This week’s issue of CityBeat features an interview with Dr. Brad Wenstrup, the physician who’s the Hamilton County Republican Party’s mayoral candidate.
Wenstrup, who turned 51 on Wednesday, is an orthopedic surgeon who lives in Columbia Tusculum and is an Iraq War veteran. This is his first run for political office.—-
Although Wenstrup won’t release a detailed platform of issues until July, he did challenge incumbent Mayor Mark Mallory, a Democrat, on a few issues in a wide-ranging interview with CityBeat. Those points included Mallory’s frequent out-of-town travel and his use of a police bodyguard. Mallory is completing his first four-year term and is seeking reelection in November.
Noting that Mallory is the first mayor to have a bodyguard regularly assigned to follow him on a daily basis, Wenstrup said it sends a bad signal about the city.
“As far as the bodyguard, I don’t believe we’ve ever had any council person or mayor in the past who had a bodyguard,” he said. “I would like for people to feel safe enough in our city that they don’t need a bodyguard.”
Referring to Mallory’s various jaunts, ranging from places as diverse as Las Vegas and China, Wenstrup said the trips are worthwhile if they yield a tangible benefit for Cincinnati. So far, he hasn’t seen much of one.
“I can see a need for the leader of a city to travel, to venture and create some relationships. My question is, have they been fruitful?” Wenstrup asked. “Has the expense been worth it, what came back in return? Did the trip to China land a Chinese firm setting up their business in Cincinnati? Sometimes you don’t know when you go, but over time you can tell if it’s working. Do we have more jobs?”
