CINCINNATI — With Cincinnati’s mayoral election quickly approaching, the two candidates have been working to set themselves apart.
David Mann, a longtime council member, and Aftab Pureval, the Hamilton County Clerk, are both Democrats and are even neighbors, living blocks apart in Clifton. But in the lead up to Election Day, Mann has tailored his messaging to focus on his decades of experience and his role in what he sees as positive momentum for the city.
Mann, 81, has accumulated 25 years of Cincinnati City Council experience as well as one term as a U.S. Congressman and three years as Cincinnati’s mayor. Most recently, he’s served as vice mayor and chair of budget and finance committee.
With Cincinnati set to replace incumbent John Cranley, who is term-limited after serving as mayor the past eight years, Mann believes an experienced mayor will be essential to keep the city on track, especially with all nine city council seats on the ballot as well.
“You can’t come to city hall without any prior experience at it city hall and say, ‘I’m mayor and I know where the light switches are.’ It doesn’t work that way,” he said.
The election also comes at a tumultuous time for Cincinnati city government. In the past two years, four city council members have received federal indictments. Wendell Young was charged with tampering with public records, P.G. Sittenfeld and Jeff Pastor face charges related to fraud and bribery, and Tamaya Dennard was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud.
While Pureval’s campaign has been capitalizing on his position as a city government outsider, able to come in and enact change in what he calls a "culture of corruption" at city hall, Mann has pointed to his work in council over the past several months focused on immediate reform.
“I’ve been one of the leaders to get the appointment of a blue ribbon committee to get some very significant recommendations,” he said. “We’re gonna change the rules we’re gonna change the culture.”
Mann’s campaign has also focused on what he sees as successes in Cincinnati throughout his time in office.
“For the first time in decades, the population has grown in the last census,” he said, crediting development, particularly in the downtown districts. “What’s not to like about OTR (Over-The-Rhine)?”
As mayor, Mann said he wants to keep that momentum going, incentivizing job growth, collaborating with neighborhood voices and supporting the police to ensure safe communities.
“We’re having economic growth, we’re having a renaissance in many of our neighborhoods, we’re in OTR right now which has transformed over the last 15 years — the same thing that’s been happened the last eight years in neighborhoods across the city from Avondale to Madisonville to College Hill,” he said. “Neighborhoods are the foundation of our city. We need to work with them so we continue that.”
Mann has also said he would keep on the city manager, Paula Boggs Muething, appointed in 2020, while Pureval said in the September debate that he plans to conduct a national search to find the best candidate to fulfill his vision.
As voters finalize their picks, Mann said he wants voters to understand his decades of experience in city government does not mean his administration will be more of the same. He said as mayor, he would be committed to exploring opportunities to improve equity among Cincinnati neighborhoods, build more affordable housing and help the city continue to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think people are concerned about the next steps for the city, are we gonna continue to grow are we going to somehow move in a different direction,” he said.
Cincinnati’s mayor election takes place Nov. 2. Early voting started Tuesday, Oct. 5. The winner will take office in January.