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How to give feedback on the mayor's choice for Cincinnati city manager

Sheryl Long
City of Cincinnati
/
Courtesy
Sheryl Long

You can weigh in on the choice for Cincinnati’s next city manager at a special council meeting Thursday afternoon. Council will vote on Mayor Aftab Pureval’s appointment of Sheryl Long, currently one of two assistant city managers in Cincinnati.

Pureval says her three years with the city make her well prepared to take on the job.

“She has spearheaded programs to disrupt the pathways to violence, to improve community and police relations, to create opportunities for diverse young residents to build a career, and to drive Cincinnati forward as a national model for climate action,” he said.

Long says her top priority in the new role will be to make government more accessible for all Cincinnatians.

“To really arm my staff with getting out there and making sure we're doing some engagement to really figure out from the people, where do they need us to make improvements?” she said. “So that will be something that will be paramount for us in the coming days.”

Right off the bat, though, Long will focus on filling several vacancies across city departments.

“We understand where the holes are, where improvements need to be made, and we're going to be fully committed to full steam ahead of taking care of those appointments,” she said.

Open jobs include police chief, city solicitor and health commissioner. The city has hired an executive search firm to help with the police chief hiring process: CPS HR Recruiting. Long says she’ll meet with the search firm as soon as possible.

Pureval says he expects Council to approve the choice unanimously. He chose Long out of 21 total applicants for the job, and picked her over one other finalist: Interim City Manager John Curp, who previously served as city solicitor.

How to give feedback

The appointment will first go through a committee vote. The Budget and Finance Committee will meet Thursday at noon in council chambers at City Hall. All nine council members are part of the committee.

Assuming a majority of council approves the appointment in committee, a final vote will take place at a special council meeting that afternoon.

Public comment is set to begin at 1 p.m. You can participate virtually if you register on the city’s website by Wednesday at 2 p.m. Otherwise, you can sign up in person right before the meeting starts.

If council votes to approve Long as city manager, she’ll start the job effective immediately.

Contract details, including Long’s proposed salary, are not yet available.

Local Government Reporter with a particular focus on Cincinnati; experienced journalist in public radio and television throughout the Midwest. Enthusiastic about: civic engagement, public libraries, and urban planning.