CINCINNATI — In less than a month, Ohio residents across the state will be heading to the polls, and organizations across the state are getting candidates together to ask the much-needed questions they would like answered.
What You Need To Know
- The Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce hosted a mayoral forum
- City Councilmember David Mann and Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval went head-to-head at the forum
- Supporting Black-owned businesses, reducing crime and preventing corruption within council were just some of the topics
- Early voting has already begun and the election is Nov. 2
On Thursday, the African American Chamber of Commerce in Cincinnati hosted a forum for the city’s two mayoral candidates.
Cincinnati Democratic mayoral candidate and current Cincinnati City Council Member David Mann went head-to-head with Democratic challenger and Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval at the virtual forum.
When asked what could be done to help black-owned businesses in Cincinnati grow, Pureval said providing businesses with the financial support they need is the answer.
“Making sure that the businesses have access to capital to not just open, but to grow is critically important and the African American Chamber and the Urban League and the others are doing a good job and the city needs to continue to support them,” said Pureval.
Working with Black leaders in the community is what Mann thinks is the solution.
“What I need to do is work with you,” he said. “Work with stakeholders and then we can develop a common vision and go forward from there.”
Just last year, three members of Cincinnati City Council were accused of corruption involving developers. In response to what measures could be put in place to prevent something like that from happening again, Mann said he is on a task force that is working to resolve that issue.
“Adopt a code of conduct which clearly says that no developer should talk to a member of council or the mayor and vice versa about negotiating a contract,” said Mann.
Pureval said he will create a fine line between professionals and politicians when it comes to city contracts.
“It’s the professional’s job to negotiate the details of those development deals,” he said. “It’s not the politician’s job. We’re not always going to agree with those professionals. But when we disagree it’ll be open and transparent.”
With the recent uptick in crime in Cincinnati, moderators asked the candidates what they would do to help prevent crime in the city. Pureval said he would like to see the safety dollars used properly, and that police use smart policing techniques.
“I want to make sure that law enforcement has the resources necessary to work with our federal partners to prevent the importation of these illegal guns and importation of illegal drugs and the distribution within our community,” he said.
Mann said he wants to make sure that law enforcement is fully funded to ensure the safety of the community.
“I’ve never met anyone who’s concerned about crime in their neighborhood that says we don’t need more officers,” he said. “People want the presence of officers to respond when there is a problem.”
