Three candidates are on the ballot for Hamilton County Commission in the Democratic Primary, including an incumbent.
Stephanie Summerow Dumas has won two previous four-year terms for the seat. She faces Herman Najoli, an independent who has run two previous campaigns for local office, getting less than 5% of the vote each time.
What's unusual this year is challenger Meeka Owens, who announced her bid in the primary just a few weeks after taking the oath of office as a Cincinnati City Council member.
Owens and Summerow Dumas both interviewed with the Hamilton County Democratic Party, seeking an endorsement; although the nominating committee recommended endorsing Summerow Dumas, the larger body voted not to endorse either candidate.
WVXU interviewed all three candidates in late March, and you can learn more about each person below.
WVXU is also co-hosting a live debate between the three candidates on Wednesday, April 16 at 7 p.m. You can learn more about that event and how you can watch here.
Candidates are presented in alphabetical order by last name. Click to jump to each candidate:
Herman Najoli
Campaign website: drnajoli.com (inactive)
Background
Najoli was born in Kenya and has lived in the U.S. for 26 years; he moved to West Price Hill in Cincinnati in 2007 and has lived there ever since. He is an educator, social worker and mental health professional.
Najoli ran for Hamilton County Commissioner as an independent candidate in the general election in 2020, winning about 4.5% of the vote against two other candidates, including winner Alicia Reece, a Democrat. Najoli ran in the nonpartisan primary election for Cincinnati mayor in 2021, winning about 2.3% of the vote against five other candidates.
Learn more about Najoli's policy priorities in the interview transcript below. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?
I've lived in Hamilton County for going on almost 20 years now. I've really loved it. Moved here in 2007. I'm originally from Kenya, but I've been in the U.S. going on 26 years now. So six years after I came to the U.S., I moved to Hamilton County. We moved from Omaha, Nebraska, and have really enjoyed my time living on the West Side of Cincinnati. We've lived in West Price Hill the entire 20 years that we've been here. Raised my kids in West Price Hill. They went to schools in the community. We've enjoyed so many of the amenities that the county provides, and I do feel like I can contribute significantly for the forward movement of our county.
What are the main issues and concerns in your platform as you campaign for this office?
In 2008 there was an election in the county commissioner race and there was a backroom deal between the two parties. They decided to have a backroom deal where there will be no challenges to the current commissioners at that time. And I just felt that that was undemocratic. That's when the bug began in me, that one day I'd like to run for a position to allow a challenge so that voters can be able to make decisions based on hearing the opinions of those who are on the ballot.
As regards the key issues of my campaign, I'm really focused on the idea of a just and safe society. A just society, not in the small sense of justice against bad actors, but a just society where kids are taken care of, families are safe in their neighborhoods and communities — safety is paramount. You know, the county can help, really, in advancing safety.
Second would be the idea of equity and affordability. You know, to live in a county where you get a sense that there's equity amongst all people, there's inclusion of all residents in the affairs of the county, very challenging, because we have 49 jurisdictions to achieve a sense of equitable growth. And also, along with that, just affordability. Right now, too many people are struggling to pay their bills, struggling to be able to afford housing. So just being able to advance affordability for all.
And I'd say a third issue would be jobs. I currently work with an organization where I help people find jobs, particularly people who are struggling with mental illness. There is a lack of jobs in our community, not just for those who are struggling with mental illness, but also for the youth. I've worked with a number of youth organizations, and it's really painful to see so many youth in our county crying out. If we had a sense of youth being occupied in very productive activities, that will not happen.
Property taxes are an area of significant concern for residents and county leadership. The current Board of Commissioners declined to expand the existing homestead exemption and owner occupancy credit, saying it would take too much funding away from county levies and schools. Would you support expanding those programs?
Obviously, the decisions that have been made by previous commissioners, which have repercussions down the road. And for someone who's coming in, I would want to look very carefully at the issues so that we can be able to make — or I can be able to make — a good decision. I'd go with just the position of the current commissioners right now. If elected, and I'm in the role, obviously, you know circumstances and situations change, and you want to look at it in the present to be able to make a decision or determination at that time.
Are there other ways you would propose offering property tax relief for residents?
I've followed the issue with the Bengals stadium over the last few years, and really it's been troubling to see that promises were made that were not kept. And obviously circumstances change, and when [a] decision is made like that, it becomes very hard to undo it. So I'd want to really be able to explore ways that we can truly get closer to fulfilling that promise. For me coming in, I would want to truly look very carefully at the funding, the finances, in order to determine how can we move closer to being able to achieve a promise that was made even though it was made by other people many years back before we were on the scene, somehow, in some way, we can be able to provide some relief for taxpayers by getting closer to fulfilling such a promise.
The budget is a is a major concern because the county will finish up the last of federal stimulus this year. So there's concern about deficits in the future and being able to continue to provide all the services that the county currently provides. What would you do to address that budget concern and try to avoid service cuts?
It's a challenge, because of high rising costs of a lot of things nowadays. I would come in with the mindset of wanting to look at everything line by line. You know, a mindset almost like of a surgeon going in with precision to truly be able to identify all of the different expenditures that are there and find out where can we be able to create room within that whole budgeting process. So just really looking at everything carefully, line by line, to make sure that we are not wasting any of our funds. Secondly, also be able to figure out where our costs [are] just exceeding what is allowable. You know, should there be a cap on some of the costs so that we can be able to make sure there's integrity in the whole process.
Can you give an example of what you mean by capping costs?
One would be the cost of services, for instance, looking at providers and being able to assess whether there is just equity across the board in how services are being paid for. Perhaps there could be a benchmarking with other counties to be able to see, hey, what's going on in some of the other counties that are similar in size and have similar outlay of finances, to be able to benchmark that cap.
What else do you want voters to know before they make a decision on who to vote for?
I'd like to bring in a lot of innovation and creativity into county government. I see government as a partner with so many of the organizations and institutions, businesses in our communities, really bring in creative thinking in how we develop those partnerships. We are known as [a] county of seven hills. For instance, one of my ideas is to create what I call a Seven Hills Lab. This is an initiative through which we can have signature events, which enable one, our youth to be occupied, and two, can bring in revenue through taxes into the city, because we are having events that are attracting tourism, attracting other people to come into our county, working with our higher institutions of higher learning so that we can be able to grow our communities.
Meeka Owens
Campaign website: votemeekaowens.com
Background
Owens is serving her third two-year term on Cincinnati City Council; she first took office in 2022 and her current term expires at the end of 2027. She is chair of the Climate, City Services and Infrastructure Committee (formerly Climate, Environment and Infrastructure).
Owens is an Avondale native who has previously worked for the Hamilton County Clerk, as well as working with organizations like Women Helping Women, MUSE Women’s Choir, Make-A-Wish, UMADAOP and Dress for Success.
Learn more about Owens' policy priorities in the interview transcript below. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?
This is a moment where our families are dealing with affordability, cost of living, [and] everything and so when we talk about housing affordability, when we talk about access to services, public health, investing in infrastructure, these are areas where I have been used to making policy changes and decisions that have turned into good outcomes for our residents that we serve. And we are at a moment where people need clear leadership and steady leadership, but most importantly, they want to see that government is working for them, and they want to see action and outcomes. And so I have been very comfortable and experienced working across systems, collaborating, convening and really getting things done that I think are helping to improve quality of life for our residents, both at a macro level and a very granular neighborhood level — family to family, kitchen table to kitchen table. And so I am ready to really scale that type of policy vision really forward in a bigger way.
Why make the decision to challenge an incumbent, a fellow Democrat, in this primary election?
What I think is important about democracy is that people have choices, and particularly now where there is such anxiety that I think is being felt across this country. Rightfully so, when we see, you know, a federal government who is cutting many of the services that are supporting residents right here in our community that need them. And so at a moment like this, action matters. The way that we show up in office matters. How well we collaborate with others matters. And so I believe that this is a moment I feel very qualified for. I've run campaigns that have knocked over 50,000 doors, engaging with residents across Cincinnati. It's the same level of energy that I will take across this, you know, 49 jurisdictions of Hamilton County. And so for me, this is about the future, which that's what elections are about. And so this is about how do we look as both yes, a party, but most importantly, as a community, 10 years from now? And so I think my putting myself in this race means that voters get an option about what the future looks like.
You previously said this seat has been driven by "ego, not outcomes." You said that you've seen "managing conflict rather than making progress for residents." Can you be more specific about what your sort of concerns or complaints are about incumbent Stephanie Summerow Dumas?
It always astonishes me, or maybe not so much, that when sometimes you can view a meeting, people pick up on the conflict that is happening, and the personal attacks, the disputes, all of those things. And so any moment where we are focusing there, we're not focusing on the larger impact for our region — all of the issues that families are dealing with, the cost of living, evictions, the rising cost of energy. And so when we get distracted from what is important, then we we miss opportunities. So, you know, showing up professionally matters and creating a vision for outcomes matters as well.
It seems you're drawing a distinction between disagreements on policy and things like personal conflict. So I'm asking you to be specific — what are you seeing that is different than disagreeing on policy?
Yeah, well, personal attacks are different from policy debates or disagreements. And those are healthy, right, when you are talking about, how do we get to a certain place? And those are the discussions that matter, that people are wanting. People are not wanting, "I don't think I'm going to decide to vote for, you know, a member of the Board of Commissioners to be president this year, because I don't like that person," right? And so I remember distinctly just that moment there, thinking, wow. Well, what would happen in a case where a majority of people can't agree on the next person to be the president, which is a natural cycle in that office. So that's that's just one example. Again, personal attacks have no place, I believe, in elected office, but conversations about how we improve people's lives should be the center of the work that we're doing.
Property taxes are an area of significant concern for residents and county leadership. The current Board of Commissioners declined to expand the existing homestead exemption and owner occupancy credit, saying it would take too much funding away from county levies and schools. Would you support expanding those programs?
What I think is important about our property tax conversation is that we have to be accountable to, one, there are mandated services that the county has to pay for that we don't get reimbursed by the state for. And so the way that we must look at our budget is about fiscal long term responsibility and spending priorities. And so for me, that becomes a question of, how are we looking at our levies, by way of rigorous review of them, by way of benchmarking, by way of reporting, by way of understanding, where are we spending to be able to reduce cost in the future, and where can we also invest in prevention? Because right now, if we are only focusing on the crisis services that we are required to spend money on, and not prevention, then it's always going to cost the taxpayer more. So I think this is a moment of just kind of clarity around spending, but accountability and transparency is going to be an important in that. And so I would be in support of anything that can help to give our residents relief.
You say you would be in support of anything that gives property owners relief, and you talk about being more analytical with the levies and making sure that spending is efficient. So are you saying you would support expanding those programs and you would make up the difference in revenue by changing the way levy spending is done?
Absolutely. Reducing costs has to be an exercise. It's the unglamorous part of dealing with a budget, but reducing costs has to be on the table. And again, when we prevent, when we invest in those measures, it costs taxpayers less in the long run. And so those would be kind of all of the moving pieces and how I would address property taxes.
With expanding those exemptions, the biggest impact could be on Cincinnati Public Schools and other public schools, which get much of their funding from property taxes. That's a budget that you would not have any control over as a county commissioner. So how would you justify making a large cut to public schools budgets?
Obviously that is an ongoing conversation with the state in terms of just even the constitutionality of how we are funding schools. So for me, it becomes an ongoing conversation with our state legislature, because certainly we would not want to impact our school system. It is important that young people have the opportunity to thrive here in this region, and should not be disproportionately impacted based on the zip code or based on, you know, the neighborhood in which you go to school. So these are big priorities that take other people to be at the table as well. But ultimately, yes, it is being able to measure unintended consequences for our school board.
But also increasing revenue is just as important to our county budget as well. And so I think from a long term strategic point, it is about increasing housing production across this county while looking at where we invest in preventative measures. So I believe a lot needs to be done and can be done around our budget. And so these are the thoughtful conversations that I look forward to being a part of, but bringing other people to the table.
Housing affordability and stability seem to be a large theme of your campaign. What would you do differently in that space compared to what's happening on county commission right now, and maybe more importantly, how would you fund it?
Well, I think when we look at housing, economic development by way of housing, I think those strategies have to be one, continuing to invest in the Affordable Housing Leverage Fund. At the city we invested in it; the county invested. Of course, we took a lead on investing even more, and we identified through our waterfall budget policy that we would continue to put upwards of $5 million. I think at the county level, finding a consistent revenue source is important. It's also important that we are looking at the incentives that can help leverage — while county commissioners don't make zoning decisions, it is important that we're using incentives as much as possible to tie that to housing production. I think it also should be connected to jobs and wages and also where we can make investments into infrastructure to actually produce or create the conditions in which, you know, developers want to do projects. I also think that requires cross-coordination amongst 49 jurisdictions where there is a regional strategy around how we get the these things done. And so if we can do these things at a city level, like the work that [community development corporations] do that is so important, I think we can do that same — or kind of move in that same direction in terms of structure at a county level.
It seems regional collaboration in general is one of your campaign priorities. Beyond housing, what would that look like, and how would you make that happen?
I think regional coordination is also about climate investment too. With Cincinnati leading on the Green Cincinnati Plan that has been coordination amongst local organizations, but regional organizations as well, like Green Umbrella. And so when we look at the opportunity of a climate strategy that is regional, it takes and requires people from the ecosystem to be able to produce that. And so there are steps that have been taken, but we want to further expand those things. Working with OKI [Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments]; working with organizations like The Port. You know, if we can remediate an old landfill in the city of Cincinnati and produce solar panels on them, I believe we can do that across this region, but it just takes a strategy and, again, clear coordination. And it's also if we're going to see the possibility of really producing a green economy — which I go back to roadmaps like the Cincinnati Chamber along with with the city of Cincinnati producing this green workforce analysis — that we can produce upwards of 44,000 jobs in the region with an $11 billion economic impact. That is the direction we certainly should be going in, but that is going to require regional collaboration.
One of your campaign priorities is this idea of access to justice and legal representation. Can you expand a little bit more on that?
Absolutely. Diversion and prevention is so key. It's an area where government doesn't spend a lot of dollars, even at the federal level. And so the way that we, that I, have led on issues in looking at the city's budget has been about, how can we go further upstream? How can we prevent someone from becoming homeless? How can we prevent someone from becoming evicted? So we invest dollars at the moment in which things begin to break down. And so we're continuing to build out this ecosystem. We know that there's actually a return back on those dollars.
We want to expand this to more people beyond Cincinnati. Again, families across this region, across this county, are dealing with affordability, the cost of rent, the cost of energy. And so if we can help more people in places like Norwood and Forest Park and Lincoln Heights, who need legal representation — yes, for free — who need help with rental assistance. Landlords or housing providers, they are also running businesses. And so, you know, all of these pieces work together. And ultimately, when we create a space where we are connecting conditions with rental units and holding people accountable, we see places like Franklin County who have established housing courts that have been run successfully. And so that is where the county plays such a role. The county manages the court system, and so when we can put further investment to help more people and create an infrastructure that is about accountability, because conditions and housing and health are certainly all created. These are the things I'm looking forward to doing at a county level.
What else do you want voters to know before they make a decision on who to support in this race?
I want voters to know that I am a public servant. I am in a space where I want to help as many people as possible. I want to change outcomes for families living their everyday life. I want to work on issues that help to bring more relief to families in their pocketbooks. I want to help to create infrastructures that improve opportunities for young people in this region — training, skill building, job creation, all of those things really are the nucleus of, are we going to be a strong region or not? And so I'm someone who shows up for that first part. Let's be a strong region by doing — doing the work, creating policies, convening and making sure that people see results. Because people are living in a world right now where there is there's a lot of uncertainty, there's a lot of chaos, and people deserve stability, clarity in leadership, and that is the person who I am.
It is an honor and a privilege to be able to expand this work out of silos and to really scale it across 49 jurisdictions. And we certainly are a region that rises and falls together, and our issues don't stop at city limits. And so when we can expand the work beyond city boundaries — that to me again: investments into public health, investments into housing, investments into infrastructure, investments into climate — that means that we as a region are leading, and people are coming here to invest, people are coming here to live, and people are coming here to make sure that their families are getting the skills and education that they need to thrive.
So I'm a person who shows up to do the work every single day, and that's what I want people to know about me.
Stephanie Summerow Dumas
Campaign website: None available
Background
Summerow Dumas is a licensed social worker; she previously served as mayor of Forest Park and as village manager for the Village of Lincoln Heights.
Summerow Dumas was first elected to this seat in 2018, becoming the first Black Hamilton County commissioner (and the first Black woman on a county commission in Ohio). She is currently serving as president of the board, a position that rotates among the three commissioners on a regular schedule. She says if she wins another term this year, she will not run for a third term in 2030.
Learn more about Summerow Dumas' policy priorities in the interview transcript below. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?
What makes me the best candidate is my experience, my education and social work. Having been a mayor for 12 years, village manager for four years, and now as a Hamilton County commissioner going on, it'll be eight years at the end of my term. So it gives me a great perspective. And also, being the first African American on the board — [I] certainly cannot represent all African Americans in any way because my votes came from all over, every ethnic background, every party affiliation — but it brought light to the darkness. And what I mean by that is some simple things, like celebrating Black History Month, making Juneteenth a holiday. So that's significant. And also for the board, just to bring in a cultural perspective. And then when I came on the board, I made the board the first democratic board ever in history. So those are significant things. So I consider myself a trailblazer. And also they sometimes call me the "x-factor," because there were some major projects that came up that did not have a majority vote — if I had not stepped in, it would not have happened.
One of your opponents, Cincinnati City Council member Meeka Owens, has said that this seat has been driven by "ego and not outcomes." She said that she sees "managing conflict rather than making progress for residents." I just want to give you a chance to respond to that.
I think it's comical, because those that know me know I'm the least person that has an ego. We all have one, but egos are not bad, because they give an example of what your emotions are and where you're grounded and what's important to you. But I'm just surprised that my opponent is using that as a bone of contention. Because if everybody got along on the commission board, you'd need only one person. So conflict doesn't mean that we were not able to resolve issues, that we were not able to do great things. Because we have done great things, and that was indicated in my State of the County address. So I'm a little surprised. Everybody has an opportunity to put in for whatever position they want, no problem with that. But because my [election] was historical, and I've done great work, I'm just a little surprised. But then, at the same time, it doesn't surprise me, because this county is becoming more blue. And just if you look politically, eventually a lot of people are going to have to run against other Democrats. But I never thought it would happen this soon.
You say conflict does not mean you were not able to have good outcomes. What do you consider some of your more significant outcomes?
Oh my goodness. There are so many things. I was the president during the time that we had COVID in 2021 through 2022 and I led our board and our citizens through all of that. We allocated monies through what the federal government had given us. The reason why I bring it up is because it seems like I'm always the president when serious things are happening or getting ready to happen. So I had initiatives — the Inspire initiative, we've served over 30,000 young people and 200 organizations in just three years. Central Campus is now open in Bond Hill. And I thought of that because we had a social worker for over 35 years, and I would go over to Job and Family Services, and it was like gloom and doom. It was so dark and and depressing. And I thought about the staff and the parents coming there, children coming there. We need something better, if we can afford it. We need something that they can feel good about. And now the staff there, they moved in about a month ago, are so elated at where they are, [it's] so open. It's so bright. The parents I've seen come in, they're just really excited. So we consolidated several departments — veterans, commission, disability, environmental, public health. So if you go in there, and you go to public health — you need a shot or whatever — and you need to talk to Job and Family Services, you can go right up the steps.
One of my focuses was to make sure, as I was the mayor of Forest Park, that we extended our services outside of the Cincinnati city limits, so now we also have a satellite office in Forest Park that houses JFS, also about four staff. And then we have a warehouse that houses 911, EMS equipment, and then we have 911, and EMA, who are in Springdale, Ohio. So it's just a part of my vision to extend services out.
For seniors, we did rental assistance, eviction services, free legal services to get through, to navigate through the legal system. We were really responsible. I'm not gonna say "we." I was really concerned about evictions, and so we would have legal services in line with those people that were going into court to help them maneuver that court system. We sent the money directly to the landlords, and that worked out great. We had four to five rounds of small business funding, and so not only the funding to keep their small businesses up and alive, but also the façade of their buildings, we gave money for that.
I know one thing beyond your imagination was another initiative of mine. We — JFS actually funded it, but that's what allowed some of the young people that were in JFS to go to the Taylor Swift concert. We had about 30 young people got to go there. The purpose of that initiative is to let them experience and be exposed to things that they normally would not have been exposed to. And we have kinship programs — we pay more than the state does for relatives that are working with their relatives in their home.
The Clerk of Courts has a help center that helps people in court with eviction and assistance. We decided that AEDs needed to be in every sheriff's car. We developed an Office of Youth because our youth need something to do, and so because of that, they're able to get jobs all year round.
One issue that has been such a significant concern residents and for county leaders is property taxes. As part of the current Board of Commissioners, you declined to expand the existing homestead exemption and the owner occupancy credit. This was something the state offered counties to be able to do. Explain, why did you make that choice not to expand those programs?
The reason why I made that choice was because it would have added up to about $34 million — we didn't have it. And it's so ironic to me that Job and Family Services had to cut $34 million the same time. So it was just too much money. We couldn't afford it.
We tried to do what we could do. I believe we gave a 5% property tax rebate, nothing near where we wanted to be, but we just don't have the money.
Reporter's note: Voters approved a half-cent sales tax in 1996, as part of a stadium deal. That money pays for the debt on the Bengals' and Reds' stadiums, as well as upkeep. Commissioners at the time also promised 30% of the sales tax collections would be sent to property taxpayers as a rebate. In Dec. 2025, commissioners approved a 4.5% property tax rebate.
Everybody was saying, Butler County did it, they gave it 30% — Butler County is now in fiscal emergency because, well, I don't know all the reasons, but part of that is giving the property tax rebate.
Reporter's note: The Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities has declared the agency is in a state of fiscal emergency and says it needs to ask voters to approve its first funding increase in 21 years. The board is funded by two county levies based on the value of a home at the time of the levy's passage. That means the revenues haven't increased since 2004. Separately, the Butler County commissioners voted late last year to expand the homestead exemption (as described above) and reduce the inside millage for the county's property taxes. Those are taxes that don't require residents' votes, unlike tax levies. These changes are not a tax rebate. The BCDD has said they will lose about $250,000 due to the homestead expansion; the fiscal emergency is primarily caused by a large increase in the number of people seeking services.
So I'm hoping we can do something differently very soon, but I try to look ahead, and we should do that as we look at our finance, of course, and it just would have killed us. We just didn't have the money to do it.
Are there other ways that you would propose offering property tax relief for residents?
That's a hard question, because I'm a homeowner. If I could just go a little ahead of you on that question, there is a petition going around to get rid of property tax, and it would be devastating, because the schools, mental health, public safety, nonprofits, everyone would be just devastated.
So how can we help our residents? I don't know. I think the state needs to help. Because everybody is suffering, and the state is continuing to reduce our money. I mean, you talk about like SNAP benefits, they used to give us more to help out. They're going to reduce that so they are like stepping back and wanting us to do it all. And the county does not, any county does not, have the money to be able to do that.
The county will soon no longer receive any federal stimulus money, making the budget more reliant on property and sales tax revenue. What can county commissioners do to address this budget issue and ensure no service cuts?
Our money ends December 31 of this year from the federal government, and so I have been reaching out publicly, asking even private for-profit entities to step up. If for some reason youth is a major issue for you, contribute to money for services. So I think we need to be more bold and ask everyone who has the ability in our county to help us.
And that was one reason I'm going to mix it in with the Children's Service Levy. It was thought that maybe we should [go to the ballot] in May, and I did not vote for that because we have not done, I have not done my due diligence to let residents know why we need a tax levy, and so that's why I agreed on November.
So what do we do? I hate to use the word "creative" when you don't have any money, but we have to look at our priorities. Maybe we can't do as much. We have to unify. We have to keep moving forward on what our vision is, and we have to reach out to other entities that have the money, you know, foundations, as I said, private companies. Some people I've talked to think we're doing too much, the government should not be doing as much as we're doing as far as providing services. But I don't agree. We can't do it all, that's for sure, but it's a work in progress.
You were one of the two "yes" votes on the new 11-year lease deal with the Bengals. It did not have unanimous support from commissioners. What makes you confident this was the right agreement to benefit taxpayers?
No question that it was the right deal for me, because residents are paying less. That's that's a great thing. And then we're making the place more accessible, and we're having a say in putting events in there. And they're listening to us, because they know they have to. And then, you know, the majority of people wanted the Bengals to stay, and I wanted them to also, because the people wanted it, and so we don't want to get rid of something that draws attention to our county and brings people here, and generates economic impact and all of that.
So I won't say it was a no-brainer, because I was a stalemate for a long time on a lot of issues, but until they came around, I was not going to come around, and if it meant they were going to leave, then so be it.
Is there anything else you want voters to know before they vote in this primary election?
When you talked earlier about why do I want to be a commissioner, I thought about most of the visions and goals that I have, we follow through on it. But there's some new things that are coming forth, like, I care about animals. And so when I first came, SPCA was running the animal shelter, and it was just not big enough for our animals and then the transparency we needed about how all this money we were giving them was being spent. That's why we looked at [Cincinnati] Animal Care. And because it is still too small, we're building a new facility very soon.
Also we had the regional training complex that is replacing the gun range that was in Evendale next to Lincoln Heights. That was a necessity, because of what was going on there, to get away from there — the danger, emotionally and physically — and so I want to see that come to fruition.
I think you need someone with experience when we talk about this children's levy coming forward. There will be a tax levy, as I said, and there will also not only be a renewal, but an increase. We've already spent about $50 million on children's services. It's my responsibility to make sure that the people know that there's a levy coming, and we're going to have to ask for more money, and if we don't, we're going to be in big trouble — that will come out of our general fund. Seventy percent of the services we provide are mandated by the state. So I want to be here for that. I want to be on the board next year where we can set priorities, where money should go, what programs we can keep and not keep. And that takes someone who is experienced.
And then the [convention center] headquarter hotel is coming, and I want to be a part of that. I was the x-factor for the headquarter hotel. That was not unanimous. And I just want to walk through any kind of things that happen as we as we have to make decisions about it.
We've started a lot of things, and I want to complete some other things and finish some.
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