Do you miss the drama and hustle of last year's mayoral campaigns? Don't fret. It's more than three years until the next election, but the fun is already starting up again.
Cincinnati Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman has filed to run for mayor in 2021, he told The Cincinnati Enquirer today. Smitherman said the decision to start so early came in part because he wants his wife, who is battling breast cancer, to be able to be involved in his campaign.
"It’s an opportunity for me to give back to a city that’s given me a lot," he said. "It’s a real mission."
Smitherman, a financial planner by trade, has been a Cincinnati City Councilman for a total of seven years and will be term-limited when his current term is up. He's been rumored as a mayoral hopeful at least since last year's mayoral election, as current mayor John Cranley has served two terms and cannot run again. Smitherman, a conservative-leaning independent, has been a close ally of the mayor. Cranley appointed him vice mayor last year, and has also chaired council's Law and Public Safety Committee for the past five years.
As chair of that committee, Smitherman has overseen some important initiatives, including an in-progress revamp of the city's Emergency Communications Center following the death of Kyle Plush. The high school student died after he became trapped under the bench seat in his van. He called 911 twice, but police were unable to locate him. Smitherman has also backed a number of controversial items during his time chairing the committee, including a 2015 proposal seeking to criminalize panhandling near schools.
Another high-profile priority of Smitherman's: returning city council to two-year terms, which he says will increase accountability and responsiveness to the needs of Cincinnatians. Voters will decide on Smitherman's proposal this November. A competing proposal for four-year staggered terms will also be on the ballot.
Smitherman first joined council in 2003, when he ran as a member of the Charter Committee and Hamilton County Green Party. He soon lost the Charter Committee's endorsement, but has continued to receive support from the Green Party. He lost a reelection bid in 2005, but found ways to stay involved in Cincinnati politics. He became president of the Cincinnati NAACP in 2007, a position he held for six years.
During his tenure at the NAACP, Smitherman courted controversy by allying with conservative anti-tax group COAST, even bringing the Tea Party-aligned group's co-founder Chris Finney in as the local NAACP's counsel. That caused some consternation within the group. Smitherman won reelection to city council in 2011, and stepped down from his role in the NAACP upon winning again in 2013. Smitherman left the reigns of the local chapter in the hands of ally Ishton Morton. Under Morton's presidency, the national NAACP sued the local chapter for trademark infringement and deception after revoking its membership in the organization.
For a better understanding of Smitherman's background, this excellent 2010 profile in Cincinnati Magazine by Kathy Y. Wilson is a good place to start.
Smitherman's most likely opponent, Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, has yet to file to run. Sittenfeld, who garnered the most votes in the last council election, has more than $220,000 in his campaign fund. Smitherman's campaign has about $13,000.
Raising money for the race will become more difficult — but more transparent — moving forward if voters this November approve changes to the city's campaign finance laws around donations from limited liability corporations. Those donations would be limited to keep individuals from using LLC designations to donate more than the $1,100 limit per campaign cycle. Both mayoral candidates last election received cash from LLCs.
