Don Driehaus is used to running. The 66-year-old has been running through Cincinnati’s West Side and his own Price Hill neighborhood for the past 16 years. This year, he’s running again. But this time, Driehaus is running for Cincinnati City Council.
The Driehaus name is a recognizable one in Cincinnati politics. Driehaus’s father, also named Don, served as co-chair of the Hamilton County Democratic Party, so his childhood was steeped in door-knocking campaigns and political volunteering. Both Driehaus’s brother and sister, Steve and Denise, served in the Ohio House of Representatives before moving on to other political positions. Driehaus has lived in Cincinnati for almost 50 years, and he made his first bid for a council position in 1995, though he lost.
With the Cincinnati City Council election in November, Driehaus hopes to join his other family members in local politics. Focused on cleaner streets, connecting high schoolers to trade work and boosting police and firefighter ranks, the West Price Hill Community Council officer has earned an endorsement from the independent Charter Committee of Cincinnati.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
CityBeat: On your website, you say that you’re going to fix what is broken. What exactly is broken?
Don Driehaus: Well, right now in the city, we’re just seeing the streets are not paved as well as they should be. And a lot of this seems to be neglected by the city, so I think we need the city, and the communities in general, to be served in a better way when it comes to just cleaning the neighborhoods, cleaning the sidewalks, fixing the streets.
CB: Do you feel like Price Hill is well represented on the Cincinnati City Council?
DD: No. I think that we are underrepresented. We’re a large neighborhood. Price Hill and Westwood, in general, are two very large West Side neighborhoods. And I don’t think we’re represented relative to our population.
CB: As an officer of the West Price Hill Community Council, how have you connected with the people in your community and what makes you think that you are the person to take that representation to a bigger scale?
DD: I’ve been encouraged by the members of the Community Council, as well as other business people and members in East Price Hill and other members of the West Side. I was kind of approached about six months back, along with the Charter Committee. At first, I was reluctant because it’s a big race and running citywide. I did this 30 years ago.
And I said, “Okay, let’s give this a run.” We will run a good campaign and try to run a positive campaign and help represent people that right now are busy. You got a lot of business owners, you got people living their own lives. I have the ability at this point and the time to put the effort into this.
CB: Why do you think you were reluctant to try again?
DD: Running a city-wide campaign is just a lot of work. It’s work for everybody. Once I’ve made the commitment, we’re all in. So it was just saying okay, you got your toe in the water and you’re ready to swim. So now we’re swimming.
CB: How do you think you’ve changed since you first ran for City Council back in 1995?
DD: Well, that 30-year period, personally, I’ve learned a few things. I’ve been married 40 years. I have four children, three who live in the city, and so I’ve learned a lot about myself and what it is to raise a family in the city, what it is to work in the city. But I’ve also learned through my volunteer efforts and through my community work just how many people in this community care.
Each neighborhood is unique, and I’m learning quite a bit. So even at an old age like mine I try to be fungible to the point where I could take in new ideas and understand how people feel. And it’s been a good experience. It’s good to hear what people have to say. So hopefully that translates into some action in November.
CB: Having lived in and raised a family in Cincinnati for as long as you have, do you feel that you have an advantage over the younger candidates?
DD: I’m pretty spry for an old guy. I started running again when I was 50 years old, so I’ve been running now for like the last 16 years all over the West Side. I ran this morning. I think we need to strike a balance in City Hall. It’s good to be young and have young ideas, but I can tell you this much, when I was 35 years old, I did not know what I know today. But most of these kids were in grade school when I started working the neighborhoods and working in the city.
You’ve got guys in their thirties, and they would have been 10 years old when I was really in the thick of it. Even working as a volunteer on the [Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority] back in the mid-2000s, these guys would have still been in high school. So I’ve got the experience and the key is to bring the energy, because you’re right — sometimes they think this is a young person’s game, and I won’t disagree with that. But you also need to bring experience and some energy so you can focus in on important questions. And I think we can strike that balance. There’s nine seats on council — maybe one old guy or one old woman can step up and help out.
CB: Over the summer, Cincinnati City Council enacted a variety of crime initiatives, centering on youth crime specifically, such as the foot patrols and curfew. What are your thoughts on those actions?
DD: I don’t know how impactful they’re gonna be. I think a lot of it has to do with alcohol, a lot of it has to do with if you’re hanging out at three in the morning, things happen. And when it comes to youth violence, we see it, and it needs to be addressed. And if gunshots are fired, that’s serious business. I’ve been around it, and it needs to be addressed. So if there are kids that are actively engaged in that type of activity, they’re going to need to be dealt with in a serious manner. Does that mean they’ve got to be put away forever? Heck no. But we need to get serious about how we’re dealing with gun violence.
You may be able to mitigate some of the youth issues if you’re out dealing with the truants who are in the streets right now. Because they’re going to be if they’re out there during the date time during a school year, we need to address where they need to go and maybe get them back in class or get them into a different situation where they’re not just roaming the streets.
My problem with council right now is this should have all been done in April. This should have been done prior to the summer. Summertime has always busier. Kids around, things happen. That’s the way it is. And now in mid-September, maybe October, right before the election, we’re going to put a pot of money next to this problem, and I’m going, well, that seems a little late to the game. And the second issue I have with the way they’re doing it right now is, yes, I understand downtown needs to be addressed. You’re putting close to $900,000 into Over-the-Rhine and Downtown, but for example, Price Hill, we’re getting something like $4,000 or $5,000, So, the disparity there and where we’re going to address street crime is significant.
But it seems to be that the neighborhoods are kind of like, “eh, you’re second-class citizens up there, guys. You know, we got to focus on downtown.” We can focus on both. We’ve got a city of 52 neighborhoods.
CB: Due to your family’s extensive history in local politics, do you think you see politics as a kind of family business?
DD: I don’t know if I call it a family business. You have the obligation. You have an obligation to go out there and serve in your community. And for a family where much has been given, much should be expected. And we’ve been fortunate as a family.
A general election for the position of mayor and the nine city council seats will be held on Nov. 4 in Cincinnati. All current council members, excluding Victoria Parks, will be up for reelection and have received an endorsement from the Democratic Party. To find the nearest polling station, visit the Hamilton County Board of Elections’ site.