The Cincinnati mayor’s annual “State of the City” address discusses challenges facing the city, progress made on specific goals and plans for the future.
Mayor Aftab Pureval gave his fourth State of the City in November, soon after winning a second four-year term by a wide margin against Republican challenger Cory Bowman.
Despite his decisive victory in the election, Pureval, his administration and City Council faced a lot of scrutiny and criticism this year over issues like zoning and public safety.
WVXU wanted to know what a “State of the City” address from average residents might sound like.
We collected responses through an online survey and conducted interviews around the city. We heard different perspectives on a few topics that have dominated news headlines in 2025.
One thing we heard again and again: people love Cincinnati.
Nineteen-year-old Benjamin McIntyre of Clifton says he likes the city’s park system and “first class library” but is concerned about slow public transportation with “spotty reliability.”
“I’m super excited about the [Bus Rapid Transit] system being implemented,” McIntyre said. “That and other projects for improving walkability and public transit are the main places I’d love to see grow in this awesome city.”
Jeff Icsman, 74, of Hyde Park, says Cincinnati is safe, walkable, culturally satisfying and eclectic. In short: “This is a FABULOUS place to live!”
Others are a bit more measured, like 26-year-old Nate Wilkens of the West End, who describes Cincinnati as “never the best, but always surprisingly good.”
Annie Ruth Napier, president of the Roselawn Community Council, says Cincinnati has a “plethora” of arts experiences.
“We’re working on bringing a stronger African American arts presence so we’ve got a more well-rounded view of the arts,” she said. “But if you’re looking to go to a symphony or opera, and even see some great art and meet some great artists, then Cincinnati is the place to be.”
On crime and public safety
Public safety has been a divisive issue for Cincinnati this year. Police data through mid-December shows both violent crime and property crime are down citywide compared to last year as well as the three-year average.
The summer spike in crime was higher than usual, however, in parts of the city like Over-the-Rhine and Downtown. Although a lot of public discourse related to crime centers on violent incidents, the “spike” was primarily due to property crimes, especially auto theft and theft from auto.
Napier says crime outside hookah lounges in Roselawn has been a big challenge. City Council passed new regulations this year on how late hookah lounges can be open.
“The major challenge facing Roselawn right now is business development [and] attracting the right businesses,” Napier said, adding the neighborhood needs support to engage young people.
“Finding a place where youth can be positively engaged to cut down on violence and drugs would be essential,” she said.
Some residents say the public narrative about safety in the city is wrong.
Icsman of Hyde Park says the most important challenge facing the city is “people (and news media) who persist in characterizing the city, especially Downtown and Corryville, as unsafe.”
On zoning, development and housing
Patrick Aylward of Westwood says he’s concerned about affordability and the cost of living.
“It is a really difficult pill to swallow when all of our [public officials] seem o be trying to tackle the conversation, but then all of the corporations are always talking about a [price] increase or a layoff,” Aylward said. “I’m not the CEO of Procter and Gamble, so I don’t have the answers as far as why that exists, but it definitely is a hard thing to understand.”
Julie Murray of Clifton Heights has lived in Cincinnati for 52 of her 80 years.
“My property taxes have doubled, which threatens my ability to stay in my home that I have owned for 35 years,” said 80-year-old Julie Murray of Clifton Heights. “At this point, I could not afford to live in apartments in the city, so I would be forced to move fairly far away.”
Hyde Park’s Icsman says city officials should focus more on building affordable housing throughout the city — “yes, even in my neighborhood,” he adds.
A controversial development in Hyde Park Square sparked much debate and protest this year, and not just in the neighborhood and at City Hall.
“I kind of looked at what happened in Hyde Park and just thought, what a failure that is of the city and a community working together,” said Barbara Didrichsen of Pleasant Ridge.
Didrichsen says she supported the development project, but she understands why people in her neighborhood were upset that City Council approved a zoning change over the objections of the community council.
“People are feeling like they had no voice,” she said. “I think finding the connections within communities to be able to create that voice earlier in the process would have made a big difference.”
Didrichsen agrees that affordable housing should be a top priority at City Hall.
“I know that [the city] is encountering a lot of resistance in various pockets, and not just the wealthier neighborhoods, but in some of the other communities as well,” she said. “But I think they have the right plan in place to build more housing along bus corridors.”
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