Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, with his wife, Deana, at left, gives his victory speech Tuesday night after being re-elected. Photo provided
Voters re-elected Mayor John Cranley, all six incumbent City Council members, and three fresh faces.
By Dan Yount
The Cincinnati Herald
Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley and six City Council members retained their seats in the November 7 election.
In the primary election on May 2, 2017, Mayor Cranley and Councilwoman Simpson took the top two spots, eliminating Rob Richardson. Simpson received 45 percent of the vote, while Cranley took in 34 percent. Cranley came back Tuesday to handily defeat Simpson by a margin of 54 percent of the vote.
A large field of 24 City Council candidates was narrowed to nine Tuesday. Retaining their Council seats are Vice Mayor David Mann, P.G. Sittenfeld, Chris Seelbach, Wendell Young, Christopher E.C. Smitherman, and Amy Murray. The three new City Council members will replace the vacant seats left by Simpson, who ran for mayor; Republican Charlie Winburn, who is out due to term limits, and Kevin Flynn, who decided not to run for re-election. The three new Council members are Tamaya Dennard, Greg Landsman and Jeff Pastor.
Sittenfeld, who led the Council candidates by about 4,000 votes over second place finisher Vice Mayor David Mann, also placed first in voting for councilmembers when he ran for re-election in 2013.
The new City Council will be organized the first week in January as those elected take their seats in the Council Chambers at City Hall. They serve four-year terms.
Cranley ran for a second four-year term against Yvette Simpson, who was at the end of her second council term. The mayorship is a nonpartisan position, but both candidates, who are attorneys by profession, are considered Democrats.
Cranley was elected mayor in 2013 and previously served on the City Council from 2000 to 2009. Simpson was elected to the City Council in 2011.
Cranley’s campaign raised and spent more money than Simpson’s. In the pre-general reporting period, which spanned July 1, 2017, to October 18, 2017, Cranley received over $900,000, while Simpson received about $250,000.
Speaking after Simpson had conceded the race around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Cranley said, “The comeback city has made me their comeback kid,’’ in referring to his loss to Simpson in the primary and win Tuesday. “This city is coming back neighborhood by neighborhood. The city is rising, and there is so much good happening in Cincinnati. However, we are standing on the shoulders of so many people from other generations.’’
He said he thought it an unbelievable honor and privilege to serve as mayor of Cincinnati.
He added he was humbled by the primary, and he commended Simpson on her public service and spirited campaign. “We picked ourselves up after that primary. We went back and listened to people, and we heard what they had to say. We are going to continue to make Cincinnati the greatest comeback city in America, and, as we reach for stars we are going to bring the bottom up. We want to unite all parts as one city, a city with more jobs and a safer city.’’
Simpson, in her concession speech at Queen City Radio in Over-the-Rhine, said she learned during the campaign that a “whole a lot of people want change, so don’t let up. We hold the mayor and this Council accountable.’’
She noted she was proud of how she and her staff conducted her campaign. “We talked about a brighter future for the city, not about individual characters. However, we were out raised and out endorsed, yet we ran one hell of a race. I’m not going anywhere. I will finish out my term until January and then continue to work to make this city greater.’’
Unofficial cumulative results (188 of 188 precincts reporting by 11:11 p.m., Nov. 7) in the City Council races follow:
Cincinnati Mayor:
John Cranley, 32,617, 54 percent
Yvette Simpson, 27,845, 46 percent
Cincinnati City Council (9 elected):
P.G. Sittenfeld, 38,594. 9.63 percent
David Mann, 34,741, 8.67 percent
Chris Seelbach, 29,666, 7.40 percent
Wendell Young, 27,353, 6.82 percent
Christopher E.C. Smitherman, 26,501, 6.61 percent
Tamaya Dennard, 25,145, 6.27 percent
Greg Landsman, 24,356, 6.08 percent
Amy Murray, 23,321, 5.82 percent
Jeff Pastor, 21,339, 5.32 percent
The other Cincinnati City Council candidates:
Michelle Dillingham, 21,022, 5.24 percent
Ozie Davis, 18,019, 4.49 percent
Lesley Jones, 17,656, 4.40 percent
Laure Quinlivan, 16,308, 4.07 percent
Derek Bauman, 16,157, 4.03 percent
Henry Frondorf, 10,389, 2.59 percent
Seth Maney, 9,891, 2.47 percent
Brian Garry, 8,792, 2.19 percent
Kelli Prather, 6,882, 1.72 percent
Tamie Sullivan, 6,023, 1.50 percent
Tonya Dumas, 5,913, 1.48 percent
Erica L. Black-Johnson, 5,306, 1.32 percent
Cristina Burcica, 3,973, 0.99 percent
Manuel Foggie, 3,402, 0.85 percent
Dadrien Washington, 123, 0.03 percent