CINCINNATI — Mayor John Cranley still has a few months left in office, but Tuesday night signaled that his eight-year run as mayor of Cincinnati is coming to a close.

Surrounded by city staff, friends and (mostly) political allies, Cranley delivered his final State of the City address from the newly opened TQL Stadium.

​Cranley took office at the end of 2013 and was re-elected four years later. After eight years in office, he is term-limited and cannot seek re-election.

He's taking on Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley for the Democratic nomination in the race to be Ohio's governor. The winner will take on either Gov. Mike DeWine or another Republican challenger next year.

As with his seven previous such addresses, Cranley's speech on Tuesday centered on the accomplishments of his administration and the city staff. But instead of highlighting just the past year or so, this speech spoke to the totality of his two terms in office.

In the place of plans for moving forward as a city were a series of "Thank-yous" to government officials, business leaders, city staff members and residents for their support and assistance with moving Cincinnati forward.

"Eight years ago, where I hoped we would be is surpassed by where we are. We are now in a city that is growing again," he began his hour-long speech.

Starting just after 6 p.m., the address centered on a common theme used by Cranley over his last few years in office — the "comeback story" of Cincinnati.

Cranley's roughly 5,600-word speech Tuesday night touted the addition of 29,000 new jobs in Cincinnati during his tenure. He said those jobs are a byproduct of city investment in 400 new projects as well as the city government's commitment to supporting economic inclusion.

Saying the city has "[led] by example," Cranley mentioned that the city spent $112 million with minority- and women-owned businesses since the creation of the Department of Economic Inclusion in 2016.

"When I became mayor, less than 3% of city contracts went to African-American owned businesses, and now it is routinely above 11% and sometimes as high as 15%," he added.

Cranley credited City Council member Wendall Young for being a "champion for change" on that issue. He also thanked Council member Chris Seelbach for helping to make Cincinnati a more inviting and accepting place, particularly to members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Those efforts are part of the reason people are moving back to the city, Cranley said.

According to the 2020 Census, the city grew by 4.2% over the past decade, increasing the population to 309,317. It's the city's first census-based population growth in seven decades.

"For the first time since 1950, Cincinnati has risen in the census," he said. "We are the only major city in Ohio to make a comeback in population. And let’s not forget that we faced unprecedented circumstances in getting people counted in 2020."

Cranley said that population growth underscores the revitalization of downtown, Over-the-Rhine and "dozens of neighborhoods showing rebirth."

He praised Steve Leeper, the president and CEO of Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), for the "strategic transformation" of Cincinnati's downtown neighborhoods.

Since taking over control of 3CDC, Leeper managed the organization's investment of $1.5 billion in downtown and OTR. That includes The Foundry, the site of the former Macy's-anchored Fountain Place on Fountain Square.

Cranley noted recent news that Divisions Maintenance Group, a national provider of facility maintenance services, will relocate to the site on Fountain Square and bring 600 jobs along with it.

The mayor also defended the city's decision to "firmly [reject]" national calls to "defund" the police in the wake of the death of George Floyd in May 2020.

"And like our other basic services of fire, and public services, our funding for police has increased 32.5% over the past eight years,” he said.

Cranley credited the city for avoiding having to "pit social services and police against each other" by finding ways to invest in additional social services and programming. He said the city's investment over the past eight years has increased five-fold.

As a result, fewer people are living in poverty today than when he took office — 31.3%  in 2013 to 23.1% in 2019, he said.

Cranley called it "his proudest and most important effort."

"That is 22,221 people who escaped poverty," he added. "Unfortunately, due to the pandemic we do not have figures for 2020, but we have every reason to believe that the poverty reduction has continued."

Cranley admitted there have been some “dark days" at times. He spoke of the mass shooting at Fifth Third Center at Fountain Square, civil unrest, difficult budget cycles and the line-of-duty deaths of three city employees.

During his time in office, there have been criticisms of the city's handling of homelessness and efforts to address a need for more affordable housing.

COVID-19 has brought with it a number of challenges, including a rise in violent crime.

“A tragic side effect of the pandemic has been a nationwide increase in shootings. Cincinnati is not immune to that. And we have suffered a brutal month that has killed innocent bystanders and children,” he said.

There were 104 shootings between May and June of this year. An incident at Smale Riverfront Park on the Fourth of July left two shooters dead and three bystanders injured. Four of those involved, including one of the people killed, were under the age of 18.

Following that incident, Cranley said Cincinnati had seen a decrease in shootings year-to-date compared to 2020, but the number remained "far too high." He asked City Manager Paula Boggs Muething and Police Chief Eliot Issac to convene a meeting of the Manager's Advisory Group to examine causes, evaluate resources and create a plan to address youth violence.

"Let’s be clear: OTR and so many of our neighborhoods were far worse places before our city’s comeback. Shootings were higher, fear was ever-present, and jobs were scarce," he said. "Those were not the good old days — they were hard, bad days. When cities are in decline, problems increase and we become more segregated, isolated, and divided."

Cranley, who was a member of City Council during the civil unrest of the early 2000s, recalled the vote to approve Collaborative Agreement. He called it the "most consequential vote and decision this city has made" in his lifetime.

He went on to label Cincinnati's transformation over the last 20 years "absolutely incredible." Not just in terms of development, but in terms of racial justice as well. He said that work is not yet finished.

To close his speech, Cranley thanked his chief of staff, Holly Stutz Smith, and his staff. He also thanked his mother and father, his wife Dena and the couple's 12-year-old son, Joseph.

"And whether I did or not, I promise you Joseph, and I promise you Cincinnati, I gave it my all," he said.