Cincinnati has 10 elected officials, but authority is shared with a non-elected official: the city manager.
The city has what’s called a “council-manager” form of government, where a professional city manager runs the day-to-day operations while City Council sets policy.
The system is defined in the City Charter, which is sort of like Cincinnati’s constitution. Voters approved it in 1924, becoming one of the first cities (but not the first) to adopt a council-manager form of government. (Fun fact: Dayton, Ohio was actually the first!)
This wasn’t the city’s first charter; to learn the history of why citizens approved major reforms a hundred years ago, check out this column from Howard Wilkinson: Why does Cincinnati have a council-manager form of government?
Mayor
Per the charter, the mayor of Cincinnati is “the official head and representative of the city.” The mayor is directly elected by Cincinnati residents for a term of four years, and is limited to two consecutive terms in office.
To get on the ballot, candidates must submit petitions with at least 500 valid signatures from registered Cincinnati voters.
Mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan, which means party affiliation does not appear on the ballot. If there are more than two candidates interested in running for mayor, the city will hold an open primary election in the spring. The top two vote-getters of any party then move on to the general election in the fall.
Cincinnati has consistently elected a Democrat as mayor for decades; the general election usually ends up being a race between two Democrats.
The mayor presides over City Council meetings — that means he or she sets the agenda for each meeting and participates in discussion, but he does not vote on ordinances, motions or resolutions. The mayor can introduce her own legislation for City Council consideration.
Despite not having a vote, the mayor has significant influence over legislation. The mayor decides on the City Council committee structure and chairs, and decides which committee should consider each item of proposed legislation. The mayor can delay consideration of an ordinance by not immediately referring it to a committee, but he can’t delay it forever.
The charter tasks the mayor with giving an annual address on “The State of the City.”
Being mayor is considered a full-time job, and the annual salary is equal to twice the compensation of City Council members: $121,291.
The current mayor is Aftab Pureval, who was first elected in 2021 and took the oath of office in Jan. 2022. He is the city’s first Asian American mayor. Pureval won a second four-year term in 2025; his current term expires at the end of 2029.
City Council
Cincinnati City Council is made up of nine members, all elected at-large rather than representing specific areas of the city. To appear on the ballot, a candidate must submit petitions with at least 500 valid signatures of registered Cincinnati voters.
Council members serve two-year terms, and are limited to four consecutive terms in office.
The mayor chooses one council member to serve as vice mayor; that person presides over City Council when the mayor is absent, and steps into that role if the mayor dies, is removed from office or resigns. Otherwise, the position is largely symbolic.
The charter says council should select another member to serve as president pro tem, who presides over council when both the mayor and vice mayor are absent. In recent years, the mayor has chosen the president pro tem, and council has finalized that appointment with a vote.
Serving on City Council is considered a part-time job, and many council members work a separate full-time or part-time job. Members are paid three-fourths of the annual compensation paid to Hamilton County commissioners as of 2005.
County commissioner salary is set by Ohio state law, which has been updated several times since 2005. City Council has the option to approve a salary raise any time the county commission salaries are increased, but Council has not done that.
City Council members are paid $60,646 a year.
City manager
The mayor is tasked with appointing a city manager “who shall be the chief executive and administrative officer of the city.”
The city manager reports to the mayor and council, and can be removed at any time “at the pleasure of the mayor and the council.”
The city manager is responsible for appointing key positions, such as the police chief, fire chief, and directors of all city departments like Public Services. He or she also chooses a few assistant city managers, who are assigned areas of jurisdiction.
The city manager also prepares the first draft of each city budget, which the mayor can adjust before forwarding to City Council for final changes and approval.
The city manager’s salary is not defined in the charter; City Council decides the salary each year as part of the city budget process. The current city manager salary is $329,241, making her the highest-paid city employee.
As of Sept. 2022, that person is Sheryl Long.
Elections and political parties
All elections in Cincinnati are considered nonpartisan, with no party affiliation appearing on the ballot. Party endorsement, however, is a major factor in who wins these elections.
The two major national parties (Republicans and Democrats) typically endorse candidates for City Council each year; it’s less common to see an endorsed Republican make it out of the open primary for mayor (see above). Independent candidates are not uncommon, but the Libertarian and Green parties are less active in Hamilton County.
Unique to Cincinnati is the Charter Committee — and they’ll be quick to tell you they are not a political party. It’s the same organization that campaigned for charter reform over a hundred years ago; the group’s influence has waxed and waned since then.
A big comeback seemed possible in the 2021 election, soon after three sitting Council members were arrested and charged with fraud. The Charter Committee endorsed a full slate of nine candidates that year, but only one got a seat: Liz Keating, who also was endorsed by the Republicans.
Historically, the nine-member City Council had a mix of party affiliation — usually most were Democrats, with a couple Republicans, independents and/or Charterites.
For two Council elections in a row (2023 and 2025), all nine candidates endorsed by the Democratic party won a seat. That party dominance is reflected on Hamilton County Commission as well, which has been three-for-three Democrats since the 2018 election (although that race does include party affiliation on the ballot).
Cincinnati has lower campaign donation limits than Ohio at large. During each election cycle, the maximum campaign donation for each candidate (for City Council or mayor) is:
- from an individual: $1,100
- from a political action committee: $2,700
- from a political party or legislative campaign fund: $10,500
Candidates for Cincinnati office have to report campaign finance information according to state law, and must also report to the Cincinnati Elections Commission. The local reports are available on the city website.
