Two former Cincinnati mayors made surprise last minute endorsements ahead of Tuesday's Cincinnati mayoral primary.
Former mayor Mark Mallory told The Enquirer he believes Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval is the candidate that can bring needed change to City Hall.
Former mayor Charlie Luken told The Enquirer that Councilman David Mann's experience is what the city needs now.
Mallory and Luken know most of the candidates and have been quietly watching which of the two candidates will emerge to battle it out in the general election, but both said the city is at such a critical juncture they felt it was time weigh in.
Current Mayor John Cranley, who is prevented by term limits from running again, has been mum on who he'd like to succeed him.
The former mayors and candidates are all Democrats. In the six-person race, there are no Republicans and Herman Najoli is running as an independent.
The primary race is Tuesday, where voters pick one and the top two vote-getters move on to the general election.
Mallory, who served from 2005-2013, told The Enquirer, "There are times when people need to stand up and make their position clear. This is one of those times for me. We're at a point where the city needs a new kind of leadership, a fresh vision for City Hall, and Aftab is the best choice to lead the city. We are about to move into a new phase, coming out of the pandemic, and all the problems within City Hall. We need somebody with a fresh perspective that hasn't been a part of the way things have been going."
Mallory was careful to say his support for Pureval wasn't about any of the other candidates, only that Pureval met the criteria to bring the change he thinks is needed.
State Senator Cecil Thomas, one of the six candidates, served on Cincinnati City Council when Mallory was mayor.
Luken, who served from 1999-2005, told The Enquirer, Mann "has the right combination of qualities to lead Cincinnati: smart, experienced, compassionate and knows how to keep Cincinnati growing. He also has been in politics a long time and his integrity has never been questioned."
The 2021 city elections come on the heels of four Cincinnati City Councilmembers being arrested on corruption allegations; three in separate pay-to-play schemes and a fourth for tampering with records during city-related civil litigation in the Gang of 5 case.
The former U.S. District Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio said there is a "culture of corruption" at City Hall.
"We're just at this point in Cincinnati city history that we have to do a pivot," Mallory said. "It only happens with somebody from the outside, somebody proven that he can do the job, somebody who can make change. Aftab Pureval did that at the clerk's office and he'll do that at City Hall."
Luken sees this as a time where an experienced mayor should lead the way forward.
Endorsements have rolled in for all the candidates over the last few months. Here, chosen by the candidates themselves, are their biggest endorsements. Retired firefighter Raffel Prophett, did not return a message seeking a list of endorsements, nor are any on his mayoral website.
Aftab Pureval, D
Former Cincinnati mayor Mark Mallory.
Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey.
Councilman David Mann, D
Former Cincinnati mayor and talk show host Jerry Springer.
Cincinnati Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman.
State Senator Cecil Thomas, D
Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.
Collective PAC, which works to elect Black leaders.
Scientist Gavi Begtrup, D
Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (whom he once worked for).
314 Action, which works to elect scientists to public office.
Herman Najoli, independent
Cincinnati Right to Life.
Source link
