Only 10 candidates — just one a non-incumbent — will be on the ballot for nine Cincinnati City Council seats this November, the fewest number for that race in at least three decades. Eleven candidates were expected until the Hamilton County Board of Elections' meeting Friday morning.
One person, Audricia Brooks, had been told weeks ago she met the threshold of 500 valid signatures. But that was a mistake, according to Board of Elections Deputy Director Alex Linser. After another review, staff determined Brooks was 11 votes short.
Only one council seat is not held by an elected-incumbent. Seth Walsh was appointed to council and is facing election for the first time. Anna Albi is the only non-incumbent in the race.
Candidate list:
(In alphabetical order by last name)
- Anna Albi (endorsed Democrat)
- Jeff Cramerding (first elected in 2021, endorsed Democrat)
- Reggie Harris (first elected in 2021, endorsed Democrat)
- Mark Jeffreys (first elected in 2021, endorsed Democrat)
- Scotty Johnson (first elected in 2021, endorsed Democrat)
- Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney (first appointed in 2020, elected in 2021, endorsed Democrat)
- Liz Keating (first appointed in 2020, elected in 2021, endorsed Republican)
- Meeka Owens (first elected in 2021, endorsed Democrat)
- Victoria Parks (first elected in 2021, endorsed Democrat)
- Seth Walsh (first appointed in 2022, endorsed Democrat)
WVXU Senior Political Analyst Howard Wilkinson says this will likely be a no-change or little-change election.
"I'm not surprised at how few candidates are running, mainly because of the dominance of the Democratic party," Wilkinson said. "The power of the slate card cannot be overestimated in this city. The Democrats are in charge — they rule."
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The last council election, in 2021, had a record high 35 candidates. The Democrats endorsed nine candidates and won eight seats, leaving room only for Republican Liz Keating.
Wilkinson says it's hard to imagine Keating getting voted out; she's challenged state and federal leaders in her own party on issues like gun control and affordable housing, and has proven she can work with council members on the other side of the aisle.
That leaves a very real possibility that all nine current council members are still in office next year. But, Wilkinson says, there's an equal chance that Albi replaces Walsh.
"Walsh's problems are pretty obvious," Wilkinson said, referring to an investigation from the city's Office of Ethics and Good Government, part of which has been forwarded to the Ohio Ethics Commission for further investigation.
He's also never been on the ballot for council before, and has only been in office for one year compared to the two-plus years of everyone else on council.
The first campaign finance report for the Cincinnati Election Commission covers contributions and expenditures through June 30. The next report is due after the election, by Dec. 15. These reports are available electronically on the city website.
Here's a summary of campaign finances through June 30, as reported to the Ohio Secretary of State:
November election
The deadline to register to vote in the November election is Oct. 10 at 11:59 p.m. The deadline is the same if you are already registered to vote in Ohio but have moved to a new address.
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You can check online to see if you are registered to vote. If you are not registered, you can sign up through the Ohio Secretary of State's website.
Early voting starts Oct. 11.
Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.
