Cincinnati is a city of 52 unique neighborhoods, from Price Hill to Mt. Washington, each with its own story and needs. We believe every neighborhood deserves a seat at the table and a voice in City Hall. For too long, some communities have felt unheard and overlooked. We’ve listened to residents who ask, “Whose city is this anyway?” when basic pleas for help go unanswered. Neighborhood pride runs deep in Cincinnati, and our leadership will channel that pride into action by representing all neighborhoods, not just powerful special interest groups.
The current City Council has too often played favorites, focusing on well-connected developers while leaving citizens behind. Even City leaders have admitted that many neighborhoods suffer from crumbling streets and neglected services. We see this inequity as unacceptable. From Bond Hill to Westwood, residents should never feel like City Hall doesn’t care. Our platform includes regular town halls in every corner of the city and a commitment to equitable budgeting so that no neighborhood is left out of Cincinnati’s progress. We will hold the city accountable for delivering on basic services – fixing potholes, keeping parks clean, responding to safety concerns – in every ZIP code.
Our solutions will empower local voices. We support reforms that will broaden representation on Council and in our neighborhoods. When more voices are heard, we get better results. We’ll strengthen Community Councils and give them a bigger role in planning and budgeting decisions. Rather than City Hall making decisions from the top down, we’ll practice bottom-up governance – meeting people where they are, in community centers and church basements, listening to their ideas and concerns. By rebuilding trust and communication, we can unite our city. In Cincinnati, every neighborhood counts, and under Charter Committee leadership, every neighborhood will finally have a voice.
Neighborhoods First – that’s our motto when it comes to development and zoning. We stand with residents in calling for the repeal and replacement of the misnamed “Connected Communities” zoning legislation. While the current City Hall touted this plan as a path to smart growth, in reality it became an “epic failure of civic engagement”. The legislation was pushed through without truly listening to the neighborhoods it will transform. Local communities were not given a meaningful chance to shape a law that could permanently alter their character and quality of life. Metrics to measure success and harm have still not been provided. Impaction maps or intended results have not been shared. City Hall’s rushed, top-down approach betrayed the transparency and accountability Cincinnatians expect from their government.
We believe in growth that respects community voices. Yes, Cincinnati needs more housing and transit-oriented development – but this effort will never be achieved by steamrolling our neighborhoods. The current zoning overhaul opens the door to unregulated development, tear-downs of beloved homes, and more congestion in areas already facing challenges. In short, it puts developers first and communities last. Our Charter candidates respectfully but firmly disagree with that approach. We call for the immediate repeal of the “Connected Communities” ordinance and reestablish our zoning code as work with communities on a fresh start on zoning reform.
Our “Neighborhoods First” plan will do development with the people, not against them. We’ll go back to the drawing board and craft zoning updates hand-in-hand with community councils and residents. Instead of one-size-fits-all changes cooked up behind closed doors, we will hold genuine public workshops in every neighborhood – no more token “post-it note” sessions that check a box and ignore community input. The goal is a balanced plan that encourages affordable housing and sensible density while preserving the unique character of our 52 neighborhoods. We’ll ensure reasonable safeguards on building height, green space, and parking so that new development complements our communities rather than overwhelming them. By respecting local voices, we can have both growth and neighborhood quality of life. Cincinnati’s future will be built with our citizens’ hands on the blueprint, not by dictate of a distant few.
On our watch, major reforms will never be sprung on neighborhoods without true dialogue and consensus. “Connected Communities” cannot simply be tweaked at this point – it must be replaced. We will deliver a new plan that actually connects communities by putting Communities First. Our message to Cincinnati: We can grow smarter without trampling on your voice.
Every Cincinnatian deserves to feel safe in their home, on their street, and in their neighborhood. Safe Streets for All is more than a slogan – it’s a commitment to tackle crime and gun violence with urgency and unity. We know that recent years have brought both progress and continuing challenges. City leaders have pointed to hopeful trends, like a reported drop in youth violence in 2024, but the reality is that overall violent crime remains unacceptably high. Just last year, Cincinnati saw a 12% increase in violent offenses, and 72 of our neighbors lost their lives to homicide. We refuse to accept this as the status quo. We can – and must – do better until every neighborhood is safe from the scourge of gun violence.
Our plan begins with reinvigorating community policing and the police-community partnership that once made Cincinnati a national model. We will ensure the Cincinnati Police Department has the staffing, training, and support to proactively police our streets while respecting citizens’ rights. That means filling officer vacancies, funding modern training in de-escalation and anti-bias, and rewarding the kind of neighborhood engagement that builds trust. We will not defund the police – we will empower good policing. But enforcement is only one piece of the puzzle. Safe Streets for All also means investing in prevention and addressing root causes. We support expanding successful violence interruption programs and youth mentorship initiatives (like the Advance Peace program mentioned by the current administration) that have shown promise in reaching at-risk teens before it’s too late. We’ll work with our schools, churches, and community nonprofits to provide positive outlets, job training, and mental health resources to stop the cycle of violence.
A top priority is reducing the flood of illegal guns on our streets. Ohio’s state lawmakers have tied the hands of cities on gun control, but we will use every tool available at the local level. The Charter team supports efforts like Cincinnati’s safe-storage ordinance requiring gun owners to secure firearms and prohibiting those with domestic violence convictions from having guns. We will lobby Columbus for common-sense reforms, but also push for aggressive prosecution of gun trafficking and partnership with federal authorities to target repeat shooters. Public safety isn’t partisan – it’s personal. We will unite with anyone – Democrat, Republican, or Independent – to implement proven strategies that save lives. From better street lighting (so criminals have nowhere to hide) to expanding ShotSpotter technology in high-crime areas, no idea is off the table if it can make our communities safer.
Most importantly, we will hold City Hall accountable for results. Speeches and plans are not enough – our leadership will demand measurable progress: reduced shootings, higher case closure rates, and safer streets you can feel when you walk outside. If something isn’t working, we’ll fix it. If a strategy is working, we’ll double down. Cincinnati has endured too many candlelight vigils and memorials. It’s time to turn pain into purpose. The Charter Committee team will bring both compassion and toughness to City Council – compassion for victims and neighborhoods traumatized by violence, and toughness to stand up to criminals and those who enable them. Our vision is a Cincinnati where kids can play outside without fear, seniors can walk to the corner store safely, and everyone gets to live without the shadow of violence. Safe Streets for All is our promise – and we will not rest until we deliver results that every Cincinnatian can see and trust.
Cincinnati’s public assets belong to its people, and the Charter Committee will fight to protect what we own. In recent years we’ve seen a troubling trend: City Hall rushing to monetize or sell off irreplaceable municipal assets in the name of short-term gain. The most glaring example was the push to sell the Cincinnati Southern Railway, a public railroad that our city has owned for 150 years. The Charter Committee stood with citizens in opposing that sale – and for good reason. Once an asset like that is gone, it’s gone forever. We believe our city is not for sale to the highest bidder, especially not core assets that generations of Cincinnatians built and paid for.
We offer a better path: prudent stewardship and innovation instead of one-time fire sales. Yes, Cincinnati needs funds to invest in our future – but we must achieve this by growing our economy and wisely managing resources, not by auctioning off pieces of the city. The railroad deal, narrowly approved by voters, promises a trust fund for infrastructure, but it also handed over a revenue-generating asset that had reliably funded city projects for decades. Even a council member who supported the sale admitted “the need is so immense” for infrastructure funding that the railroad money “is not going to be enough”. In hindsight, selling a golden goose that produced steady income was short-sighted – a view many critics voiced, calling it foolish to sell an asset that served us for over a century. We won’t let City Hall repeat such mistakes.
Our platform commits to guarding Cincinnati’s public assets with vigilance. That means no more backroom deals to privatize city services or properties. We will insist on transparency and public input before any decision on things like our water system, parks, or major facilities. When it comes to assets already in transition – for example, the railroad trust fund – we will demand strict accountability so that every dollar of interest truly goes to the infrastructure and public good as promised, with equitable distribution across all neighborhoods. We will explore creative alternatives to raise capital: pursuing federal and state infrastructure grants, public-private partnerships that keep the city in control, and even regional cooperation (such as annexation or shared services) to expand our tax base responsibly. The bottom line is we don’t solve long-term challenges by selling our inheritance. Our plan prioritizes investment, not liquidation. By protecting our municipal assets, we protect our city’s future. Under Charter leadership, Cincinnati will take the path of fiscal responsibility – one that safeguards the public trust and keeps our city’s assets working for the people, not sold to the highest bidder.
It’s time to rebuild what holds our city together. Cincinnati’s infrastructure is the backbone of daily life—and right now, that backbone is cracking. From pothole-riddled roads to aging water lines, digital divides, and neglected public facilities, the signs of long-term disrepair are everywhere. The Charter Committee believes infrastructure isn’t just about concrete and cables—it’s about equity, safety, opportunity, and trust. We are committed to fixing the foundation so every neighborhood can grow, thrive, and connect.
Shockingly, City Hall hasn’t treated this crisis with the urgency it deserves. The Mayor’s most recent State of the City didn’t even mention the condition of our roads or bridges. Meanwhile, neighborhoods like Evanston sit with shuttered, decaying facilities and no plan for renewal. As Vice Mayor Kearney herself put it, “a lot of neighborhoods have not been invested in”. We agree—and we’re ready to act.
Our Fix the Foundation plan focuses on three clear priorities: Repair, Modernize, and Invest.
We will immediately address the most critical infrastructure failures impacting safety and quality of life:
We won’t just patch the old—we’ll build a smarter, stronger Cincinnati for the future:
We’ll secure the long-term funding needed—without asking taxpayers to shoulder it alone:
This isn’t about ribbon-cutting photo ops. It’s about doing the work. Fixing our foundation means tackling the unglamorous but essential projects that determine how we live, grow, and thrive. A Cincinnati with safe streets, clean water, strong bridges, modern buses, and equitable internet access is within reach—but only if we commit to it.
The Charter Committee is ready to lead the charge. Let’s fix the foundation—so Cincinnati can rise, together.