Cincinnati’s city council race has a big crowd of contenders, including a number of promising new faces. This year, we’re endorsing a lively mix of incumbents and newcomers. They won’t all agree on everything — which is how it should be — but we think they represent perspectives that can move the city forward. We hope an influx of new energy will up council’s commitment to issues like transit and affordable housing and that the experience the incumbents offer will translate into meaningful legislation to those ends.
[The Election Issue: CityBeat endorses Yvette Simpson for mayor.]
Newcomers
Derek Bauman
Over-the-Rhine resident Derek Bauman has never been shy about telling people what he thinks. The retired suburban police officer has proven a tireless activist for public transit in all forms, from his work pushing for the streetcar to his spot as vice chairman of commuter rail boosters All Aboard Ohio to his role as the Cincinnati NAACP’s transportation committee chairman. He has also shown himself to be an advocate for historic preservation during the knock-down, drag-out fight over the Dennison Hotel. During that debate and others, Bauman has shown a willingness to ask tough questions of the powers that be in City Hall. He clearly has the energy and grit to push for worthy causes that can benefit a wide swath of Cincinnatians, and his big picture vision — a more connected, walkable and dense Cincinnati — is one we whole-heartedly agree with. That vision has netted Bauman endorsements from the city’s Charter Committee and a number of labor groups.
Tamaya Dennard
Camp Washington’s Tamaya Dennard, endorsed by both the Democratic Party and the Charter Committee, is a rare combination of things we like to see in a council candidate. She has City Hall experience from working in P.G. Sittenfeld’s office and nonprofit experience working for social innovation firm Design Impact. Normally, those attributes alone wouldn’t be enough for an endorsement, but Dennard also has an independent, unapologetically progressive streak that impresses us greatly. She knows how City Hall works, but also knows how to get outside of it — literally. We’re very interested in her proposal that would bring city council meetings to the neighborhoods on a rotating basis. We also like her push for more economic and racial equity in Cincinnati, including her support for measures like community benefit agreements, which could hold developers more accountable to the wishes of the neighborhoods around their projects while boosting affordable housing and economic inclusion.
Michelle Dillingham
When it comes to walking the walk, no one has more credibility than Michelle Dillingham on the biggest issues facing the city’s most vulnerable citizens. The Kennedy Heights resident’s work with the Cincinnati Educational Justice Coalition, the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, Community Shares of Greater Cincinnati and more have prepared her to serve as an advocate for the city’s low-income residents and everyday Cincinnatians. We think the endorsed Democrat’s focus on affordable housing, education and economic opportunity, as well as her mix of policy smarts and real-world experience, will serve Cincinnati well. We look to her to help reign in the city’s use of tax abatements and bring about smarter, more equitable development policies.
Lesley Jones
You would be hard pressed to find a person who has done more for inclusion in Cincinnati — in all its stripes — than Mount Airy’s Lesley Jones. She has led the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission, building bridges and healing racial wounds in the city. She was instrumental in engaging people of faith in the effort to dismantle Cincinnati’s embarrassing and retrograde anti-gay Article 12 ordinance. She has done vital work on voter registration and job training for Cincinnati residents. The list goes on. Jones, an endorsed Democrat, is tireless when it comes to making sure everyone has a seat at the table. That’s why we want to see her get a seat on council.
Greg Landsman
Mount Washington’s Greg Landsman has not held elected office before, but you might already know his name. He narrowly missed a spot on council in 2013, but rebounded and became one of the driving forces behind Preschool Promise, a wildly popular effort to pass a tax levy to extend free preschool to the district’s most underserved children. Sixty-two percent of voters said yes to that request in part because of Landsman’s energetic promotion. The city will need an advocate for youth on council to fill Yvette Simpson’s place, and we think Landsman, a former teacher and endorsed Democrat, is just the candidate for that role.
[The Election Issue: CityBeat endorses NO on Issue 1, YES on 2, YES on 3, 4, 5 and 24.]
Incumbents
David Mann
Vice Mayor David Mann of Clifton has walked a fine line in his role as an elder statesman for council’s Democrats. Sometimes, he has been on Mayor John Cranley’s side in some of council’s more contentious battles. Other times he’s siding with the council Democrats most vocally opposed to the mayor. We haven’t always liked his individual stances — he greatly disappointed us with his punt on Indigenous Peoples’ Day over the past two years — but we appreciate his ability to navigate conflict. We’re also hard pressed to find a council member who has done more to find money for affordable housing. For those reasons, we think Mann is worth keeping.
Chris Seelbach
Over-the-Rhine’s Chris Seelbach works hard — no one on council has more legislative wins than he does. And he fights hard — he has probably gotten into more debates during council meetings than any other council member. Seelbach gets things done, but he also isn’t afraid to stir the pot. We like that. Seelbach has fearlessly championed LGBTQ rights issues, has been instrumental in preserving and expanding the city’s human services funding and generally has a voting record that favors everyday Cincinnatians. We would like to see him get elected one more time before term limits kick in.
P.G. Sittenfeld
You’ve probably already seen P.G. Sittenfeld’s impressive resume — Ivy League education, fellowship at Google and so forth. It propelled him to two council terms and the most votes of anyone on council last election, even though he’s the youngest member of the deliberative body. But it’s what he has done while on council that has us hoping he gets one more term. Sittenfeld has pushed legislation incentivizing companies in Cincinnati to pay living wages and worked to hold large corporations like Duke Energy accountable to Cincinnati residents. He has also embraced technology, helping to lead data-centric efforts at City Hall. It’s clear Sittenfeld has his eye on bigger things (see: his bid last year for a U.S. Senate seat) but in the meantime, he’s doing good work here.
Wendell Young
It’s true that Wendell Young is a reliable vote for policies we at CityBeat generally think benefit Cincinnatians, especially those with less money and clout. But there’s another reason we would like to see Young back in his council seat: No one does more out in the community. When Mount Auburn residents were worried about the code violations and citations they received, it was Young who was at their community council meeting with fellow council member Yvette Simpson to try and clear up confusion. When city inspectors found deplorable conditions at The Alms low-income apartments in Walnut Hills, Young was there to meet with residents. He has taken some fire for being absent for pivotal council meetings — a valid concern — and has had some health issues of late. But we’re hoping Young will be healthy and back in his council seat next term.
