As we have long done, the Cincinnati Regional Chamber conducted a review of the candidates for Cincinnati City Council. Our goal is to help our members and the general public understand the alignment of the candidates with the Chamber’s mission, vision, and policy agenda.

This year, the Chamber convened a group of our members to review questionnaires, interview all 10 candidates, and share their perspective on the each of them based on those two inputs. Since this field also includes nine incumbents, the Chamber also factored in the voting records of the incumbents over the last two years.

Below is information regarding the Candidates stances on pressing issues facing our region, as well as the Chamber’s perspective on the 2023 Cincinnati City Council Candidates:

REGGIE HARRIS

Partnered with the business community to streamline the development process for affordable housing projects.
Led robust efforts to engage stakeholders and the community in development of comprehensive zoning reform.
Drove efforts to create and support a pipeline of black developers to participate in Cincinnati’s economic renaissance.
Effectively led Budget and Finance Committee and City budget process with a clear understanding of the City’s fiscal health.

Reggie Harris has embraced a partnership with leaders across the community to advance a pro-growth agenda. He engages meaningfully with experts – including the business community – to develop ambitious and effective policies that support housing production and affordability and create a more equitable city.

LIZ KEATING

Courageously led efforts to reform the City’s zoning code to encourage additional housing development.
Fought to keep the property tax rollback.
Found ways to work productively across the aisle and focuses on oversight and transparency.
Championed the innovation economy in Cincinnati, including embracing efficiencies in local government.

Liz Keating has been an incredible partner to the Chamber and effective advocate for the business community on Cincinnati City Council. Her ability to be an ‘unlikely ally’ with her colleagues and a voice of reason has made her a valued member of Council.

LIZ KEATING

Courageously led efforts to reform the City’s zoning code to encourage additional housing development.
Fought to keep the property tax rollback.
Found ways to work productively across the aisle and focuses on oversight and transparency.
Championed the innovation economy in Cincinnati, including embracing efficiencies in local government.

Liz Keating has been an incredible partner to the business community on Cincinnati City Council. She has proven to be an effective partner to the business community. Her ability to be an ‘unlikely ally’ with her colleagues and a voice of reason has made her a valued member of Council.

REGGIE HARRIS

Partnered with the business community to streamline the development process for affordable housing projects .
Led robust efforts to engage stakeholders and the community in development of comprehensive zoning reform.
Drove efforts to create and support a pipeline of black developers to participate in Cincinnati’s economic renaissance.
Effectively led Budget and Finance Committee and City budget process with a clear understanding of the City’s fiscal health.

Reggie Harris has embraced a partnership with leaders across the community to advance a pro-growth agenda. He engages meaningfully with experts – including the business community – to develop ambitious and effective policies that support housing production and affordability and create a more equitable city.

JEFF CRAMERDING

Jeff Cramerding has proven to be a critical thinker about fiscal responsibility around the City’s budget. As Chair of the Equitable Growth and Housing Committee he has shown a willingness to embrace policies that will expand the supply of housing across the City.

MARK JEFFREYS

We were encouraged by Mark's growth and perspective around housing, land use, and development during his first term. In his second term he has the opportunity to be a leader on quality-of-life issues that will support growth in Cincinnati neighborhoods.

JAN-MICHELE LEMON KEARNEY

As a business owner herself, we appreciate the Vice Mayor's consistent engagement with small, minority, and women owned businesses. On issues related to development, we encourage the Vice Mayor to take a more consistent, pro-growth approach to policies in the next term.

MEEKA OWENS

Since joining Council, we have appreciated Meeka Owens’ willingness to engage with the business community in her work. Through this process we have gained confidence in her willingness to support pro-growth policies when they come before Council.

SETH WALSH

With his experience and background, Seth Walsh is likely to be a leader on pro-growth policies in his first full term on Council. We encourage Seth to continue to engage with business and civic leaders to gain a deeper understanding of how the City can be a tool for growth.

ANNA ALBI

We appreciated Anna Albi’s enthusiasm for the job. However, we encourage Anna to engage more business leaders to gain a better grasp of issues related to growth and development and the City’s finances.

SCOTTY JOHNSON

Scotty Johnson has shown leadership on Public Safety issues, but his opposition to the sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway puts the long-term fiscal health of the City at risk.

VICTORIA PARKS

In her first term, Victoria Parks has not proven to consistently align with the Chamber’s pro-growth agenda. We encourage her to do additional engagement with business leaders to embrace policies that support growth.

As a 501(c)6 non-profit, the Chamber does not make endorsements of candidates for offices. These perspectives are shared to inform our members and the general public in advance of the election.

LIZ KEATING

Why are you running for council/re-election? What motivates you as a candidate? What are your top priorities as a candidate?

I am running because I want every child in this city to have a roof over their head, food on their table, a safe neighborhood to live, and equal opportunities for future success.

I am motivated to keep this seat because Cincinnati is a city where I can make an impact and City Council is a role where I can be hands on; collaborate with colleagues and communities; and use my platform to try new initiatives that will impact the lives of the next generation.

My top priorities during my time on Council have been and will continue to be fiscal stability; government efficiency; excellent service delivery in basic services; innovation; housing; childcare; youth programming; and economic development.

In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing Cincinnati and what do you view as the City government’s role in solving it?

Our biggest task in front of us is to get more people living and working in the city so we can increase our revenue without increasing taxes. Focusing on this will help combat some of the largest challenges facing Cincinnati: budget deficit, housing crisis, deferred maintenance, poverty, and youth violence.

I will take the time to read, evaluate, and understand the report. I will identify which priorities I can impact the most and then work to grow diverse coalitions that support different aspects of the report in order to implement those recommendations. Cincinnati is most successful when we come together to make significant change.

The 2021 Census showed Cincinnati grew for the first time since 1950, what policies would you promote to continue this momentum in the coming years?

Housing – I will continue to work towards investment and growth within our city so we can build housing at the rate we are growing and balance the supply and demand.

Industrial Strategy – I will continue to prioritize the recruitment of advanced manufacturing within city limits to create more jobs, build a middle class, and expand our tax base.

Tech Innovation – I will continue to grow the partnership between local government, the business community, and the startup ecosystem to drive innovation and tech solutions to government problems, creating job growth and expanding the startup community and tech industry in Cincinnati.

I am fully supportive of zoning reform particularly around increased density in neighborhood business districts and along public transit lines to maximize the taxpayer investment in Issue 7. I sponsored legislation to increase density and fought for these changes over a year, but ultimately lost that battle in March 2022. I sponsored a motion to increase incentives for missing middle housing and missing middle housing along public transit lines in my colleagues’ residential tax abatement policy. I ultimately voted against the complete policy package change because I believed the policy change as a whole would slow economic development and stunt our housing growth. However, my amendments did make the policy better from the original proposal.

I would like to continue to see a focus on missing middle housing and development on public transit lines. I have continued to speak in neighborhoods about housing and density to help educate and push for change throughout our city. We can’t pass sweeping legislation until we have leaders who are willing to take a hard vote and have confidence in the impact of the legislation. We start by building coalitions within the city to encourage leaders to take that courageous vote and I want to see that happen during my time on Council.

I do not support this for two reasons: increasing taxes only increases the cost of living in Cincinnati. Making it more expensive will push people out. We need more people living and working within city limits. Property taxes are high and will see an increase this year – in part – because of inflated home prices due to the housing shortage. To turn around and increase income taxes will only create a larger burden on families in Cincinnati.

The second reason is that I do not believe the extra revenue into the trust fund will result in more housing. We are not building housing at the rate we need to right now because we can’t. Until we have zoning reform to allow housing to be built, money will sit in the fund. We start with zoning and use the funds we have to build and then reevaluate in a few years to determine what’s working, what is not working, and make adjustments.

I voted against the reduction of residential tax abatements and I would vote to bring them back. It is simply too expensive to build in Cincinnati right now. And reducing tax incentives in one neighborhood will not lead to investment in other neighborhoods. I think the city can work with partners to study our current situation and put together a thoughtful, data-driven strategy to drive investment in our low-income neighborhoods while also continuing investment in all neighborhoods to create housing opportunities for all.

Yes. There is a long list of infrastructure projects that need significant funding – roads, parks, fire houses, fleet maintenance garage, and more. A much more robust assessment needs to happen to determine priorities. However, I do believe a major opportunity for funding is our rec centers. Many of our rec centers are old and outdated and operating under potential. I believe with the right strategy, investment, and vision, our rec centers can be revenue generating for the city. One of the most critical aspects of our rec centers is expanding the childcare facilities and capacity. All children in CRC child care programs are voucher pay or private pay. Expanding access to childcare not only drives direct revenue to the city, but it removes a barrier for more parents to go to work, increasing the city’s tax base. Considering ways to drive revenue for the city should be considered as we prioritize which infrastructure to invest in first.

I believe we need better data to tackle this issue. The city needs to work with the County Auditor to track property taxes and the factors that cause the increases block by block. I believe it is many different factors: low supply and high demand artificially increasing property values in some areas; significant investment and development making some areas more desirable; and the compounding cost of numerous tax levies in most areas. Using data to understand the exact cause, drilled down to hyper local levels, will help us create better solutions for affordability throughout our city.

Under what circumstances and for what investments would you consider raising the City’s earnings tax?

None at this time. I have not seen any data to support this. We cannot raise taxes to increase revenue if Council is unwilling to make cuts and reduce spending. My colleagues voted to take away the property tax rollback and then spent the new revenue on new programs rather than working towards a structurally balanced budget. Creating a new revenue stream will lead to more spending versus the hard decisions to get the city on strong financial footing.

I believe Cincinnati needs to focus on the missing middle housing along public transit lines and in neighborhood business districts. I authored the amendment to the residential tax abatement policy to increase incentives for the missing middle along 24-hour bus routes and will look to expand that if needed once BRT, and CROWN are fully implemented. Taking a holistic approach on urban design, working with different entities, and government agencies is how we become more connected.

Cincinnati has done a lot of work to create inclusive policies, but this is the bare minimum. Becoming more inclusive and seeing real results in people’s lives takes a much larger effort. I believe Cincinnati has a lot of work to do to be proactive and incentivize an inclusive culture. If we want more gender equality in the workplace and in leadership, we need to invest in childcare to empower more moms to stay in the workforce. If we want to combat the racial wealth gap, we need to incentivize diversity in public and private supply chains, service providers, and workforce – not just ownership and leadership. If we want to build a diverse middle class, we need a stronger public-private partnership in workforce development – particularly in trades – for our at-risk youth to generate better outcomes. There are many opportunities, but we won’t have the desired impact until we have a broad coalition proactively working towards real progress.

We get this by building a strong bedrock for our city. We need to be incentivizing mixed income housing developments; growing our small businesses; building a talent pipeline; lifting up our disinvested neighborhoods; maintaining our rec centers and parks; and focusing on other aspects of a strong foundation. If we are distracted by a housing crisis, budget crisis, or gun violence, it’s hard to put time, money, and energy into a vibrant culture that enhances the quality of life for Cincinnati. Cincinnati can thrive and grow a diverse cultural economy when we do the little things right.

Please provide some examples of how you’ve seen the City and private sector work well together. Where are there areas you’d like to see increased collaboration?

A great example is the hackathon series I have led the last two years in partnership with the city’s Office of Performance and Data Analytics and Cintrifuse. This past year, we partnered with the corporate community, including some of Cincinnati’s largest employers to align sustainability goals and drive tech innovation in Cincinnati. The objective of the hackathon series is to identify the intersection of government and private sector challenges and goals, then invite entrepreneurs and tech companies to offer innovative tech solutions. This year, we had companies from across the country and the world compete. As we grow this initiative, there is a huge opportunity to recruit tech companies to Cincinnati, sell these tech solutions into other municipalities, and grow and expand our tech industry in Cincinnati, generating jobs and tax revenue. The hackathon made large strides between year one and year two and we look to see more growth in year three. It’s a great example of a public-private partnership that can grow, expand, and have a significant impact on our economy and the lives of Cincinnatians.

How can the City work with business leaders in the community to help improve safety across the City and especially in the urban core?

We need more alignment with different levels of government. Some legislation in recent years from the State of Ohio has had a negative impact on the City of Cincinnati and our ability to combat some of our biggest challenges that impact safety – housing and guns. Policies that are best for rural areas of Ohio may be harmful for metropolitan areas and vice versa. With a super majority Republican State Legislature and a super majority Democratic City Council, there is little trust and collaboration. While I do my best to find middle ground and opportunities for better solutions, we need more support from our business community. Our business leaders have significant influence in both Cincinnati and Columbus, and having stronger engagement with both can lead to better solutions to help finance housing projects to combat the cycle of poverty or smart gun restrictions to allow our Police Department to combat gun violence.

Collaboration is key in government. I’ve taken the time to get to know and build relationships with my county colleagues – Commissioners, Auditor, Clerk of Courts, judges, and Prosecutor. I reach out with questions, opportunities for collaboration, and at times just a high five and congratulations. Building strong working relationships starts with just knowing each other as people and not parties. I will continue this approach at the county and state levels because Cincinnati excels when we are all working together.

How do you balance the viewpoints and perspectives of a diverse set of stakeholders on a given issue to inform your position?

My staff consists of members of both sides of the aisle. My mentors, advisors, and networks cover a broad spectrum of viewpoints and life experiences. I regularly speak to Republican, Democratic, and Charterite leaders in the city to get their perspective and guidance. I value diversity of thought – it helps me make better decisions and makes me a better leader. These different perspectives balanced with data and research helps me be confident that I am making not just an informed decision, but the right decision for the city. My outreach across many networks has built relationships with many stakeholders and is reflected in the diversity of endorsements I have received for this Council race.

JEFF CRAMERDING

Why are you running for council/re-election? What motivates you as a candidate? What are your top priorities as a candidate?
I ran for city council with the goal of instituting financial reforms and enacting a structurally-balanced budget. This council has created and improved processes for allocating public dollars and, in certain areas, reduced political involvement. The “waterfall” which structures how the city allocates operational funds during the budget closeout is one example.

I proposed a “Smale 2” commission to work towards a balanced operating budget. This was a catalyst for what became the Cincinnati Futures Commission. I look forward to seeing the Futures Commission’s work product, identifying the city’s efficiencies in city operations, growing our city, and structurally balancing the city’s budget. This will be my priority as a councilmember—a structurally balanced budget is the foundation for everything we want to accomplish as a city.

In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing Cincinnati and what do you view as the City government’s role in solving it?
Balancing the operating budget and the related problem of $500 million in critical-failing infrastructure. We can solve this by finding more efficient and effective ways to operate as a city and by growing the city. This includes building out a housing strategy, setting housing and population goals, and putting funding and tools in place to make this a reality (details in the following answers). Much of this will involve implementing to Cincinnati Futures recommendations.

The 2021 Census showed Cincinnati grew for the first time since 1950, what policies would you promote to continue this momentum in the coming years?
We need to increase the number of housing units by reducing zoning barriers and parking requirements, streamline the city’s permitting/contracting and related processes, build out our housing strategy, set goals, and identify the financial tools to make these goals a reality.

The city has made unprecedented investments in housing, including contributing to the Cincinnati Development Funds Trust of Trusts and the foundations for a successful housing strategy have been established. The proposed charter amendment, which I believe will fail, has been an unfortunate distraction.

I support the residential tax abatement policy. We will use available data to revise the program every three years and continue to target it for maximum impact with the goal of building the tax base and growing population.

The proposed sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway is being voted on this November. Do you support the sale? Yes or no? Assuming the sale of the CSR passes, what existing infrastructure would you prioritize with the increased capital funds?
Yes, I support the sale. We have approximately $500 million in critical failing infrastructure so there are many needs. I asked all city departments to identify their top 10 infrastructure needs. This has been very helpful in understanding the overall severity of the issue and would be a starting point in prioritization.

While property tax makes up a smaller portion of the City’s overall tax receipts, the overall burden of property taxes has increased in recent years. How would you propose easing that burden on City taxpayers?
The property tax burden has increased and is a real problem. As part of larger reform, I would be very supportive of reducing the city’s property tax.

Under what circumstances and for what investments would you consider raising the City’s earnings tax?
There would have to be a comprehensive plan that focused on a structurally balanced budget and growing the city.

We need to reduce zoning barriers and catalyze development along all of the improved bus routes, including the BRT routes.

I also am excited about building upon the CROWN trail system and seeing it connect uptown, the Mill Creek, and the westside of Cincinnati. This type of alternate transit is important to attracting talent to Cincinnati.

Please provide some examples of how you’ve seen the City and private sector work well together. Where are there areas you’d like to see increased collaboration?
I proposed a “Smale 2 commission” which became the Futures Commission. I look forward to seeing its work product. I believe Smale and Futures are great models.

How can the City work with business leaders in the community to help improve safety across the City and especially in the urban core?
Continued economic development is obviously critical. Areas where there is vibrancy and activity are safer. We need our police to be more proactive and visible. Our Alternative Response to Crisis (ARC) teams can do great work and should be a larger part of the solution. We need all city owned public spaces, parks, and recreation areas to be safer. Business community involvement in all of these areas would be very beneficial.

Over the years there have at times been significant disconnects between the City and the County. How would you work to build a stronger working relationship between the two forms of government
Unfortunately, there remains a strong and deep seated disconnect. As a first step, the political leadership must demonstrate the ability to work together. Eventually, this will percolate down through the respective administrations where there is a long history and problematic history. I have a regular meeting with a county commissioner so that we can both be fully informed and proactive on city-county issues. Work remains to be done on this front.

How do you balance the viewpoints and perspectives of a diverse set of stakeholders on a given issue to inform your position?
Although I have only served one term on council, I have deep experience in city government issues and a wealth of contacts across the political spectrum. I have and will continue to use these contacts to be as informed as possible and make the best possible decisions.

MARK JEFFREYS

Why are you running for council/re-election? What motivates you as a candidate? What are your top priorities as a candidate? I’m running because we need a voice on City Council for the issues on which I’m focused: Building a city that is Safer, Cleaner, Greener with opportunity for everyone. My priorities are what I have been focused on: (1) building a more connected city via Complete Streets (streets designed for people vs only cars to travel thru) that are safer for everyone including pedestrians and cyclists as well as safe from violence; (2) tackling quality of life issues (announcing Quality of Life Working Group within the next month) – “broken windows” issues such as litter, graffiti, aggressive panhandling, etc. (3) Improving the quality of life for our citizens via building out the CROWN, reinvigorating the Mill Creek valley for recreation, continuing to revitalize downtown by supporting things like capping Ft Washington Way and finishing the Banks; (4) Addressing issues of childhood poverty especially in partnership with Cincinnati Public Schools, which is not something that I have focused on during my first term, but an issue on which I want to focus next term. The fact that 52% of CPS children are chronically absent is a frightening statistic not only for those individuals but also for our city’s future when those children grow up to be adults without a basic education. The reasons for that absence are of course varied, but it does not all fall on the hands of CPS – they kids are missing school often for factors that we as a city can influence. These are big, meaty issue all of which are important to the future of our city.

In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing Cincinnati and what do you view as the City government’s role in solving it? The biggest issue by far is the city’s financial challenges given federal stimulus is running out, we have >$500 million in deferred maintenance and work-from-home has reduced our earnings tax. The related challenge is making sure that we provide basic public services in a way that attracts and retains residents living in the city. There are a few “canaries in the coal mine” e.g. random gun shootings, break-ins in OTR restaurants, aggressive panhandling, etc where if we do not address them then they will become bigger issues as they are in other cities around the country. We have seen what happens in those cities (and in the 1970s/1980s) when people flee cities – we can’t let that happen here. The Future’s Commission will help address some of these challenges, but we also need the innovation from initiatives like the Quality of Life Working Group, which I am introducing, to identify new ways to tackle these issues.

Since January, the Cincinnati Futures Commission has been meeting to develop recommendations that chart a fiscally sustainable path forward for the City and develop a community-informed economic agenda for the future. When the report is delivered at the end of the year, how will you work to implement the recommendations? This work is imperative. In terms of implementing it, I will partner with the Mayor and my colleagues on City Council to take the recommendations and figure out the right way to make them operational, whether that is through an Ordinance that City Council passes or ballot measures put to voters. Importantly, the work of the Future’s Commission can’t be a “one and done”. We need to have an “innovation” and “efficiency” mindset infused in our city administration. That is the job of the City Manager, but it is also our role on City Council to make it clear that needs to be a goal. Recently in an interview with a candidate for Fire Chief from Dallas, the candidate shared that the Dallas City Manager does an exercise every year of having each department identify 5% cuts – ways to make the department more efficient. That does not mean they are cutting 5% a year, but it’s the exercise in looking for ways to operate more efficiently. We need to be encouraging that type of behavior and then rewarding it.

The 2021 Census showed Cincinnati grew for the first time since 1950, what policies would you promote to continue this momentum in the coming years? First, ensuring have are focused on those quality of life issues eg safe streets, quality delivery of services such as litter pick up, etc. That needs to be a baseline expectation, but it won’t help us grow by itself. To grow population, we need to understand what attracts people to live here. People, especially young people, want neighborhoods where they can walk to destinations such as parks and business districts (so continuing to focus on Complete Streets & using federal dollars to do more projects like Central Parkway and Lynn Street, and capping Ft Washington Way), they want trails such as the CROWN completed and recreational opportunities such as the ability to go kayak/canoe on the Mill Creek/Ohio, etc. It also means supporting our cultural events and institutions such as BLINK. Besides those quality of life issues, it also means building enough housing that is affordable to young people and families and ensuring that our SORTA investment in Issue 7 is leveraged to build out a more robust public transit system with BRT and more reliable service. Each of these things combined will be what lays the foundation for continued growth.

According to the 2021 Census, our city lost about 2,800 housing units, while growing by 12,000 people. Are you supportive of zoning reform policies that would allow for increased density to increase the supply of housing to accommodate growth? What other policies would you propose to increase housing production? I led the effort to legalize Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). That is not a panacea, but the start of building more units. I worked that closely with the Mayor and Councilman Harris with the Connected Communities work. I also supported the residential tax abatement reform that included incentives to build more multi-family units along transit corridors. That is a start. I am supportive of the Connected Communities work – a process that has been going on over a year now, which is what I thought was needed in terms of engagement with the original density work. We must build more housing along transit corridors. The other thing I think we need to look at is how to enable more conversation of vacant office space to residential where possible. Mayor Wu in Boston just launched an initiative to do just that. In talking with Day Neyer recently, he shared an estimate of 35% in terms of office vacancy most of which will not be coming back. We need to think about what role the city can play to look to convert that space similar to what we did with the Macy’s building.

There is a proposal on the November ballot that would require an increase to the City’s earnings tax to invest approximately $50 million annually in affordable housing, grants, subsidies, and loans for the preservation and maintenance of affordable housing; do you support this? Why or why not? No I have come out against it. We do need more affordable housing, but the way we do it is via the Cincinnati Development Fund. The recent results – 857 new units 90% of which are income restricted – is how we build more affordable units. That partnership with public/private. The city has many challenges and to increase the earnings tax for affordable housing is short sighted when we already have a model that is working.

The proposed sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway is being voted on this November. Do you support the sale? Yes or no? Assuming the sale of the CSR passes, what existing infrastructure would you prioritize with the increased capital funds? Yes I support it and have been vocal publicly about it. Assuming it passes, I would prioritize deferred maintenance first whether it be in parks, recreation centers, repaving roads, etc. Deferred maintenance are by definition projects that will get worse (and cost more) if they are not addressed e.g. shelter houses that need a new roof in a park will end up costing more to replace if we don’t repair it. So that is a triage situation. But I would rely on the administration to prioritize those projects. After addressing that deferred maintenance, then we can go to other current infrastructure needs e.g. new fire stations to replace current ones, repaving more lane miles of road, etc.

While property tax makes up a smaller portion of the City’s overall tax receipts, the overall burden of property taxes has increased in recent years. How would you propose easing that burden on City taxpayers? Property tax as a portion of the City tax receipts is low, but as a county I think we need a conversation about the impact of multiple increases on property owners. The zoo levy is a perfect example of that. Thankfully the County Commissioners pushed back on an increase. But the zoo – as with other institutions – need to look at other ways to operate without increases e.g. charging non-county residents a different rate as museums and other institutions do in other states. Furthermore, we need to benchmark our property tax burden vs other counties in the state and surrounding region to make sure that our total tax burden is not too high in ways that discourage people from moving and/or staying in Cincinnati.

Under what circumstances and for what investments would you consider raising the City’s earnings tax? Any conversation around the earnings tax needs to be within the work of the Cincinnati Future’s Commission. Before even considering any increase, we need to be operating and spending taxpayer dollars more efficiently. I have shared multiple ideas with the Future’s Commission of opportunities to operate more efficiently, and raise more revenue with user fees as a first place to start.

The Chamber has spent the last decade focused on making Cincinnati a more connected region. What transportation and mobility projects and policies would you prioritize to better connect Cincinnatians to jobs, education, health care and all that our region has to offer? First, making sure that we execute with excellence on the Issue 7 investments. That means building out BRT first on Reading and Hamilton and then the other routes – that has to connect to job centers. That also means building out more reliable Metro service so when someone takes the bus they know it will arrive on time and they get to their destination on time. That means there is more frequent service and with fewer connections. Second, we need a reliable and more frequent connection to regional jobs such as at CVG. With Amazon adding more jobs given the Air Hub is their largest in the world, we need to make sure that people have the ability to get there reliably (yes there is a TANK bus but making it more seamless/easier). Third, we need to continue to build out our active transportation trail and bike network to get people more options to get to their jobs, education, etc without a car. That is not just the CROWN, but also the ‘spokes’ such as the work under way on the Central Parkway bike lane. This will enable not just bikes, but also scooters and other mobility devices as a means of transportation. In parallel to this infrastructure build, we need to develop a system like they have in Bolder – their EcoPass. The model is that someone pays a flat fee for use of the bus, Red Bike and 1 emergency Uber trip/month and with it they get $ off restaurants and entertainment. That EcoPass must start with the City of Cincinnati employees, but could be leveraged with private sector partners. Fourth, we need to talk under what conditions we expand the streetcar in a way that is financially viable and works in concert with other public transit investments that Metro is making e.g. to Newport/Covington to connect our region more (and the Aquarium/jobs) or to Union Terminal (to museums & potentially more Amtrak, but also to enable more development in the West End). I have laid out a methodical approach to considering a potential expansion. Finally, as the City’s representation on OKI, I believe there is a window with the 2050 vision work to lay out what we all see as an overall long-term transportation plan, and then start “backcasting” to put in place plans to enable that vision.

A major economic driver for the region is the cultural vibrancy of Cincinnati. How can the city best foster a diverse cultural economy that supports neighborhood events, arts attractions, our various sports teams, and the tourism industry? First, we need to provide the “enabling infrastructure” e.g. housing that is affordable so artists can live here, transportation so people can get to sports events, arts attractions and neighborhood events easily. Second, the city can through working with Artworks and other organizations support voices that historically have not been represented to ensure that diversity shines through. That also includes initiatives like the Catalytic Neighborhood project, which I introduced as a concept in City Council, where we invest seed funding either through TIF dollars or carry over dollars in projects that enable more vibrancy such as the revitalization of the Emery Theater or ROMAC, which become anchor points for neighborhood arts and cultural vibrancy. Finally, we need to continue to support events such as BLINK that not only draw tourism dollars, but also create a sense of vibrancy in our city that attracts residents.

Please provide some examples of how you’ve seen the City and private sector work well together. Where are there areas you’d like to see increased collaboration? Cincinnati Parks and Smale Park in particular is a great example. When at P&G, I led the work to invest $1 million in what is now the goVibrantscape (Foot Piano & Flying Pig), but P&G was not unique – PNC and others invested in the park. BLINK is another example of this as is the Cincinnati Development Fund. That public-private partnership is critical, but from the city’s perspective we need to be careful. The private sector can’t be this stop-gap place to go to for $. Partnership means that both sides are putting in resources and moving toward a common objective. The one opportunity for increased collaboration I believe is around childhood poverty. We have the history of the Preschool Promise, which is great, but childhood poverty continues to be a vexing issue. New seed funding such as the Baby Bond program is another area of potential collaboration on which more

How can the City work with business leaders in the community to help improve safety across the City and especially in the urban core? A big part of that working together is being laser focused on what the issues are and where they are. As we launch this Quality of Life Working Group, which is meant to be across the City, some of these areas around safety will emerge (although the scope of that work is not gun violence and other violent crime), but more issues that are contributing factors to a feeling of not being safe e.g. open air drug use, aggressive panhandling, blight, etc. Having business leaders be a part of that work will be important. The other way is through other established organizations such as Findlay Market and 3CDC to work on issues within the geographic scope of those organizations around safety in partnership with CPD and the city administration, Mayor and City Councilmembers.

Over the years there have at times been significant disconnects between the City and the County. How would you work to build a stronger working relationship between the two forms of government? Part of this disconnect I believe is starting to be repaired through our work in the Convention District, but further collaboration is needed on the Banks as well as MSD issues. Having the Mayor and County Commissioners have a strong relationship is an important part of making sure there are no disconnects, and I know that Mayor Aftab is making efforts to ensure communication is strong.

How do you balance the viewpoints and perspectives of a diverse set of stakeholders on a given issue to inform your position? My decision-making process is very much about taking time to take in a lot of different viewpoints and perspectives. It is also a data-driven decision-making process – gathering all the information that I need on a given issue before making a decision, which also means enrolling different diverse set of stakeholders. I also try to balance perspectives by attempting to find what we used to call at P&G a “third way” – so attempting to find common ground when there is a divisive issue e.g. such as some of the debates about historic preservation.

JAN-MICHELE LEMON KEARNEY

Why are you running for council/re-election? What motivates you as a candidate? What are your top priorities as a candidate? It is the job of a public servant to take every step possible to continually improve their community and ensure equitable outcomes for everyone they serve. Increasing homeownership, getting to the root causes of the gun violence epidemic, and ensuring our city budget represents the needs of stakeholders across Cincinnati are all measures that have and will create a more prosperous community for every Cincinnatian. Above all, I strive to be a servant of the people, working for them each and every day.

In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing Cincinnati and what do you view as the City government’s role in solving it? One of my top legislative priorities is promoting equitable development so that our MBEs and WBEs have the opportunity to participate in the huge infrastructure projects that Cincinnati has on the horizon. Working with Philadelphia’s equivalent of 3CDC, I created an equitable development pilot program to give minority-owned and women-owned developers and contractors an opportunity to participate in the Convention Center renovation and Convention Center District development, and hope to expand this to other projects coming to our city. Reducing gun violence has been an important legislative issue during my time on Council as well. Two bipartisan measures we’ve passed include increasing safe storage regulations and barring those with domestic violence convictions from having access to firearms. One additional program I’ve been looking to bring to Cincinnati is Advance Peace. This fellowship program works with people involved with gun violence, providing wraparound services such as job training and mental health assistance, while allowing them to stay anonymous and minimizing involvement of law enforcement to build trust and protect members’ identities. This program has had tremendous success in other mid-sized cities, and I’m hoping to recreate that in our community. I’ve also long been a proponent of increased homeownership, providing resources and education to first-time buyers, allowing them to build the generational wealth that will allow them to create even better outcomes for their children.

The 2021 Census showed Cincinnati grew for the first time since 1950, what policies would you promote to continue this momentum in the coming years? One of the biggest barriers to the continued growth of our city is lack of housing at all levels, but especially affordable units. This is an issue Council has taken a special interest in. There have been a myriad of proposals for how to combat the shortage, including new developments, relaxed zoning, and additional funds to improve existing homes. I’ve specifically supported the Cincinnati, Building Futures program. This initiative partners with the building trades to give citizens the opportunity to build skills and start a career in the building trades. Badly needed infrastructure renovations must also be addressed as more folks move to Cincinnati. The Brent Spence Bridge and Convention Center are only examples of the multiple projects that will make Cincinnati a leading city for businesses and families alike.

According to the 2021 Census, our city lost about 2,800 housing units, while growing by 12,000 people. Are you supportive of zoning reform policies that would allow for increased density to increase the supply of housing to accommodate growth? What other policies would you propose to increase housing production?One of the biggest barriers to increasing affordable housing options is zoning laws and regulations. Multi-family and mixed income housing developments are vital in combating the housing crisis we’ve seen on the rise in Cincinnati. Just by relaxing these restrictions, we can get the process started to increase the number of affordable units in the City. Additionally, having safe, stable housing reduces need for other support from the City and saves money in areas such as healthcare and public safety in the long run. Our affordable housing “fund of funds” that is being managed by the Cincinnati Development Fund has increased to about $100 million, and City Council is committed to continued funding. This monetary commitment along with the advice of the experts on our Housing Advisory Board are helping us to move the needle. I am also in conversation with an organization that implements the Housing First model. It would entail private and public funding, and has proven successful in other cities.

There is a proposal on the November ballot that would require an increase to the City’s earnings tax to invest approximately $50 million annually in affordable housing, grants, subsidies, and loans for the preservation and maintenance of affordable housing; do you support this? Why or why not? There’s no question we need more affordable housing, and I appreciate the citizen initiative to address this issue. However, we have an affordable housing trust fund with $80 million and an ongoing stream of funding to develop affordable housing in Cincinnati. This City Council views affordable housing as a top priority, has made significant strides, and will continue to invest in affordable units. However, I’m not ready to increase the earning tax without a report from the Futures Commission on how to address the impending revenue gap of $40 million.

The City has historically used tax incentives to support commercial development in the urban core and in business districts across the City. What do you believe the role of incentives should be in development going forward, and based on data received from the new residential tax abatement policy, are you prepared to reconsider the need for residential tax abatement to increase housing in the city? Tax abatements, TIFS, and LIHTC (low-income housing tax credits) are tools that incentivize development and growth, and make financially challenging projects – such as affordable housing – more feasible. City Council and the administration recently revised the City’s residential tax abatement policy to make it more equitable and to increase development in underserved areas. Tax abatements have been an important step in increasing economic development in the City, but have also been long focused on already thriving communities. While supporting development in every neighborhood is essential to a healthy city, there needs to be a focus on those communities often forgotten by developers. Unfortunately, our state legislators have hurt us by forbidding LIHTC with historical tax credits. Much of Cincinnati’s housing is historical, and the combination of both types of tax incentives on a project would make the creation of affordable housing more feasible. Both implemented and proposed revisions would continue to promote growth in the affordable housing sector, which is essential to addressing the housing shortage our city faces.

The proposed sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway is being voted on this November. Do you support the sale? Yes or no? Assuming the sale of the CSR passes, what existing infrastructure would you prioritize with the increased capital funds? Yes. We need to diversify this asset, wisely invest the $1.6 Billion sales proceeds, and make sure that our policy requires that the principal never is touched. Under the current conservative analysis, Cincinnati will gain approximately $50 million annually from this investment, rather than the current amount of $25 million per year. The funds would have to go toward infrastructure and would be a significant help for a City that has a great deal of outdated infrastructure in need of repair. Our administration is giving us a report on infrastructure priorities. We have a great deal of old infrastructure in the city- not only bridges and roads, but also firehouses which are in desperate need of repair. There are structures in various neighborhoods that need repairs as well. While the proceeds from the sale can only be spent on existing infrastructure, those funds will free up dollars in the capital budget for new infrastructure projects, including more housing and means of improving pedestrian safety.

While property tax makes up a smaller portion of the City’s overall tax receipts, the overall burden of property taxes has increased in recent years. How would you propose easing that burden on City taxpayers? Rising property taxes are a real concern for many City residents. As a strong proponent of homeownership, ensuring that property taxes don’t block families out of housing opinions is essential to me. Council recognizes this need as well, and wants to explore any pathways available to us to ease this burden on residents. Unfortunately, lawmakers in Columbus have attempted one-size fits all solutions that haven’t garnered enough support to pass in the House. Other proposals have been made to lower costs for different groups such as seniors and veterans, and State Representatives and Senators are essential patterns in getting relief for citizens of Cincinnati and across Ohio.

Under what circumstances and for what investments would you consider raising the City’s earnings tax? The mayor has appointed the Futures Commission of business leaders, labor leaders, and citizen leaders to take a look at how to increase revenue for our City to meet the impending gap in our budget. The Commission’s report at the end of the year will be important to review before considering an increase in taxes. I also believe community engagement is essential in this consideration, and we should listen to the voices of the community stakeholders during this process.

One of the Cincinnati Chamber’s core values is inclusion and accelerating opportunity for everyone. In your opinion, do you believe the City is doing enough to focus on inclusive policies? If so, what areas would you highlight as a success. If not, what specific policies or investments would you propose? Cincinnati is an incredibly diverse city. People of all races, religions, and nationalities are proud to call our city home. While I agree there has been an increase in conversation around issues related to inclusion, I think we often fall short when taking action. Policies such as the Community Engagement Ordinance I helped pass through Council have given citizens more venues and opportunities to share their priorities with Council, but more steps need to be taken. Ensuring city contracts for projects are within reach for smaller contractors opens them up to more minority and female owned businesses, and is a policy I’ve pushed for as state and federal dollars are invested in city infrastructure, and one I hope to see replicated in the future.

A major economic driver for the region is the cultural vibrancy of Cincinnati. How can the city best foster a diverse cultural economy that supports neighborhood events, arts attractions, our various sports teams, and the tourism industry? The most significant way Cincinnati can foster our diversity is for our institutions and businesses to proudly reflect that. Key to this is making sure that as we engage in new projects, educate our children, and support small businesses we have a seat for everyone at the table. As we work to revitalize our City’s infrastructure, we should ensure our contracts include Black-owned and women-owned companies and union workers. We must continue to support our educators and administrators in CPS schools, giving our children the opportunity to learn and grow into the next generation of City leaders. As small businesses continue to rebound from COVID-19, women and POC-owned businesses need to be included in conversations about what will benefit them. In a City as diverse as ours, it’s vital for our government, schools, and businesses to reflect the people who call Cincinnati home.

Please provide some examples of how you’ve seen the City and private sector work well together. Where are there areas you’d like to see increased collaboration? 3CDC is perhaps the best example of what a private-public partnership can achieve. With $1.7 billion in development across the last two decades, we’ve been able to revitalize huge swaths of Downtown and OTR. This has made Cincinnati a place where both large corporations and small businesses can thrive. Another example is the Cincinnati Futures Commission, and the previous efforts it’s built off of. Cincinnati has a strong history of working with business and community leaders to increase economic development and opportunity, and this must continue as our city grows.

How can the City work with business leaders in the community to help improve safety across the City and especially in the urban core? While overall violent crime is down across the City, we’ve seen a startling rise in gun violence, and especially in youth involved shootings. At the root of the problem lie poverty and hopelessness, combined with a plethora of guns on the street and weak gun legislation. We need a ban on assault weapons, red flag laws, and universal background checks. I was one of the leaders in enacting safe storage laws in Cincinnati, and denying access to guns for domestic violence perpetrators. I am working with community leaders on bringing the Advance Peace program to Cinicnnati because of the data showing its effectiveness in other cities. At the same time, we need to increase economic opportunity and mentorships for our youth. Working with business leaders to expand these opportunities will lead to a safer city for all.

Over the years there have at times been significant disconnects between the City and the County. How would you work to build a stronger working relationship between the two forms of government? Outside of representing the needs of my constituents, one of my most important duties as Vice Mayor is building strong relationships with other local officials and services. Having a strong working relationship with County officials is of utmost importance to me. With shared resources and utilities such as the MSD and the proposed Regional Safety Complex, it’s essential that officials from the County and City can not only sit down and discuss where we agree, but can work together to reach agreement on issues where we may have differing opinions. Balancing the needs to City and County residents to create better outcomes for all should be the ultimate goal.

How do you balance the viewpoints and perspectives of a diverse set of stakeholders on a given issue to inform your position? My work has changed the culture of City Council by emphasizing the need for community engagement and listening to the voices of the constituents whom we serve. One of the most important to me is showing the people of Cincinnati that I care about each of them achieving a fulfilling, successful life in our city. I often hear from voters that by showing up in every neighborhood and sincerely listening to people’s needs and issues, they feel they have a voice on Council every day. No one has all of the answers, but collaboration and engagement with the community gets us on the right track.

MEEKA OWENS

Why are you running for council/re-election? What motivates you as a candidate? What are your top priorities as a candidate? The work is unfinished. There is more to be done.

I am incredibly proud of the work my office has done thus far, but I have a desire to continue. The Green Cincinnati Plan outlines the steps we must take to reduce our City’s carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and be carbon neutral as a City by 2050. It is the legislative action of the next decade that will make that possible. For the first time ever, the GCP had equity as a core guiding principle, along with sustainability and resilience. We will address energy poverty by electrifying 20,000 households by 2030, and adopting energy efficiency and electrification technologies. We will achieve zero waste by diverting food to those who need it most, and making sure food is healthy, fresh, and affordable by investing in local urban agriculture. I also believe that there is an entire green economy that will emerge from taking bold action on this issue; from startups like green tech, to innovation to workforce development. We have to be positioned to take advantage of all the benefits climate action will provide; a moral obligation and a business case as well.

I want to be a part of it. I want to use the connections I have made over the last two years to continue to collaborate and strategize to continue making Cincinnati the best it can be.

In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing Cincinnati and what do you view as the City government’s role in solving it? In my opinion, some of the biggest issues facing Cincinnati have been gun violence, affordable housing, climate change and tenants rights. This has made my legislative priorities heavily focused towards gun violence reduction, climate action, affordable housing, infrastructure, and tenants rights. Overlayed across all facets of these priorities, I make sure that all my legislative decisions are made through an equity lens. As a councilmember, I make sure the City government has a role in addressing them.

Gun Violence Reduction

Following the adoption of gun violence as a public health crisis, the City has identified a core group of stakeholders to participate in the renewal of the Cincinnati Initiatives to Reduce Gun Violence (CIRV). The public health framework and the social determinants of health are core to this work. I plan to continue working closely with the Administration to carry out the implementation of that framework.

Identifying opportunities for gun violence reduction, prevention, and intervention are core to protecting our communities.

I will continue to pursue people-centered solutions to the public health crisis of gun violence.

Climate Action and Environmental Justice

As chair of the Climate, Environment, and Infrastructure committee, I will continue to use our resources and energy to build a sustainable, equitable, and more resilient future for the City of Cincinnati.

Now that the 2023 Green Cincinnati Plan has been adopted as the official sustainability blueprint for the City of Cincinnati, I look forward to moving forward with the implementation of the priority actions that its sets. In particular, the focus on connecting communities through development along transit corridors to reduce emissions from transportation (accounts for about ⅓ of emissions), more efficient building standards, and equitable access to healthy, fresh foods will be some of my top climate action priorities moving forward.

Affordable Housing

We must continue to prioritize affordable housing in a way that emphasizes our need for both affordable and market-rate development. There is a dire need for housing across our City. Development should be both widespread and intentional. I have supported initiatives to add additional funding to the affordable housing fund of funds, which creates incentives for the type of growth we need.

We can continue to build out the Affordable Housing Fund of Funds.

We must continue to dig into the data on the way racial discrepancies are impacting every aspect of life in Cincinnati, particularly public health.

Infrastructure

The Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has created huge amounts of opportunity for the region, and not just the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project.

I am committed to ensuring that the BCBC Project is built to be the best bridge possible and excited about the improvements coming to Cincinnati.

We are also working to implement the tenets of the Complete Streets policy adopted by Council and improve pedestrian safety across the City. Pedestrians and cyclists most likely to die are POC, so it is vital that these policies be carried out in an equitable manner, which I am committed to ensuring.

I am working closely and collaboratively with a few of my colleagues to identify the cities’ biggest infrastructure needs, so that when the funds from the sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway become available we are ready to make big improvements to the City. This includes not just roads and crosswalks, but firehouses, rec centers, and more.

I am striving to make sure we see real inclusion with the Brent Spence Bridge and all major projects.

Tenants Rights

My office has been working to deploy a suite of legislation, the “Tenants Bill of Rights.”

The core of this work thus far has been the creation of a Tenants’ Guide to educate and inform tenants about their rights and resources. This should be released soon. I am focusing on making sure this is distributed to the tenants who need it the most.

We are also working closely with the mayor to implement an Access to Counsel program, which will provide increased access to counsel in eviction proceedings and additional funding to support the Pay to Stay legislation.

Additional rights we are focusing on creating include protections from illegal set outs / lock outs, protection from source of income discrimination, and support for tenant unions.

Since January, the Cincinnati Futures Commission has been meeting to develop recommendations that chart a fiscally sustainable path forward for the City and develop a community-informed economic agenda for the future. When the report is delivered at the end of the year, how will you work to implement the Recommendations? The Cincinnati Futures Commissions recommendations will lay the foundation of economic growth, fiscal sustainability and progress for Cincinnati over the next decade. I will work with Mayor Aftab and my fellow council members to ensure that the recommendations are in line with policy that we put forth for the city.

The 2021 Census showed Cincinnati grew for the first time since 1950, what policies would you promote to continue this momentum in the coming years? Growing the city and growing the tax base is a core goal for the City of Cincinnati. We must ensure that Cincinnati is an enticing place to visit, work in, raise families in, and enjoy. To do this, we must continue to cultivate a robust and diverse economy. We must make it easier to start a business, especially for black and brown folks. We must prioritize transit and housing infrastructure that facilitates a working population and interconnected region, and invest in our neighborhoods.

According to the 2021 Census, our city lost about 2,800 housing units, while growing by 12,000 people. Are you supportive of zoning reform policies that would allow for increased density to increase the supply of housing to accommodate growth? What other policies would you propose to increase housing production? Yes. We must continue to prioritize affordable housing in a way that emphasizes our need for both affordable and market-rate development. There is an increasing need for housing across our City. Development should be both widespread and intentional. I have supported initiatives to add additional funding to the affordable housing fund of funds, which creates incentives for the type of growth we need. One of the primary lessons I learned in my first year in office was the unnecessary red tape that has caused the development of new housing to stagnate. In the autumn, I was proud to co-sponsor legislation to turn a parking lot in Over-the-Rhine into permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness who have drug or alcohol addictions or mental health challenges. Unfortunately, a not-withstanding ordinance was necessary to give this development the greenlight because of zoning regulations. It is important that we become a city of the future, ready to house our current population, people moving for the booming corporations in town, and future climate migrants. Doing so requires taking a forward-thinking approach to the zoning code and how we continue to fund housing.

There is a proposal on the November ballot that would require an increase to the City’s earnings tax to invest approximately $50 million annually in affordable housing, grants, subsidies, and loans for the preservation and maintenance of affordable housing; do you support this? Why or why not? No. We are not debating about the need for affordable housing. This is an incredibly important issue for the community and for the region. The best decisions coming from policy makers and legislators are ones that are comprehensive, rooted in data, information and expertise. The Futures Commission has been charged with an important step of looking at the complexity of the city’s budget from a strategic and long term approach. I believe that we should allow this work to unfold and get an accurate picture of our financial state. What would be catastrophic is to make uninformed decisions that could have a negative impact on our budget. This would be counterintuitive to the future growth of our city that we all desire.

The City has historically used tax incentives to support commercial development in the urban core and in business districts across the City. What do you believe the role of incentives should be in development going forward, and based on data received from the new residential tax abatement policy, are you prepared to reconsider the need for residential tax abatement to increase housing in the city? I’m committed to making data informed decisions as a legislator. Commercial tax abatements should be used in a way that continues to incentivize growth in the city; good jobs, strong workforce, and people choosing to live in Cincinnati are just some of the positive benefits that can be catalyzed from commercial abatements. As with everything, the concept of and commitment to process improvement should be rooted in government decisions as well.

The proposed sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway is being voted on this November. Do you support the sale? Yes or no? Assuming the sale of the CSR passes, what existing infrastructure would you prioritize with the increased capital Funds? Yes. I support the sale. If voters pass this, it can lead to generational transformative changes to our city. With nearly $500 million dollars in deferred maintenance across departments, to have the opportunity to address this would not only improve quality of life for residents, but could have a positive impact on the general fund. Maintaining basic services and improving service delivery are key components to a thriving city. In addition, should voters pass this, I want to ensure that we are strategic and equitable in how we allocate resources and invest in communities.

While property tax makes up a smaller portion of the City’s overall tax receipts, the overall burden of property taxes has increased in recent years. How would you propose easing that burden on City taxpayers? To ease the burden on taxpayers, I would propose an income based tax model that would help maintain legacy homeowners to help preserve homeownership and wealth and bring opportunities to help these homeowners stay in place. While property tax does make up a smaller portion of the overall tax receipt for the city, Hamilton county has one of the highest property tax rates in the county. In order to keep people in their homes and keep people in the city, we need to work on alleviating the burden of the city and county property tax.

Under what circumstances and for what investments would you consider raising the City’s earnings tax? I would support raising the earning tax only if the data suggested it was absolutely necessary for our community to thrive, specifically as it relates to violence prevention, making our neighborhoods healthier, and core services. As a re-elected member of the Cincinnati City Council, I would bring together the business community, community leaders, and labor to collaboratively approach any decisions regarding an increase in our earnings tax.

The Chamber has spent the last decade focused on making Cincinnati a more connected region. What transportation and mobility projects and policies would you prioritize to better connect Cincinnatians to jobs, education, health care and all that our region has to offer? I want to continue to expand my already blossoming relationship with Metro and SORTA to ensure we are serving all residents of Cincinnati and Hamilton County as equitably as possible.

One of the Cincinnati Chamber’s core values is inclusion and accelerating opportunity for everyone. In your opinion, do you believe the City is doing enough to focus on inclusive policies? If so, what areas would you highlight as a success. If not, what specific policies or investments would you propose? We can do more. We need to review and see what minority inclusion looks like across the city in terms of goals. We need to build pipelines for women and minorities so they face as few barriers to entry as possible. For example: job training and readiness, becoming a contractor, becoming certified as a business, all of these things. The processes need to be clear for people and we need to meet them where they are. We should not expect people to intuitively understand these systems or processes by using institutional thinking and expecting people to come to where the resources are. We have to be intentional. We can also make sure that contracts with the city are going to minority owned businesses. The city will soon come out with the disparity report. The information from that report will be important in how we shape policies going forward.

A major economic driver for the region is the cultural vibrancy of Cincinnati. How can the city best foster a diverse cultural economy that supports neighborhood events, arts attractions, our various sports teams, and the tourism industry? We must invest in all 52 neighborhoods in the city of Cincinnati , and incentivize the development and execution of plans that increase the foot traffic in our neighborhood business districts and prioritize events. The prioritization of Neighborhood Community Councils are a wonderful asset to better understanding the needs of a community. We need to support neighborhood investment, and create programs for neighborhoods to make their own improvements and attractions in their districts.

Please provide some examples of how you’ve seen the City and private sector work well together. Where are there areas you’d like to see increased collaboration? Public/Private partnerships are key to the future of how we address key issues. We can see examples of this in organizations like Cincinnati Development Fund, 3CDC, and other examples of funds that organizations and businesses are providing. The root of this should be how we provide solutions to more equitable outcomes. I would like to see this approach across multiple sectors; business, housing, and social issues are a start.

How can the City work with business leaders in the community to help improve safety across the City and especially in the urban core? Safety improvements start with listening to what the needs of the community are, and this is what I did with Finlay Market. It’s a place that is truly the essence of small business and there are safety issues around there. It’s about being proactive about the destination locations we have as a city and it’s important for us to look ahead and see how we can add additional support to make sure that they continue to attract people. We are looking at creating “special destination zones” for this purpose.

Over the years there have at times been significant disconnects between the City and the County. How would you work to build a stronger working relationship between the two forms of government? Relationships are the foundation of progress. I work hard to make sure that my relationships and the reach of my work span across different systems of government, from the city, to the county, and to the state level. There are several key areas that the city and county can work together on; affordable housing, economic development, and sustainability are just a few areas. With the bi-partisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we should also be working closely together to maximize federal grant opportunities. I believe a level of collaboration will happen when we all commit to it. I’m certainly invested in this type of approach for not only the city and the county, but for the region.

How do you balance the viewpoints and perspectives of a diverse set of stakeholders on a given issue to inform your position? As a Councilmember, it’s incredibly important to me to make sure that I provide a seat at the table for everyone. I have never shied away from having conversations with anyone across party lines, issue perspectives and all stakeholders so I can be informed and prepared to represent the city the best that I can. I have found it to be important to know where I stand and know how to listen.

SETH WALSH

Why are you running for council/re-election? What motivates you as a candidate? What are your top priorities as a candidate? I have spent the past 10 years working to redevelop neighborhoods throughout the City of Cincinnati. I have seen firsthand how the City can positively impact a neighborhood and negatively impact one. I have also seen over half of our neighborhoods left behind by the City. I am running for office because I want to help all 52 of our neighborhoods succeed and achieve the level of success I was able to lead in College Hill. I’ve been hard at work in my first term, and I am looking forward to continue that momentum in my next.

In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing Cincinnati and what do you view as the City government’s role in solving it? Cincinnati’s future has a great wealth of passion and resources behind it, but it needs care to ensure positive growth. We need to make sure that all 52 of Cincinnati’s neighborhoods can thrive, which means supporting local business and housing in a way that is equitable, responsible, and sustainable. The City government’s role is to work alongside neighborhoods to make this growth possible.

The 2021 Census showed Cincinnati grew for the first time since 1950, what policies would you promote to continue this momentum in the coming years? This growth is a powerful indicator that Cincinnati is on the rise, and we need to capitalize on this opportunity by continuing to make the city affordable and encouraging of economic growth. Incentivizing and helping to facilitate development of housing and business is critical in ensuring that Cincinnati keeps growing. Removing roadblocks to development will ensure that this momentum doesn’t slow down and we can continue to experience dynamic growth.

There is a proposal on the November ballot that would require an increase to the City’s earnings tax to invest approximately $50 million annually in affordable housing, grants, subsidies, and loans for the preservation and maintenance of affordable housing; do you support this? Why or why not? I am not supportive of this proposal. I have demonstrated support for increasing access to affordable housing in Cincinnati throughout my entire career predating and on Council, but I do not believe this is the method to resolve the lack of affordable housing. This method is shortsighted and its actions will tie the hands of the city at a critical junction as they complete the Futures Commission and work on moving the city to the next level. This proposal sounds appealing, but there are better ways to achieve its goal.

The proposed sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway is being voted on this November. Do you support the sale? Yes or no? Assuming the sale of the CSR passes, what existing infrastructure would you prioritize with the increased capital funds? I am supportive of this sale. This opportunity will allow us to address the city’s deferred maintenance projects via a trust, which will ensure this money is spent responsibly. Addressing these deferred maintenance projects is key to promoting city growth.

While property tax makes up a smaller portion of the City’s overall tax receipts, the overall burden of property taxes has increased in recent years. How would you propose easing that burden on City taxpayers? It’s important to acknowledge that Council’s hands are tied a bit in terms of property tax because it is facilitated by the county at the state’s discretion. Nonetheless, I have been a longtime advocate since at least 2016 of creating some type of reform that protects generational homeowners from rising taxes in a developing neighborhood so as to keep them in their homes. So far all the ideas we have explored require state audit changes, but this is a topic I will continue to explore. This is an important topic when tackling the housing affordability crisis because rising property taxes only makes this problem harder to solve as these rising taxes are passed on to renters.

Under what circumstances and for what investments would you consider raising the City’s earnings tax? I would consider raising the City’s earnings tax if it were part of a larger plan to create a long-term balanced budget for the City of Cincinnati and allow for needed economic development across all of the city. I would only be in favor of this if there was widespread support from various interest groups around the city, including but not limited to the Chamber, CBC, CRBC, and labor unions. I believe the Futures Commission Report will lay the groundwork for whether this is needed in the immediate future or if more strategic decisions should be taken in the city first.

One of the Cincinnati Chamber’s core values is inclusion and accelerating opportunity for everyone. In your opinion, do you believe the City is doing enough to focus on inclusive policies? If so, what areas would you highlight as a success. If not, what specific policies or investments would you propose? The City has made it clear that inclusivity is a prioritized value and that, contrary to political movement in many governments across the country, Cincinnati will be a place that strives to be inclusive. I was proud to pass legislation with Council affirming the City’s support for transgender and non-binary residents, including those seeking gender-affirming healthcare. Of course, we must continue to listen to the voices of diverse groups and ensure that the city’s investments are distributed equitably, particularly among neighborhoods that have historically not been included.

A major economic driver for the region is the cultural vibrancy of Cincinnati. How can the city best foster a diverse cultural economy that supports neighborhood events, arts attractions, our various sports teams, and the tourism industry? Cincinnati has incredible assets when it comes to art, sports, entertainment, etc., and so we need to continue to amplify this diverse cultural economy. I chose to stay in Cincinnati because when I graduated from Xavier University we had the World Choir Games and the 2015 Baseball All Star Game was announced as taking place here. The excitement for our future was palpable and I couldn’t wait to be a part of it. Now, we have built a City where it’s not inconceivable that we would host the World Cup or Taylor Swift. Each time we do a big event like that, more people like me come to this City and decide to stay here. We need the housing stock and community reinvestment that will continue to help the city grow.

Please provide some examples of how you’ve seen the City and private sector work well together. Where are there areas you’d like to see increased collaboration? 3CDC is a great example of the city and private sector working together to leverage expertise and resources to achieve the transformation and impact in OTR that has led to redevelopment all over the city. Similarly, I would point to the Cincinnati Southern railway sale as a partnership between private and the City on thinking creatively on how to leverage assets for longterm success.

I would like to see them jointly continue to collaborate on the big issues facing our city and recognize where each party is coming from and where we are coming from to allow us all to succeed. I believe too often, when we turn to the private sector for help, we expect it to be through charity. We have seen in the examples above the ways the private sector can be beneficial to our city while still acting as private. I don’t think we should be scared of finding win-wins for everyone.

How can the City work with business leaders in the community to help improve safety across the City and especially in the urban core? Public safety is currently one of the biggest topics of concern for Cincinnatians and one that requires a high level of collaboration. One of the most important roles of Council is to listen to the diverse perspectives of community stakeholders when deciding how to address critical issues such as this. Listening to and collaborating with community business leaders is an important dialogue that will help us create experience-based and more equitable solutions to issues like this.

Over the years there have at times been significant disconnects between the City and the County. How would you work to build a stronger working relationship between the two forms of government? Collaboration between the City and the County is critical to solving issues that affect the region, and I am committed to building a stronger working relationship between these two forms of government. Communication is key to building strong relationships between these two bodies, so I will ensure that dialogue between the City and the County remains open. There are many talented people in both bodies of government right now, and bringing them all to the table at the right time is key in ensuring we’re maximizing on that talent.

How do you balance the viewpoints and perspectives of a diverse set of stakeholders on a given issue to inform your position? This is always a delicate but vitally important challenge. In my experience working both in community development and on Council, it has always been important to make sure you are hearing all sides of an issue and trying to understand where commonalities lie between groups on an issue. It is also important to evaluate which voices are really representative on a group and which are simply the loudest voices. Overall, hearing the voices of those most affected by an issue is critical, as well as incorporating expert research.

ANNA ALBI

Why are you running for council/re-election? What motivates you as a candidate? What are your top priorities as a candidate? I am running for City Council because our State government is falling short and it is here in Cincinnati where elected leaders are working hard to make people’s lives better. Each time the state passes extremist legislation, I am proud that our City Council looks for creative solutions to protect residents and provide access to the resources they need.

As a gun violence prevention advocate, I am dedicated to passing gun safety legislation and investing resources directly into our communities. Community safety means ensuring everyone has access to fresh food, housing, livable wages, well-resourced schools and after-school programs, health care and mental health resources. We know these resources can counteract identified risk factors for gun violence.

Serving on the Madisonville Community Council, I’ve had the opportunity to hear from our residents that don’t feel that the City recognizes their needs. I am committed to improving communication between the City and residents by providing community councils the training and resources they need to be a more effective bridge between the administration and our residents.

In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing Cincinnati and what do you view as the City government’s role in solving it? The focus of my campaign is community safety and gun violence prevention. For me, fostering safe communities means tackling the biggest issues facing our residents today: gun violence, livable wages, housing and health care.

Gun Violence Prevention

Pass additional gun safety ordinances (assuming the City prevails in its case against Ohio’s firearm preemption law)
Increase gun safety education and distribute gun locks
Expand Place-Based Investigations of Violent Offender Territories (PIVOT) and Alternative Response to Crisis (ARC)
Invest in violence interruption, survivor support and community programs
Implement a gun buy-back program

Livable Wages

Ensure the City is paying prevailing wages on any project funded completely or in part with tax dollars in Cincinnati
Invest in minority and women-owned businesses by providing access to capital through successful public-private partnerships and the Cincinnati Development Fund
Continue to invest in the Career Pathways program and expand it to encompass new kinds of roles
Encourage establishing apprenticeship programs in the private sector and trade careers

Housing

Change restrictive zoning and expand the adaption of form-based codes such as height, setback, minimum lot size, floor-area-ratio, and density, to allow more and easier housing production
Expand voluntary tax incentive contribution agreement (VTICA) program so more abatement recipients pay the 7.5% allocated to the Affordable Housing Fund and the 7.5% for the community fund
Encourage more mixed-use and mixed-income developments to foster walkable neighborhoods
Increase funding for Community Development Corporations (CDCs) and Homebase
Reduce energy costs for tenants and homeowners experiencing energy poverty by expanding programs such as WarmUp Cincy to support low-income renters, homeowners, and landlords of affordable housing with the installation of weatherization, energy efficiency, and healthy home upgrades

Healthcare

Eliminate health disparities and address Black maternal mortality by promoting doula services and group prenatal care and strengthening access to primary care
Provide greater mental health access and support
Continue to support City of Cincinnati Primary Care (CCPC) health centers and increase public education about accessing their services

Once the report is issued, an important step the City must take before implementing any policy changes is to ensure our residents are aware of what the report says and the potential impact of its recommendations. As a Senior Strategic Communication Consultant, I know the importance of stakeholder engagement, especially when considering an impactful change. Starting now, the City should begin assembling a stakeholder engagement plan for socializing the findings of the Futures Commission with groups such as community councils, the full Regional Business Chamber, Organized Labor, the County, Cincinnati Public Schools, and more–including educating the press.

As we consider the big transformational needs of our City, such as increased housing and improved transportation, it is vital that we educate our residents on the findings of the Futures Commission report and how its recommendations can help fund the big projects that will improve their lives and help Cincinnati continue to grow and thrive.

The 2021 Census showed Cincinnati grew for the first time since 1950, what policies would you promote to continue this momentum in the coming years? As I consider what I hope Cincinnati will look like in the future, I would like to see a city where:

Every neighborhood is a safe, dense, walkable “15 Minute Neighborhood” with mixed residential (including multi-family) and commercial zoning with convenient public transit.
Downtown is a thriving lifestyle center bursting with small businesses and local restaurants and bars with easily accessible public transit.
Remote workers are eager to move to Cincinnati because of our flourishing arts, entertainment, and culture, relatively low cost of living, award-winning public schools, and leading health care systems.
Small and family-owned businesses have the resources to survive and thrive for generations.
College students are excited to apply to local jobs and remain in the community they fell in love with over the past four years.

In order to accomplish that vision, there are big, transformational policy decisions City Council and the Mayor will need to make. I fully support the work of Connected Communities to make Cincinnati more accessible and connected through changes to our housing development policies focused on middle housing, regulatory barriers, parking, affordable development and process improvements.

Additional policies include:

Leveraging residential and commercial tax abatements to foster incentive development, especially in those neighborhoods designated as the “Lift” tier in the new residential tax abatement system
Promoting the job creation tax credit to welcome more businesses to Cincinnati
Improving existing public transit and expanding service to help residents be less reliant on cars for both work and entertainment
Continuing to invest in providing access to capital for minority and female-owned businesses through successful public-private partnerships and the Cincinnati Development Fund
Expanding strategic relationships with partners such as Cincinnati Development Fund, Greater Cincinnati Development Fund, and more.

Change restrictive zoning and expand the adaption of form-based codes such as height, setback, minimum lot size, floor-area-ratio, and density, to allow more and easier housing production
Encourage more mixed-use and mixed-income developments
Remove parking minimums
Increase funding for Community Development Corporations (CDCs) and Homebase
Expand voluntary tax incentive contribution agreement (VTICA) program so more abatement recipients pay the 7.5% allocated to the Affordable Housing Fund and the 7.5% for the community fund

From Sep. 2022 – Aug. 2023, the Cincinnati Development Fund (CDF) deployed Affordable Housing Leverage Funds to build 857 income-restricted units. While this is a great improvement from previous years, this is far below what we need to keep up with the demand. We need an increased supply of not only affordable housing for low income households, but also an increase in workforce and student housing. We must accelerate our efforts to reform zoning to make it quicker to navigate the development process.

There is a proposal on the November ballot that would require an increase to the City’s earnings tax to invest approximately $50 million annually in affordable housing, grants, subsidies, and loans for the preservation and maintenance of affordable housing; do you support this? Why or why not? I believe City Council should wait for the results of the Cincinnati Futures Commission’s report to fully understand the City’s needs in the coming years. Once we have the results of that report, we should assess the need to increase taxes to ensure we fund affordable housing as well as additional needs such as City staffing (e.g., for CPD or City Hall departments). This avoids the need to raise taxes multiple times in a short period and instead takes a holistic view of what’s needed to ensure we get it right the first time.

Additionally, for major developments, City Council should be more forceful about requiring and enforcing Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs). City Council should make sure that developers are upholding their promises to the community years after the development is complete. This is vital to ensuring our residents feel the benefit of growing and developing our city so they are excited and encouraged to see future development.

I support the new residential tax abatement program that divides the neighborhoods into three tiers with varying lengths of time for residential tax abatements based on which neighborhoods the City is trying to incentivize additional development. For the “Sustain” tier, this new approach also means a shorter time span for the new value being abated–which translates into higher property taxes faster, which can be used to support CPS funding.

The proposed sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway is being voted on this November. Do you support the sale? Yes or no? Assuming the sale of the CSR passes, what existing infrastructure would you prioritize with the increased capital funds? Yes, I do support the sale of the railway. We have $500 million in deferred maintenance costs and the gains from the sale of the railway will help us address this need. Once we have the gains from the railroad sale to invest into deferred maintenance, we should prioritize infrastructure maintenance in communities designated as the “Lift” tier for the new residential tax abatement system. The deferred maintenance we should tackle includes: repairing roads and sidewalks and renovating public buildings such as fire and police stations and rec centers (for example, our Madisonville fire station was built in the nineteenth century).

By investing in improving our existing infrastructure, especially by prioritizing that “Lift” tier of neighborhoods, the City will be able to attract businesses to expand to Cincinnati and help support small local businesses thrive by providing the public resources they need (e.g., safe roads, functioning sewer, bridges, clean water).

To me, the sale of the railway and how we invest the profits to improve existing infrastructure will be one of the most impactful things City Council will do over the next five years since the projects the City chooses to invest in will impact residents’ everyday lives. People really notice when there are potholes on their street!

While property tax makes up a smaller portion of the City’s overall tax receipts, the overall burden of property taxes has increased in recent years. How would you propose easing that burden on City taxpayers? I support continuing to utilize tax abatements to incentivize development, especially in the communities designated as the “Lift” tier. In those communities, the City should continue to leverage tax abatements and TIFs to foster investment into the community to help grow jobs and increase housing.

With that said, I recognize the importance of funding Cincinnati Public Schools through property taxes, so I want to ensure we are balancing our goal of development with ensuring our schools have the resources they need.

Under what circumstances and for what investments would you consider raising the City’s earnings tax? I believe the City is poised for bold, transformational change that will set us up for success in the future. As we think of big-ticket items that will foster increased growth and development–e.g., a new conference center, improved and expanded public transit, improvements to the Brent Spence Bridge, increased housing–the City will need to carefully consider how to fund these projects in a way to balance our future needs with economic impact on our residents today.

I am eager for the Futures Commissions report to understand better where they recommend increasing tax revenue.

We can continue to improve Metro services by:

Expanding bus routes
Increasing service to reduce wait times, including on weekends
Building benches and shelters so residents are safe and comfortable while waiting for their bus
Adding wifi and charging stations
In addition, as the Streetcar continues to break ridership records, I would be open to conversations about possible expansion, especially to other business districts, to increase connectivity and foster local businesses along the route.

Affordable housing

Encourage more mixed-use and mixed-income developments
Reduce energy costs for tenants and homeowners experiencing energy poverty by expanding programs such as WarmUp Cincy to support low-income renters, homeowners, and landlords of affordable housing with the installation of weatherization, energy efficiency, and healthy home upgrades

Healthcare

Close the health gap and address Black maternal mortality by promoting doula services and group prenatal care and strengthening access to primary care
Provide greater mental health access and support

Gun violence prevention

Increase gun safety education and distribute gun locks
Expand PIVOT and expand ARC
Invest in violence interruption, survivor support and community programs

Environmental justice

Improve public transit by going electric as much as possible and investing in Metro to provide shorter wait times, safer, more comfortable places to wait, and extended hours
Increase tree canopy to absorb air pollutants and increase shade, thereby improving respiratory health and reducing energy costs

Law enforcement

Allocate an increased percentage of Cincinnati Police Department funding into Victim Services and the Cold Case Unit
Fully funding the Citizen Complaint Authority

Infrastructure

Prioritize infrastructure maintenance in communities designated as the “Lift” tier for the new residential tax abatement system, including repairing roads and sidewalks and renovating public buildings such as fire and police stations and rec centers
Increase pedestrian safety by installing curb bumpouts, speed cushions, curb extensions, and protected bike lanes, as well as other projects included under Vision Zero

A major economic driver for the region is the cultural vibrancy of Cincinnati. How can the city best foster a diverse cultural economy that supports neighborhood events, arts attractions, our various sports teams, and the tourism industry? Cincinnati’s flourishing arts and entertainment is a key element of our city’s continued growth and how we will attract and retain residents. I’ve always thought of Cincinnati as the “smallest big city” because we have all the attractions of a place like Chicago (top-tier theater and opera, championship-winning teams, fine dining, world-class entertainment, etc.) at affordable prices where everyone tries to figure out who they know from your high school.

To foster our cultural vibrancy, I believe strongly that the City should:

Continue funding organizations that contribute to our cultural economy
Work with the administration to streamline the process for organizations that are putting on marquee events
Support redevelopment of the convention center and the construction of a convention center hotel
In addition, I’d be open to establishing a city-level office dedicated to our cultural economy. Cities such as Austin and New Orleans have done something similar to ensure focused investment in the arts and entertainment to foster economic growth.

Please provide some examples of how you’ve seen the City and private sector work well together. Where are there areas you’d like to see increased collaboration? As we’ve seen over the past decade, public/private partnership has played a key role in rejuvenating and expanding our city. Some examples of recent and ongoing successes include the work 3CDC did in Over-the-Rhine, how the CDF and the Port are funding affordable housing, the management of the Boots on the Ground Fund with the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and more.

I’d like to see continued collaboration around housing and would be interested in exploring opportunities to provide wifi in public spaces, such as parks, around the city through a public/private partnership.

How can the City work with business leaders in the community to help improve safety across the City and especially in the urban core? Addressing community safety comes in all different shapes and sizes–gun safety, pedestrian safety, workplace safety, etc. Fundamentally, I believe it is our local government’s most basic role to provide a safe community for residents and businesses. Recently, I was at the local coffee shop Cream + Sugar in Evanston and in speaking with the owner Aaron, I learned that they close at 2 pm because there have been issues of gun violence nearby and they don’t want to put their customers or workers in danger.

Business owners are key stakeholders in the community and can help the City prioritize areas that need increased attention, whether it’s highlighting local hot spots that need to be addressed by PIVOT or where traffic calming measures are needed for pedestrian safety. Businesses can also play an important role as advocates for safety legislation.

One of the greatest opportunities for the City and business community to work together to foster a safe community is around ensuring livable wages so everyone can afford to have a roof over their head, fresh food on table and access to healthcare.

Over the years there have at times been significant disconnects between the City and the County. How would you work to build a stronger working relationship between the two forms of government? I believe there are multiple opportunities where the City and County can increase collaboration, beginning with increased communication and engagement. Oftentimes the City and County are working in silos and in many instances, we need increased open communication to keep both sides apprised of what’s happening if there’s a direct impact.

There are two areas, specifically, where I hope to see increased partnership:

Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) – I’d be open to conversations about how we can realign or add to our MSD leadership team to ensure the County has a greater voice in the decision making process as we implement Phase 2A of the consent decree.
Housing – The County recently announced they are working with the CFD to build over 550 affordable housing units. I’d like to see how the County and the City working together on affordable housing with the CDF and others can help amplify the impact.

How do you balance the viewpoints and perspectives of a diverse set of stakeholders on a given issue to inform your position? In my day job, I am a Senior Strategic Communication Consultant. I believe the work I do every day to help my clients better communicate with their employees can help the City better engage stakeholders, educate residents to build trust, and increase connectivity across all 52 neighborhoods.

When elected to City Council, I will apply best practices around stakeholder engagement and education to help the City improve its community outreach. I believe an important piece of stakeholder engagement will be providing community councils with greater resources to communicate with and educate residents on what’s happening at City Hall and in their neighborhoods.

Public education is an important piece of stakeholder engagement. For example, in Madisonville, we’ve talked extensively about the current Madison Road Study and how we can educate our residents on what the process will be and what possible outcomes can be. To do that, we’re hosting three in-person meetings about the study over the course of six months, including a Saturday option so it’s more accessible to those who work night shifts or have kids.

Volunteering in the gun safety space has afforded me the opportunity to talk with many individuals from across the political spectrum regarding gun policy. I have literally had a man in a Second Amendment T-shirt beeline it to me to harangue me about gun rights give me a handshake after we agreed on the importance of secure firearm storage.

I believe it is foundational to start with the values we can agree on and build good policy from there.

SCOTTY JOHNSON

Why are you running for council/re-election? What motivates you as a candidate? What are your top priorities as a candidate? I am running for re-election to continue the progress my colleagues and myself have made since taking office officially in 2022. While we have accomplished a lot in regards to public safety, green energy, combating gun violence, and other areas, there is still tremendous work to be done. Being a contributing member of City Council is an immense honor to me, and continuing to serve my city instills great pride in me. I hope to continue working on ending violence in our city, growing Cincinnati economically, creating a more sustainable future, and much more in my second term.

In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing Cincinnati and what do you view as the City government’s role in solving it? The biggest issues facing Cincinnati are affordable housing, ending gun violence, and inclusiveness. I believe the City government is responsible for leading the conversation on how best to resolve these issues and then following those conversations up with policies.

The 2021 Census showed Cincinnati grew for the first time since 1950, what policies would you promote to continue this momentum in the coming years? In order to continue this momentum, I will continue to promote policies that bring both businesses and residents into our city. These policies include investing in minority and women owned businesses, supporting more affordable housing, programs that incentivize companies to move to Cincinnati, and various other initiatives. Cincinnati has an exciting opportunity to continue growing, and I am proud to be a part of such a movement.

The proposed sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway is being voted on this November. Do you support the sale? Yes or no? Assuming the sale of the CSR passes, what existing infrastructure would you prioritize with the increased capital funds? I support the sale as long as there is a clear plan of how the money generated will be spent. I would prioritize our bridges and roads, especially in communities that have been historically under-invested in. If we sell the railroad, it must benefit everybody and every neighborhood in the city.

While property tax makes up a smaller portion of the City’s overall tax receipts, the overall burden of property taxes has increased in recent years. How would you propose easing that burden on City taxpayers? We must always be willing to look at all possibilities in easing tax increases; I would propose looking at tax breaks and abatements to help homeowners of businesses in the city.

Under what circumstances and for what investments would you consider raising the City’s earnings tax? I would be willing to take a look at increases in the city’s earning tax if there were a clear cut plan to assist in business development , home ownership, or possibly an increase to assist in funding first responders. I believe an in depth conversation with the business community must take place.

A major economic driver for the region is the cultural vibrancy of Cincinnati. How can the city best foster a diverse cultural economy that supports neighborhood events, arts attractions, our various sports teams, and the tourism industry? The city can use its culture to foster economic growth in many ways. Whether it’s promoting all our professional sports teams, attending city-wide events, or advertising to tourists, I believe that I have a responsibility to showcase Cincinnati. Cincinnati has been my home nearly my entire life, and I am so proud to show it off to the world and represent it as a council member.

Please provide some examples of how you’ve seen the City and private sector work well together. Where are there areas you’d like to see increased collaboration? The city has worked well with the business community, beginning to address affordable housing through rezoning, subsidies, and business incentives. In the future, I would like to continue to involve the private sector in solutions to the affordable housing crisis and build on those partnerships in discussions around the future of Paycor stadium, real estate development, and growing our small business community.

How can the City work with business leaders in the community to help improve safety across the City and especially in the urban core? Working downtown nearly everyday, I find it very important we support and back any measures that promote the safety of downtown businesses and residents. The city can utilize businesses by asking what they would like to see from their perspective. My office is always open to feedback on how to improve city operations, especially in safety.

Over the years there have at times been significant disconnects between the City and the County. How would you work to build a stronger working relationship between the two forms of government? I believe the best way to work together with Hamilton County is to start by understanding that we, as the City of Cincinnati, often want the same prosperity and strong communities that the county wants. We both have similar goals, so I think it is important to set any differences aside to work for the citizens who elected us. We have a responsibility to serve those who put us in these positions, and I think we need to overcome any differences with the county.

How do you balance the viewpoints and perspectives of a diverse set of stakeholders on a given issue to inform your position? I firmly believe in fully educating myself before making a decision. In order to balance the different perspectives that come before us in Council, in meetings, and out in the public I take into consideration the information that has been presented to me and come to my own point of view. By understanding all sides of an issue I believe I am able to better make a decision that best benefits the city as a whole.

VICTORIA PARKS

Why are you running for council/re-election? What motivates you as a candidate? What are your top priorities as a candidate? I grew up during the civil rights movement and witnessed the importance of fighting for one’s beliefs and the government’s capability for positive change. I am motivated by the possibility I see for all Cincinnatians and my hope to level the playing field for our children and grandchildren. My top priorities are increasing access to affordable housing, increasing equity in the city, and making Cincinnati a safe and welcome place for all.

In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing Cincinnati and what do you view as the City government’s role in solving it? The biggest issue facing Cincinnati is the lack of access to affordable housing. Housing provides stability and can be a pathway to generational wealth and a comfortable retirement. I believe the city should do everything it can to promote development, through things such as zoning changes to allow for more housing and increased investments in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

The 2021 Census showed Cincinnati grew for the first time since 1950, what policies would you promote to continue this momentum in the coming years? The city’s growth is great news. For our city to thrive, we need to grow. I hope to continue this momentum through increased units of housing and by increasing the number of quality union jobs. The Convention Center District provides a great opportunity for career pathways for thousands of Cincinnatians.

The proposed sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway is being voted on this November. Do you support the sale? Yes or no? Assuming the sale of the CSR passes, what existing infrastructure would you prioritize with the increased capital funds? I do support the sale. We all know about the hundreds of millions of dollars of deferred maintenance for city infrastructure, so I would prioritize those desperately needed repairs.

While property tax makes up a smaller portion of the City’s overall tax receipts, the overall burden of property taxes has increased in recent years. How would you propose easing that burden on City taxpayers? I support the city’s HARBOR Grant program and the Home Enhancement Loan Program (HELP), which will assist low-income homeowners maintaining their residence.

Under what circumstances and for what investments would you consider raising the City’s earnings tax? It is never an easy decision to raise taxes, but if the Futures Commission determines it to be needed for the financial health of the city, it might have to be done. The decision should not be taken lightly, however.

A major economic driver for the region is the cultural vibrancy of Cincinnati. How can the city best foster a diverse cultural economy that supports neighborhood events, arts attractions, our various sports teams, and the tourism industry? Smart investments across the city help develop those items. Supporting new development and renovations will bring in both locals and tourists. Our investments in organizations such as ArtsWave bring cultural vibrancy across the city and make it a more welcoming place.

Please provide some examples of how you’ve seen the City and private sector work well together. Where are there areas you’d like to see increased collaboration? The city has a great collaborative relationship with 3CDC for development and partners well with community organizations like the Urban League. The city helps fund the Urban League’s Community Partnering Center to target high risk youth and try to steer them away from violence.

How can the City work with business leaders in the community to help improve safety across the City and especially in the urban core? Open communication is critical with these leaders. Continuing to fund the police is necessary, and so is hearing from local business and community leaders. They know their neighborhoods better than anyone, so if they believe there should be increased patrols in one area or more lighting on a certain street, they should be listened to.

Over the years there have at times been significant disconnects between the City and the County. How would you work to build a stronger working relationship between the two forms of government? I have a unique advantage here as I come from the county. In my years with the County Commission, both as Todd Portune’s Chief of Staff and later a Commissioner, I developed positive working relationships with all the major players at the County. I have continued these relationships in my role at the city.

How do you balance the viewpoints and perspectives of a diverse set of stakeholders on a given issue to inform your position? This is the heart of working as a policymaker. With every issue I use my own judgment but also hear from experts, community members, and other advocates. Every issue is unique, but as a general rule I will listen to all stakeholders and fight for the best outcome that benefits the most people.