Precinct Executive Deep Dive
It’s been a while, faithful readers. I wanted to dedicate this particular post to Cincinnati Delusion superfan, Doug Walton, who has a very special birthday today. It’s been a busy time for me and I am notorious for starting hobbies and then losing interest in them. So I apologize for my absence, but I have been taking classes at UC to obtain an additional teaching certificate and that has taken up a lot of my time within the past year.
I wanted to focus this particular post on the Democratic Precinct Executive races here in Hamilton County as well as the City of Cincinnati. Being a Precinct Executive is the lowest form of public office you can run for, and the barrier of entry is uncomplicated and easy. You simply fill out a form and drop it off to the Board of Elections and you’ll find yourself participating in a full-fledged election. It’s pretty neat for someone who is interested in getting involved in politics, but is unsure where to start. The primary responsibility is to get Democrats (or Republicans) in your precinct to turn out to vote in the primary and general elections. You also can have influence over who does and does not get endorsed by the Hamilton County Democratic Party (or the Hamilton County Republican Party, if that’s what you’re into). The endorsement process is where most of the drama happens within local party politics. I’d still argue the party leadership has the vast majority of power within county political parties, but PEs do play a small role in pushing various agendas and viewpoints. You’ll often see politicians recruit individuals to run for PE to ensure they have allies when the endorsement process rolls around. If you’re still reading at this point, you must really love getting into the weeds of local politics. People like us have minds that are unwell, but I won’t hold it against you because I’m right there with you.
You’ll often find progressive Democrats running against more establishment candidates in PE races. HCDP does a lot of work trying to fend off any progressive influence because this city and region is ultimately run by corporations, and you’ll never convince me otherwise. Despite Cincinnati and Hamilton County turning bluer, you’ll still see fierce opposition against progressives within HCDP and that is why I decided to step away from all the drama and in-fighting.
Most of the PE races are uncontested, but there are several that have piqued my interest and let’s run through them:
In Cincinnati precinct 3-D, former interim CPS superintendent Tianay Amat is running against Tonya Banks. I am unfamiliar with Ms. Banks, but I was surprised to see Ms. Amat’s name pop up on the PE election list. My professional life and my weird personal hobby have now crossed over and I’d bet money Ms. Amat wins. Her name recognition is pretty good and I’d say her tenure at CPS is looking better and better by the day if you have any familiarity with the current inner workings of the second largest school district in Ohio. Cincinnati 3-D is located in the neighborhood of Evanston.
In Cincinnati precinct 4-D, CPS teacher (Kevin) Ryan Shearer is running against attorney Evan Nolan. I am personal friends with Ryan, who I’ve known since roughly 2011 when we went to UC together to be Social Studies teachers. I know Evan Nolan as well, he assisted me a bit with my campaign when I ran for the Ohio State House in 2018. Nolan is also close friends with Mayor Aftab Pureval and his name has popped up in local news stories over the years. However, he usually keeps a low profile and is considered more of a behind-the-scenes type of guy. Shearer is active in the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers and currently CFT’s Vice President of Organizing. Hyde Park has their work cut out for them in this race, but I suspect CFT is going to be able to push Shearer over the finish line. That could be my own personal bias showing, however. Shearer also serves in a leadership role within the Cincinnati Democratic Committee, the wing of HCDP that focuses on city elections.
In Cincinnati precinct 5-I, former mayor John Cranley is taking on Jackie Smith. I am unfamiliar with Ms. Smith, but we all know who John Cranley is. It’s interesting to see Cranley looking to get back involved with the local Democratic party. It’s interesting because he’s struggled mightily winning over the hearts and minds of liberal minded people recently. Just look at the shellacking he took in the Democratic Primary when he ran for the Governor of Ohio. Cranley’s been out of the local political game since his mayoral term ended, but it wouldn’t shock me to see him try and get back on city council eventually. That sweet, sweet city government pension only gets better the longer you work in city government. My hope is that local Democrats reject Cranley because his reputation is toxic for a plethora of reasons that are too long to list in this relatively brief blog post. Just know I have no love for self-serving, shady politicians, regardless of their political party. Naturally, Cincinnati 5-I is located in the affluent neighborhood of Mt. Lookout.
In Cincinnati precinct 23-K, CPS school board president, Eve Bolton, is taking on Jacquelin Wilson. Again, I am unfamiliar with Ms. Wilson but I am a big fan of Eve Bolton. She has a long and storied history serving on the CPS school board and is a former Social Studies teacher. Voters in this College Hill precinct will be wise to continue voting for Eve, someone who takes public service very seriously and isn’t a grifter like many others involved in politics.
Lastly, we will focus on Cincinnati precinct 25-C, the precinct I have represented as a PE since 2018. I decided to step away because all the political in-fighting and drama involved in HCDP can be exhausting. Coleman Kane is a board member of the West Price Hill Community Council and he’s taking on Carol Del Prince, a retired teacher who also happens to be Steve Chabot’s sister. I consider both of them friends who are also high quality people. I often see Carol at my polling station handing out slate cards for HCDP and she is also endorsed by CFT. I give her the edge in this particular race. Kane previously represented 25-C as a PE prior to me.