A Cincinnati City Council member says she wants to ensure that elected officials keep their attention on local needs while in office.
On Tuesday, interim council member Liz Keating stood in front of City Hall to announce the “Resign to Run” charter amendment she’s proposing. According to the proposal, Cincinnati’s mayor and council members would need to resign to run for another salaried, elected office.
Keating said that too many Cincinnati officials have viewed their local positions as a pit stop rather than an end point.
“For too long, City Hall has been a stepping stone to higher offices, to more power, to greater glory,” Keating said. “But Cincinnati isn’t a stepping stone. It’s a $1.4 billion enterprise. It’s a community with over 300,000 people.”
Keating said that the proposal would help curb the corruption that may occur as officials try to climb the political ladder and focus less upon their current duties.
“Once a council member or mayor files the documentation to begin fundraising for another office outside of the city, they are no longer eligible to serve for the city,” Keating said. “It results in an automatic, irrevocable resignation from office.”
“Resign to Run” would require resignation only if the campaign contribution limits for the new office are higher than the city’s.
“What we want to do is do what’s right for Cincinnati and the people of Cincinnati, and while you’re here serving in City Hall, you should be focused on City Hall,” she added.
Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, a Democrat, has indicated that he plans to run for Ohio governor in 2022, as has Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley. Republican Mike DeWine currently occupies that position and would be eligible for reelection.
Cincinnati City Council is on recess for the summer, and the council would not consider Keating’s proposal until its return. Cincinnati residents could vote on the proposal in November if City Council passes it or if Keating collects enough valid local signatures to do so.
Hamilton County Probate Judge Ralph “Ted” Winkler appointed Keating, a Republican, to Cincinnati City Council in December of last year, filling the seat of P.G. Sittenfeld, a Democrat, after he was suspended for bribery. That era was marked with drama from scandals by multiple council members.
Cranley’s second and final term as mayor ends this year, and the election of a new mayor will take place on Nov. 2. Aftab Pureval and David Mann — the top two vote-getters during the May 4 primary — will face off for that position.
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This article appears in The Burger Issue 2021.
