drive people away. He'll focus on rolling back city property taxes and over the next decade hopes to phase them out altogether.

Winburn says he's unfamiliar with Florida's theory but quickly hitches onto the inclusion wagon.

"Everyone should be welcome to participate in our economy," he says. "But those four major areas address everyone."

He's not much for light rail, though. He calls funding a "boondoggle" and says Atlanta's rail system is suffering safety problems. He thinks maybe the county should take over the existing Metro bus system.

Vice Mayor Alicia Reece, a Democratic candidate for mayor, didn't respond to multiple calls and e-mails seeking comment.

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For more details of the mayoral candidates, visit aliciareece.org, davidpepper.com, electmallory.com and electwinburn.com. For additional stories on the Cincinnati mayoral race, see citybeat.com/mayor.