Will the Cincinnati mayor’s race still be the hottest thing in politics by November, or will public interest experience a meltdown by then?
During the recent civil unrest in the city, all eyes were on Mayor Charlie Luken and his performance in handling a city on the brink of a breakdown.
In November, for the first time in more than seven decades, Cincinnati voters will directly elect a mayor. For most of the past 75 years, City Council chose the mayor from among its own members. More recently, the city charter stipulated the mayor be the candidate who wins the most votes in council elections. This year, the mayoral race will be separate from the council race.
The manner of choosing the mayor isn’t the only change, however. Beginning with this year’s election, the mayor will have enhanced powers, including authority to name the chairs of council committees and to have veto power over ordinances passed by council.
The “strong mayor,” as the new position is known, will serve four years instead of a two-year council term.
It’s a lot of power to give one person, and in the right hands it could turn Cincinnati around, making it a better place for all to live.
Luken says his performance as mayor speaks for his ability to do the job again.
“I’m decisive,” he says. “I can be a catalyst for action. I think I’ve shown a focus on basic city services.”
Development of low-income neighborhoods, working toward healing the problems of race relations and addressing allegations of racial profiling by police are issues he has aggressively pursued, Luken says.
“We have serious problems in the city, no question,” he says. “I can’t just wave a magic wand and make them go away, no question.”
Independent candidate Bill Brodberger, a licensed private investigator and owner of Corps Security Agency, is Luken’s only challenger so far. Brodberger says he has experience in turning around mismanaged corporations and making them profitable, a skill he could apply to city government.
“Cincinnati government needs to be slashed and cut down to the size of a lean, mean, service-oriented machine,” he says.
Brodberger also believes city employees should be residents of the city, because they would have a “vested interest” in its well-being.
The local Republican Party says it’s interviewing potential candidates, with an eye to endorsing someone to run against Luken.
“The situation around this race has changed dramatically,” says Chip Gerhardt, executive director of the Hamilton County Republican Party.
Because of racial turmoil in the city, Gerhardt says, Republicans have more people to talk to and more to talk about when choosing who they’ll endorse as their candidate.
If more than two candidates file to run for mayor, the candidates will square off in a primary election in September, and the top two finishers will be on the city ballot Nov. 6.
Candidates for mayor have until June 28 to file with the Hamilton County Board of Elections.
This article appears in May 30 – Jun 5, 2001.