Hoping to beat the flood of candidates who will jump into the race next year, local Democratic activist Chris Seelbach announced today he will run for a seat on Cincinnati City Council in 2011.
Seelbach, 30, is an Xavier University graduate who helped lead the successful effort in 2004 to repeal Article 12, the anti-gay law that cost Cincinnati more than $25 million in lost business, according to the Convention and Visitors Bureau.—-
Seelbach works for The Seidewitz Group, a national marketing consulting firm based in Cincinnati, where he holds the titles of chief financial officer and vice president of political consulting. He also serves as a mentor with the Executive Mentorship program at Xavier University, is the former vice president of CincYP PAC and is political co-chair of the Human Rights Campaign Greater Cincinnati steering committee.
A Louisville native, he now lives in Over-the Rhine with his partner, Craig.
Seelbach is believed to be the second openly gay person to run for City Council, after John Schlagetter in 2003.
Further, he was one of several people featured in “Being Young and Gay in Cincinnati,” CityBeat’s cover story for its 2008 Pride Issue.
As part of his platform, Seelbach will focus on supporting “solid, crime-fighting solutions” like the Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence; increasing economic development and job creation by embracing new transportation solutions like the proposed streetcar system; and reforming the city’s zoning policies to “create more livable neighborhoods.”
