Official per Business Courier

 

Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval to run for mayor

 

Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval, a Democrat, has told local Democrats he will run for Cincinnati mayor and a formal announcement is imminent, sources familiar with the two-term Democratic clerk of courts’ plans have told the Business Courier.

 

On Thursday, Pureval confirmed his plans to run to the Courier in a phone interview.

 

Pureval, who lives in Clifton, enters a crowded field of mayoral contenders that includes state Sen. Cecil Thomas, D-North Avondale; Councilman David Mann, a Democrat; Councilman Wendell Young, a Democrat and Councilman Chris Seelbach, a Democrat. The field also includes first-time candidates like Raffel Prophett, a retired firefighter, and Dotloop co-founder Adam Koehler, as well as Herman Najoli, who ran for county commissioner in 2020 and finished third and perennial candidate Kelli Prather.

Very hard to predict which 2 candidates will make it past the primary and into the general election.

^ I was always interested in what his next step was going to be. He will definitely be a formidable candidate, however, I do think he may come up just short in a primary. It all depends on who is in the race though. I like his chances much better than some but he would not be the leading candidate at this point in my opinion.

So far my top four most likely of the bunch to advance are Cecil Thomas, Aftab, Seelbach, and David Mann. Not sure what order I think they will finish, or which two will advance. There are surely going to be some twists and turns along the way. There's also the looming threat of Smitherman jumping back in, or PG somehow gaining peoples' trust and making a comeback. It's very unpredictable at the moment.

5 hours ago, ryanlammi said:

Official per Business Courier

 

Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval to run for mayor

 

Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval, a Democrat, has told local Democrats he will run for Cincinnati mayor and a formal announcement is imminent, sources familiar with the two-term Democratic clerk of courts’ plans have told the Business Courier.

 

On Thursday, Pureval confirmed his plans to run to the Courier in a phone interview.

 

Pureval, who lives in Clifton, enters a crowded field of mayoral contenders that includes state Sen. Cecil Thomas, D-North Avondale; Councilman David Mann, a Democrat; Councilman Wendell Young, a Democrat and Councilman Chris Seelbach, a Democrat. The field also includes first-time candidates like Raffel Prophett, a retired firefighter, and Dotloop co-founder Adam Koehler, as well as Herman Najoli, who ran for county commissioner in 2020 and finished third and perennial candidate Kelli Prather.

 

This has been a crazy nostalgic day.  Seeing my old USG crew all over the place in the media.

 

I know nothing about any of these other people, but I'd not count Aftab out in any event.  He was a good coalition-builder.  Granted, the coalitions were all subsets of people getting educations at OSU, which is not necessarily the same as a large urban electorate.  He's a technocrat, and that shows in his quote in that article that "We need to give the power back to the professionals and be wary of the politicians."  But if Cincinnati is electorally in the mood for that, he's got a good shot at building a coalition that can harness and channel that.

Which mayor candidate running is the best candidate for development/historic preservation/Urban advancement/race relations?

4 hours ago, taestell said:

Very hard impossible to predict which 2 candidates will make it past the primary and into the general election.

 

FTFY.  

and if Mark Mallory officially runs, I would expect him to finish in the top 2 of the primary. Leaving a narrow lane for the other candidates.

27 minutes ago, ryanlammi said:

and if Mark Mallory officially runs, I would expect him to finish in the top 2 of the primary. Leaving a narrow lane for the other candidates.

I would think if Mallory runs he would have to be the favorite. From what I heard, while he may be formidable in the primary, Seelbach really does not have the support to make it out of the primary on his own. Mann is interesting and has the advantage right now, but will see how long that lasts.

U.S. Attorney overseeing Householder prosecution to be replaced

 

Quote

David DeVillers, the U.S. Attorney whose office has led the prosecution of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, will soon be replaced, Sen. Sherrod Brown confirmed on Thursday.

 

DeVillers was appointed to the position by President Donald Trump and confirmed by a Republican-led U.S. Senate in 2019. Brown told reporters that both U.S. Attorney positions in Ohio would be replaced with Democrats regaining control of the White House and U.S. Senate.

 

The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio already resigned earlier this month. DeVillers will be staying on until a successor is appointed and confirmed, according to Brown’s office.

 

While it is common for presidents to replace federal attorneys upon taking office, some had called for the Biden administration to keep DeVillers in his post. 

 

“Every president is entitled to, with Senate approval, his own team of federal prosecutors,” wrote Mark Weaver, a former deputy attorney general of Ohio, in a Columbus Dispatch guest column last month. “However, as Ohioans know, DeVillers is leading an aggressive and much-needed effort to stem the tide of pernicious public corruption that shatters faith in government.”

 

DeVillers has also been the one to indict Sittenfeld, Pastor, and Dennard. I wonder if this extends Sittenfeld's case, or if it could lead to the case being dropped.

Mallory, Pepper bow out of mayor's race

 

 

Former Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory will not try to win back his old job this year, he told the Business Courier on Tuesday, and sources say David Pepper also will not run.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/01/26/mallory-bows-out-of-mayors-race.html

Crap, I feel like Mallory would taken care of Undo Cranley quickly and advanced the city even more than he did last time around.

This better not be a sign that Pepper is thinking about running for Senator... Mallory on the other hand I'd be ok with. 

8 minutes ago, GCrites80s said:

Crap, I feel like Mallory would taken care of Undo Cranley quickly and advanced the city even more than he did last time around.

 

I assume they're dropping out because Aftab is in. Hopefully Aftab can put forth a progressive vision.

Just now, BigDipper 80 said:

This better not be a sign that Pepper is thinking about running for Senator... Mallory on the other hand I'd be ok with. 

 

I don't think Mallory has any state-wide name recognition beyond his family's last name, but even that is likely mostly known in only SW Ohio. And he doesn't seem to like running for office. I don't see him running for Senate.

1 minute ago, BigDipper 80 said:

This better not be a sign that Pepper is thinking about running for Senator... Mallory on the other hand I'd be ok with. 

 

Mallory will probably get appointed to something by Biden.  

Just now, DEPACincy said:

 

I assume they're dropping out because Aftab is in. Hopefully Aftab can put forth a progressive vision.

Never been an aftab guy, but if it is between him and Seelbach, then I am all in for Aftab.

3 hours ago, GCrites80s said:

Crap, I feel like Mallory would taken care of Undo Cranley quickly and advanced the city even more than he did last time around.

 

Yeah extremely disappointed, was hoping to see another Mallory administration.   

 

If Pepper runs for Senator, ugh - his leadership of the state party pretty made Ohio a red state, great job there.

From what I understand though the leadership of the state DNC is now closely aligned with Sherrod Brown, I'm hoping that they come up with someone better...

15 hours ago, neilworms said:

If Pepper runs for Senator, ugh - his leadership of the state party pretty made Ohio a red state, great job there.

 

Did Pepper turn the state Red or did demographics? Ohio is older, whiter, and less educated than the country as a whole. And that disparity has gotten wider during the past several years. Not sure anyone could've made Ohio turn Blue.

Pepper was a bad party leader. He didn't turn Ohio red. But he was completely incompetent. Somehow Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin didn't go full Trump. But Ohio did. 

Anyway, I suppose this is all off topic now, because Pepper isn't running for mayor.

13 minutes ago, ryanlammi said:

Pepper was a bad party leader. He didn't turn Ohio red. But he was completely incompetent. Somehow Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin didn't go full Trump. But Ohio did. 

 

Last thing I'll say, so we can get back on topic. He may have been a bad party leader but I don't think Ohio is comparable to Michigan, PA, and WI. They all have either a higher weighted density, higher non-white population, or higher number of folks with bachelor's degrees--or some combination of those three. Demographics are destiny.

15 minutes ago, ryanlammi said:

Pepper was a bad party leader. He didn't turn Ohio red. But he was completely incompetent. Somehow Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin didn't go full Trump. But Ohio did. 

WI went blue by a very small margin, just like Trump won it in 2016. It is essentially a rounding error and will likely flip back and forth for a few cycles before likely moving more red. Ohio was where Wisconsin was in 2000-2008. It has settled firmly in the Red now. I agree with DEPA on this

 

Former Cincinnati startup executive will run for mayor, touts outsider campaign

 

 

Gavi Begtrup, a former congressional advisor and CEO of the defunct startup Eccrine Systems, has gathered enough signatures to get on the 2021 Cincinnati mayoral primary ballot.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/01/27/gavi-begtrup-running-for-mayor.html

6 hours ago, DEPACincy said:

Did Pepper turn the state Red or did demographics gerrymandering?

 

Pureval files for mayor’s race

 

Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval filed 1,000 signatures in his run for Cincinnati mayor on Wednesday, double what is needed to get on the ballot.

 

The Hamilton County Board of Elections will now verify the signatures. If enough of them are valid, Pureval will make the ballot.

 

Pureval said his volunteers had gathered 1,100 signatures. Cincinnati’s charter allows candidates to turn in up to 1,000. The Pureval campaign had 200 people gathering signatures.

 

“Aftab’s campaign is focused on a recovery from Covid that grows our economy and benefits all Cincinnatians. Our campaign is about building a Cincinnati that works for every person and having a robust presence in every neighborhood,” said his campaign manager, Allie Watters.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/02/10/pureval-files-for-mayor-s-race.html

 

12 hours ago, ColDayMan said:

Pureval

 

This guy smiles too much.  Can't be trusted.  

Does anyone know why there is an upper limit for signatures? Is it a method to keep processing times in check or an attempt to narrow the field?

Councilman Mann files petitions for mayor

 

 

Councilman David Mann has filed his petitions for mayor, the second, well-known elected official to do so prior to the Feb. 18 filing deadline.

 

Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval filed his petitions on Wednesday. Both are Democrats.

 

The Hamilton County Board of Elections will now verify Mann's signatures. If enough of them are valid, Mann will make the ballot. Candidates need 500 valid signatures and can turn in up to 1,000. Mann filed about 925, he said.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/02/11/mann-files-for-mayor.html

Smitherman circulates mayoral petitions

 

 

Cincinnati Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman is circulating petitions to run for mayor, according to a source with knowledge, which could potentially add another veteran politician to an ever-expanding field of candidates.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/02/12/smitherman-circulates-mayoral-petitions.html

State Sen. Cecil Thomas files to run for Cincinnati mayor

 

 

State Sen. Cecil Thomas, D-North Avondale, filed petitions to run for Cincinnati mayor.

 

Thomas, a former Cincinnati councilman, becomes the third, well-known elected official to do so prior to the Feb. 18 filing deadline, joining Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval and Councilman David Mann. All three are Democrats.

 

The Hamilton County Board of Elections will now verify Thomas’ signatures. Candidates need 500 valid signatures and can turn in up to 1,000. Thomas turned in more than 600.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/02/12/cecil-thomas-files-to-run-for-cincinnati-mayor.html

oh god. not smitherman

 

Not surprising. Too many bigger names are in. 

2 hours ago, Dev said:

 

Hallejuliah

 although he really did not have a strong chance of winning. 

PG has officially dropped out of the race. Expected, but there was still a chance he would have filed to run just in case he was cleared. He wasn't going to win anyway, so it's not that big of news. I heard today is the filing deadline, so we should know who filed their petitions to run by the end of the day.

24 minutes ago, ryanlammi said:

PG has officially dropped out of the race. Expected, but there was still a chance he would have filed to run just in case he was cleared. He wasn't going to win anyway, so it's not that big of news. I heard today is the filing deadline, so we should know who filed their petitions to run by the end of the day.

Hypothetically, if he is cleared in time for the race, could he have another candidate in as a placeholder and take over for them if that candidate drops out?

 

Even if it could happen, I think it would be a long shot because he would still be seen as damaged goods

I don't know what you're even asking. You have to submit petitions by 4pm today to run. If you didn't, your name won't appear on the primary ballot. If you don't finish top two, you can't appear on the November ballot.

Cincinnati’s mayoral race: Young is in; Sittenfeld and Smitherman are out

 

If Young, Adam Koehler and Kelli Prather’s signatures pass muster, the mayoral field is now set with nine candidates, with voters narrowing the field to two on the May 4 primary:

 

Wendell Young

Kelli Prather

Adam Koehler

Aftab Pureval

David Mann

Cecil Thomas

Gavi Begtrup

Raffel Prophet

Herman Najoli

 

The three most likely candidates to make the final two are Pureval, Mann, and Thomas in my opinion.

He gathered 912 but only 349 counted

You have to imagine this helps both Cecil Thomas and Aftab to the detriment of Mann. Mann seems to be running a little to the right of Thomas, Aftab, and Young would have. So removing one of the big names from the race who would cannibalize the progressive vote seems like a big deal. I'm not sure it'll be enough to keep Mann out of the November race, but it's possible.

 

 

 

Adam Koehler did not get enough signatures. Down to 7 candidates. Chris reports they are still checking Kelli Prather's signatures.

Very weird race already.

1 hour ago, ryanlammi said:

 

Adam Koehler did not get enough signatures. Down to 7 candidates. Chris reports they are still checking Kelli Prather's signatures.

was he the loopnet guy?

I think so

Kelli Prather also did not get enough signatures. Six candidates will be on the ballot.

 

Aftab Pureval

David Mann

Cecil Thomas

Gavi Begtrup

Raffel Prophet

Herman Najoli

4 minutes ago, ryanlammi said:

Kelli Prather also did not get enough signatures. Six candidates will be on the ballot.

 

Aftab Pureval

David Mann

Cecil Thomas

Gavi Begtrup

Raffel Prophet

Herman Najoli

I figured it would be a Aftab V. Cecil race after Mallory said he wasn’t going to run.  Between those 2 it’s tough. I think Cecil is my fav right now but it’s close

Mayoral candidates weigh in on charter amendment that will cost city $50 million annually

 

Nearly all of the candidates for Cincinnati mayor have now taken a position on a controversial amendment to the city’s charter that would require it to spend $50 million a year on affordable housing.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/02/26/affordable-housing-charter-amendment.html

 

Mayoral candidate pledges not to take campaign contributions from developers

 

Cincinnati mayoral candidate Gavi Begtrup is challenging his opponents in the May 4 primary not to take campaign contributions from real estate developers and corporate political action committees.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/03/01/begtrup-wont-take-developer-money.html

 

Judge declines to dismiss charges against Sittenfeld

 

U.S. District Judge Douglas Cole on Tuesday rejected a bid by Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld to have the public corruption indictment against him dismissed.

 

Sittenfeld, who has proclaimed his innocence and been suspended from office pending trial, has been charged with trading official government actions on behalf of a developer and undercover FBI agents posing as developers in exchange for campaign contributions.

 

Sittenfeld's attorneys argued the indictment against him did not show any illegal conduct and should be tossed. Cole disagreed.

 

"The issue currently before the court is not whether Alexander (P.G.) Sittenfeld is innocent or guilty of the charges against him. Indeed, all agree that Sittenfeld is presumed innocent at this stage," Cole wrote in a 43-page decision. "Today's issue is narrower and more technical — namely, whether the court should dismiss the indictment against him on the grounds that it 'fails to state an offense.'

 

"To be sure, courts are still working out the full contours of the public corruption statutes, and there will always be close cases," Cole concluded. "But if there is one thing that everyone knows federal bribery law prohibits, it is agreeing to undertake official action in exchange for campaign contributions."

 

In a statement, Sittenfeld attorney Charles M. Rittgers said they were disappointed.

 

"As the judge reminded the community, these charges are only allegations, and the law on dismissing cases at this stage favors the government," he said. "P.G. is innocent of these charges. This is a misguided case against an honest public servant who accepted legitimate contributions to his legitimate PAC. We will continue to fight to establish his innocence."

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/03/02/judge-rejects-sittenfeld-dismissal.html