CINCINNATI — City Council member Reggie Harris has the responsibility of selecting the person who will succeed his outgoing colleague, Congressman-elect Greg Landsman, for the next year. But Harris doesn’t plan to make that choice alone — and he’s opening the process up to all Cincinnati residents.
What You Need To Know
- City Council invites residents to apply to be its next member
- The goal is to find a replacement for Greg Landsman, who earned election of the Congress in November
- Landsman picked Council member Reggie Harris to make the selection, but Harris wants to collect feedback from city council and residents before doing so
- The goal is to have someone complete Landsman’s remaining year in office, and then seek reelection next November, Harris said
On Tuesday, Harris joined Landsman and Mayor Aftab Pureval to announce the creation of an online application that will allow any Cincinnati resident to apply for the vacated city council seat.
The application process requires a resume and a cover letter emailed to Harris’ office. There are also a handful of questions focused on policies, personal values and why an applicant wants to run.
The application process closes Sunday, Nov. 27 at 11:59 p.m.
“This is not going to be a popularity contest,” Harris said. Instead, they’ll focus on key “Democratic issues” and finding someone who wants to work with city council and the mayor for issues, he said.
“We’ve made quite a bit of progress — not just legislatively — but in the culture in City Hall,” Harris added. “I’m excited to welcome a new face onto the third floor that is ready to work with us and the mayor to achieve the vision we have for the city.”
Harris plans to present the list of applicants during a meeting of the Public Safety and Governance Committee on Tuesday, Nov. 29. The purpose is to gather input from the other members of city council, he said.
While Harris will consider feedback from the public and other members of city council, he said it won’t be a collaborative decision-making process and he’ll make the final choice. He expects to do so during the week of Dec. 5.
Landsman, Harris and Pureval — each a Democrat — promised a fair, open and transparent process.
“We’ve turned a very big corner at City Hall,” Landsman said. “This is a healthy place where people are working together and that makes all the difference… in terms of getting meaningful results. So we want this process to represent the change.”
Why does Cincinnati need a new City Council member?
Landsman is leaving Cincinnati City Council to represent Ohio’s 1st District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He defeated longtime incumbent Rep. Steve Chabot (R) in November.
The person replacing Landsman will have one year in the office. All city council seats are up for election in 2023.
The choice for who will replace him comes down to Harris because Landsman named him his council designee.
Landsman selected Harris, he said, because of how the freshman council member “built up a lot of trust” among his colleagues, the mayor and with the community during his brief time at City Hall.
“He’ll do a great job collecting everyone’s information and ultimately, picking somebody who’s going to represent our shared values, investing in core services, investing in children and families and being part of a really healthy culture here at City Hall,” Landsman said.
Greg Landsman had been on Council since 2017. After winning re-election to City Council in 2021, he successfully ran and defeated incumbent Steve Chabot (R) for a seat in Congress. (Photo courtesy of Greg Landsman)
Landsman didn’t offer any preferred candidates, Harris said. But he did play a role in creating the application and a related resident survey. The survey, also on Harris’ site, asks for qualities residents would like to see in Landsman’s replacement.
Alex Triantafilou, chairperson of the Hamilton County Republican Party, voiced that he had “no concerns” with the overall selection process. But he stressed the importance of thoroughly vetting candidates.
“The last city council saw four people indicted for crimes, so they should do through background checks and evaluate the character of any prospective candidates,” he added.
To Landsman, his replacement should have a focus on maintaining core services — things like police, fire, sanitation, paving roads, and “everything that goes into making a city run really well,” he said.
Landsman said a passion area during his five years on city council has been working to help children and families, particularly those most marginalized. He’d like to see his replacement have a similar passion for those areas.
“We want somebody who wants to be part of a healthy culture in terms of people working together, and we want to stay on that path,” Harris said.
Harris invited “all Cincinnatians” to apply. He has already started some proactive outreach to organizations such as the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. He specifically referenced the chamber’s C-Change leadership-development program.
Both Landsman and Harris emphasized that they’re looking for someone who’s going to have a positive impact on Cincinnati during their one guaranteed year in office. But they’re also looking for someone who wants to run for the open seat in the general election next November.
“First and foremost, (they’ll be) replacing me for the next year,” Landsman said. “But hopefully we pick somebody who’s so successful that voters say, ‘hey, we want you to stay.’”
Bill Frost, president of Cincinnati’s Charter Committee, described the city council replacement process as one of the “strange things” that’s been part of the city’s system for years. It’s been a way to add “fresh blood” to the legislative body without them having to campaign or win an election, he said.
City Council member Reggie Harris’ job is to select the person to replace Greg Landsman. The first-term council member promised a quick, open and transparent process. (Casey Weldon/Spectrum News 1)
Frost noted that several very prominent City Council members have made their political careers by being appointed rather than elected to office. He highlighted Republican Chris Monzel and Charterite Jim Tarbell as two historic examples.
Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney (D) and Council member Liz Keating (R) both received appointments to City Council in 2020 after sitting members of the body had to step down due to criminal charges. They each won reelection last year.
“When you look through history, a lot of people who’ve had good, quite long careers on City Council have been put on there by the left and the right, by the Republicans and the Democrats, to fill posts that have become open,” Frost said. “There aren’t many people who win an election without having already had a go.”
Founded in 1924 under the leadership of Murray Seasongood, the Charter Committee is an independent political organization dedicated to good government. They work to ensure Cincinnati city government adheres to the city’s charter, which outlines the powers, functions and essential procedures of the city government.
Frost said he doesn’t take issue with the selection process. He admitted to advocating for a seat for himself on city council when seats became available two years ago. His only concern is over setting up a situation where the mayor and city council become “more cozy.”
“We don’t have a very diverse debate going on on Council right now,” Frost added. “Anyone can apply for this seat, sure, but in the end it’s (Hamilton County Democratic Party) picking who they want to fill the seat. I mean, that’s the system, they won (Landsman’s) seat fair and square last election. But I think it’s disappointing for us in Charter (Committee) because there doesn’t seem to be as much debate as we need.”
Harris said the Hamilton County Democratic Party wouldn’t play a role in picking Landsman’s replacement.
How to apply to be a City Council member
Harris called this a “great opportunity to identify folks who are really passionate about” issues facing the city and its residents.
The application is only open for six days during a Thanksgiving week, a busy travel weekend for many people. Harris admitted the timeline is tight, but the application “isn’t so rigorous” that it’s going to “disqualify someone” who has thought about these issues.
The application features a series of questions. Some are basic, like a person’s full name and email address, while others are more focused on policy and personal values.
For instance, one question asks whether the applicant supports collective bargaining for workers. Others ask a person to share their views on things like the expansion of child care and early childhood education, and whether they support a woman’s reproductive rights.
There are also questions about the applicants’ long-term goals.
“The questions really ask if you’ve thought about the issues,” he said. “Have you thought about your role in the city and how you want to contribute to positive change?… That’s really at the core.”
Landsman plans to resign his city council seat Monday, Jan. 2 to welcome his replacement. His swearing-in ceremony in Washington, D.C. the following day.
“This is a council that includes a former police officer, a pastor, a lawyer, a social worker, an organizer, a business leader, a labor leader, and a former teacher, so no one should feel like, ‘hey, this might not be for me,” Landsman said.
