A decade ago, Chris Seelbach ran for Cincinnati City Council wanting to help stop the city's yearslong population decline.
The trailblazing Democrat was personally doing his part. He purchased a condo in Over-the-Rhine for $125,000, $10,000 of it an inheritance his parents told him he was squandering on such a purchase.
Seelbach, first elected in 2011, has watched his neighborhood thrive ever since.
As Seelbach prepares to leave city hall early next month, he told The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast that he accomplished more than he thought possible on council. Prevented by term limits from running for reelection, he reflected on his time at city hall and talked about what might be next for him.
"I ran for city council because we were losing population for 65 years ... and that's why we had a deficit every year," Seelbach said. "And so the conversation was only about what are we going to cut? What are we going to not cut? I wanted to run to change that conversation to not what are we going to cut or not, but what can we invest in that will attract people back to our city that will make people want to live in Cincinnati."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey and Enquirer research, from 2014 until 2019 – the last year estimates are available – the city's population grew 1.9%, or by nearly 5,800 people. It might not be a lot, but it's not a decline – and Seelbach is proud of the growth.
Seelbach, council's first openly gay member, championed a series of gay rights initiatives that helped Cincinnati earn a perfect score on the Human Right's Campaign Municipal Equality Index. As a young person Seelbach underwent conversion therapy, so he said he's most proud that Cincinnati was the first city in the country to ban conversion therapy for young people.
Seelbach leaves with one worry about a council with six new members: A much-discussed, perceived-by-some, overreach of power by the mayor and city manager.
"What worries me the most is that the current city manager has totally transformed City Hall into the fact that council members cannot talk to other employees or directors," Seelbach said. "That is not normal. And I worry that the new council, because they have so little experience at City Hall, will think that it's the new normal. That it's just how things have always worked. And it's not. It's absolutely not."
So what's Seebach going to do when his term officially ends on Jan. 4?
He's going to take a break, but has no desire to return to politics. Seelbach plans to use the block button on Twitter, which elected officials aren't permitted to do.
"One of the things I'm most excited about is being able to block people on Twitter because right now I'm not allowed to block or block people on Twitter," he said. "Come Jan. 4 I will use that block button frequently. I just don't have to put up with the hate and the nonsense of anonymous people on Twitter anymore."
Listen to "That's So Cincinnati" for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast listening platforms. The episode is also available for free by clicking the link at the top of the article.
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