Writer: Joshua Andino
2 min read December 2022— After Cincinnati City Councilman Greg Landsman was elected to Congress earlier in November, the city is looking to fill the newly vacated council seat, with dozens applying for the role.
The city will review applications over the next few weeks, with Councilman Reggie Harris, Landsman’s successor-designee, leading the review process. Forty-seven people applied for the job, however 11 failed to complete the application and one under the name of “Big Johnny,” was (most likely) a joke, noted the city.
City Council members are required to file successor designation forms on the first day of their job and can change them at any time, with Landsman changing his designation from the council’s seven Democrats to Harris alone before Thanksgiving.
The decision will arrive the week of Dec. 12, with a number of both new and familiar faces having applied to the role. Activists, lobbyists, former representatives and prior unsuccessful candidates have expressed interest in the position, as well as individuals with no prior experience in politics or local government. Former state representative Dale Mallory, Cincinnati Federation of Teachers official Michelle Dillingham, Republican Adam Koehler, transit activist Cam Hardy, former Madisonville Community Council president Kate Botos, and prior City Council Candidates Tonya Dumas, Lakeisha Cook, Jackie Frondorf, Galen Gordon, Te’Airea Powell, Tamie Sullivan, Andrew Kennedy and Logan Simmering have all applied.
Receiving particular attention was Evan Nolan, a city solicitor employee, former campaign treasurer and friend of Cincinnati City Mayor Aftab Pureval. Dillingham has also drawn attention, with supporters arguing that this was her moment, thanks to her long-standing community work and qualifications, as well as her support of Issue 3, which would have required the city to spend $50 million annually on affordable housing, even as critics argued it would’ve led to the loss of hundreds of city jobs due to lack of revenue.
Dillingham ran for City Council in 2013, 2017 and 2021, finishing in 12th, 10th and 10th place, respectively.
“I think we have names that are both familiar and folks know and then what I’m really excited about is a bunch of names that are maybe new to the political process, but not new to work in the community. So it’s an exciting list of folks,” Harris said in an interview with WCPO 9 News.
Landsman’s replacement will serve the remainder of his term, and have to run for re-election in 11 months time should they decide to.
Landsman said at the time that his priorities for whomever succeeds him will be chosen based upon a commitment to core services, attention to issues regarding children and their families, as well as promoting a healthy culture overall at City Hall.
Landsman’s replacement will come at a time of growth — and lingering post-pandemic challenges, for the City of Cincinnati. Earlier last month, Mayor Pureval gave his state of the city address, outlining affordable housing, public safety and environmental action as key priorities during his first year as mayor and moving forward.
“This is my priority. I want to make sure, like I said, we want to give this the correct amount of time, but this is not going to be a long, drawn out process. We’ll be digging in over the next week of folks, engaging folks and having conversations,” said Harris.
Click here to learn more about the list of applicants.
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