The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.

See below for questions on Qualifications, Pressing Issue, Accessiblity, Recycling, Housing

Click on a name for other candidate information.   See also more information about this contest.

Answer from Alicia Reece:

As a three term councilmember and the Vice Mayor, I have co-sponsored the Police Walking Patrol initiative, recruited national conventions to the city, played a lead role in negotiating the Collaborative Agreement, sponsored neighborhood development initiatives, co-sponsored the Youth Summer Job program, co-sponsored legislation to end Firehouse Brownouts, championed funding for Health Centers, Senior Services, and initiatives for People with Disabilities.

Answer from Charlie Winburn:

As a lifelong Cincinnatian, I am proud of my accomplishments. My experience as a member of Cincinnati City Council for eight years has prepared me to be the next Mayor. I have a proven track record of fighting for safe neighborhoods, lower taxes, and family values. As Mayor, I will continue to send a clear message to drug dealers and gangs that they are not welcome in Cincinnati. I am the only candidate who is dedicated to take action and demand results. It is my goal to bring energetic, responsive leadership back to Cincinnati. ONE CINCINNATI- ONE TEAM!

Answer from David Pepper:

I'm not a career politician, but in my short time on Council, the Enquirer called me "one of council's most forceful and effective members." (10/26/03) My record of accomplishments includes: adding more police to the street while working to improve police-community relations, economic growth and reform, and improving our neighborhoods.

Answer from Mark L. Mallory:

Cincinnati needs new leadership, and leadership is my main qualification. The current city leaders fight with one another instead of leading. As a state legislator, I have a 10 year record of consensus building. I will bring my leadership and an ability to work with everyone to the mayor's office.

Answer from Sandra Queen Noble:

Currently a presidential candidate running for the Mayor of Cincinnati 3 times candidate for President 5 times for City Mayor Candidate Congress and City Council Candidate once

Answer from Justin P. Jeffre:

I am a proven visionary and successful businessman with global perspective, who has lived the American Dream. As a recognized ambassador I've traveled all over the world selling over 9 million records and promoting Cincinnati along the way. I am the only Mayorial candidate who has captured national and international attention. My campaign has been covered by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, The London Times, The Malaysian Times, CNN, Time Magazine, Rolling Stone,and MTV News. Just to name a few media outlets.

My vison for a Greater Cincinnati includes a cultural revival, economic stimulation package, small business initiative and a neighborhood rescue plan. I want open, transparent and accountable government. With citizen input and public oversight we will reclaim our community. My plan puts resources back in the neighborhoods where they belong. Citizen input and participation is the key to make any vision a reality. Please visit us http://www.justinformayor.com

Answer from Sylvan Grisco:

I have been active in both community and city politics for all my years living in Cincinnati. I am knowlegable about state, county and city government. I have a vested interest in the well-being and security of Cincinnati. I have both a business and management background that will benefit the office of mayor. I have worked with and known people from all walks of life and I truly care about my city.

Answer from Charlie Winburn:

1) I will fight for safer neighborhoods by implementing my comprehensive Violent Crime Reduction Strategy. Under the plan, 200 additional police officers will be hired in four years and a new jail will be constructed to prevent the early release of violent criminals.

2) I will work to reduce taxes and create a fairer system that would reward loyal Cincinnati residents with lower property tax rates.

3) As Mayor, I will implement the Fast Track Development Model that will make it easier for builders and contractors to build in Cincinnati. Developers have found the City of Cincinnati's process of development a bureaucratic nightmare that is cumbersome at best. As Mayor, I will develop a process that is efficient, effective, and user friendly for all residential and commercial developers.

Answer from Mark L. Mallory:

Our current leadership at city hall simply isn't working. City leaders fight with one another and there is too little communication between the mayor's office and the council members. Before anything else can change, the way Cincinnati's leaders work with one another has to change. I will bring a new style of leadership to the mayor's office, one based on respect, openness to citizens' concerns and working to build consensus.

Our policy focus will be on making the city safer and improving our neighborhoods, our riverfront and our downtown. We will take guns off the streets, create programs to keep young offenders from becoming career criminals, and build upon the city's assets such as historical neighborhoods, the arts and parks to expand the economic vitality of our city.

Answer from Justin P. Jeffre:

We have inverted priorities and we need to straighten them out. People and neighborhoods must be our focus instead of corporate tax incentives that benefit very few individuals. On-the-job training programs will help people get back to work and develop skills needed to sustain a productive lifestyle. (see Neighborhood Rescue @ http://www.justinformayor.com) Small business creation will stimulate neighborhood growth and keep our dollars in our communities. I propose a four year tax abatement for small business start-ups and I will create a Business Ambassador to assist new companies in navigating the regulatory process.

All transactions involving City finances need to be made with citizen oversight to stop the back room deals. Politicians need to be held to a higher standard and accountability must be expected if we are to solve our bugetary woes.

We have too many unemployed people and our jobs are being sent overseas. We need to create jobs that are immune to outsourcing. The tourism industry will provide jobs of this nature. Bringing tourist dollars to Cincinnati will create prosperity once again. If Branson, Mo. can be a destination location so can Cincinnati. Branson attracts $1.5 billion tourist dollars annually.

Answer from Alicia Reece:

• Safety-Make Walking Patrols Policy and Create an Anti-Violence & Homicide Taskforce bringing the total community together to reduce violent crime.
• Create Jobs For Cincinnatians by connecting job training programs to the anticipated $4 billion in development (The Banks, Uptown, Downtown, and Neighborhoods
• Move the Neighborhood and Downtown Plans from plans to action with time tables.
• As Mayor will have the Mayor's Health Taskforce to focus on the uninsured and the underinsured

Answer from Sandra Queen Noble:

Power and compassion; the right to protect children; when you take from the land of native people respect the people of the land you take from.

Answer from Sylvan Grisco:

When you know where the money is going, the rest will follow. The audit will help us to establish where money is being wasted and help to use that money for more important things, such as the security of our city and revitalization of the small business districts throughout the city.

Answer from David Pepper:

Safety + We must reclaim our historic place of being one of America's safest major cities. I have released a comprehensive plan, Reclaiming our Streets from Crime, http://davidpepper.com/images/new/public_safety_plan.pdf, detailing the key steps, including more police on the streets where the crime is, strategic policing and improved partnerships with citizens.

Youth Opportunities + Our youth are failing at far too high a rate. In my plan, Building a Path to Success for our Kids, http://davidpepper.com/images/YouthPlan.pdf I outline how the Mayor can help improve education and increase opportunities for youth

Economic Growth and Opportunity -- I have laid out a plan to 1) grow our economy and 2) ensure that we open up real opportunities for all of our citizens by connecting those citizens to good jobs, good education, and 21st century job training. Please review my plan, Growing the City Economy, Bridging the Economic Divide, at http://davidpepper.com/images/new/Economic_Plan.pdf

Answer from Justin P. Jeffre:

Enforcement of existing law is a beginning to solving problems of accessiblity. Education is the other part of solving these problems and sensitivity to special needs should be on the mind of all city building inspectors. Citizen input and citizen solutions will be compiled on our web blog using the power of the information superhighway. We must put people first and accessibility for all will be a top priority, including transportation.

Answer from Alicia Reece:

As someone who has a mother who is in a wheel chair, I was proud to have sponsored the City Accessibility Project making City Hall more accessible to people with disabilities, as well as encouraging businesses to hire people with disabilities. In addition to working with many advocacy groups on making transportation more accessible, I have made sure that accessibility groups were included in the redevelopment of projects like Fountain Square. As Mayor, I will go further in making sure that people with disabilities are included in appointments to boards and commissions and that city-owned buildings are not only accessible but welcoming. Our goal should be to become one of the most accessible cities in the country. As Mayor, I will be a voice in making our city more accessible.

Answer from Charlie Winburn:

The voices of the disabled community in Cincinnati will be heard under the Winburn Administration. All public facilities will be easily accessible to the disabled. Additionally, I will establish the Mayor's Roundtable that will listen to the concerns and suggestions of the disabled community.

Answer from David Pepper:

I've been taking several steps to increase accessibility. I've worked for several months with The Inclusion Network, ACCESS and taxi cab owners to increase accessibility on taxi cabs. I also led a successful effort to improve signage in the city's Skywalk which points to the most accessible paths. I will continue to work with interested persons to increase accessibility throughout our City.

Answer from Mark L. Mallory:

Passing the Americans with Disabilities Act was a tremendous step forward, helping to bring an entire class of Americans into the mainstream. I support both the letter and the spirit of this law. As mayor, I will assess all city-owned public buildings to be sure they are fully accessible to citizens with disabilities. I will direct code inspectors to pay extra attention to accessibility issues when they inspect new or remodeled buildings. During my first 100 days in office, I will convene a task force on accessibility that will include representatives from groups like the Inclusion Network.

Answer from Sylvan Grisco:

I would work with the Council on Aging and enforce the laws that are already on the books that are supposed to ensure that public facilities are accessible.

Answer from David Pepper:

I am a strong recycling supporter. In fact, I brought the motion forward several years ago that pushed the administration to rethink the proposed cut to recycling, based on the experience of New York City--where they saw that cutting recycling actually cost more than it saved. At this point, the top thing we can do to expand recycling is to convince all citizens to take a recycling bin--meaning better marketing and public communication.

Keeping Cincinnati clean and environmentally conscious is very important to me both as a Councilman and as a private citizen. For more information, please review my neighborhoods plan Strengthening Cincinnati Neighborhoods, Making our Communities Safe, Clean, Livable http://davidpepper.com/pplan.php

Answer from Mark L. Mallory:

I support recycling and I don't think it should be considered some kind of luxury city service. Some cities run recycling programs that make money. Ann Arbor recycles more than half of its household waste, one of the highest rates in the country. They do it through a nonprofit reuse and recycling agency. Ann Arbor also runs a huge reuse center that collects and then sells household goods, scrap lumber, household fixtures, furniture, plumbing and countless other products. Ann Arbor uses a huge outreach and education effort with the introduction of recycling in each neighborhood. We can move Cincinnati in the same direction.

Answer from Alicia Reece:

I have voted to fund recycling. However, we must go a step further in educating our citizens. We must look at innovative ways to not only keep recycling going but to educate at a young age the importance recycling.

Answer from Charlie Winburn:

I support recycling programs that are effective and improve the well-being of the local environment. I will make certain that the city provides sufficient monitoring and quality assurance measures to such programs.

Answer from Justin P. Jeffre:

Education and awareness of recycling in our communities is an integral part of our sustainable future. In other cities around the world recycling helps the environment and saves money. By using independent media and public service campaigns I intend to make people more aware of the benefits of recycling. By tracking the money generated we will have a more informed public and efficient system. Our greatest recycling effort, however, will be helping people that need opportunities. We have no disposable people.

Answer from Sylvan Grisco:

Two words: Education and Incentives

Answer from Sylvan Grisco:

The first thing is education. Many potential home buyers are unaware of the many benefits and incentives offered in the city of Cincinnati. There is a misconception that there is no affordable housing, but when in fact there are tax abatements for buying in certain neighborhoods (Madisonville being one example) and first time home buyer incentives. Cincinnati also has a wonderful Habitat for Humanity program. The second is the revitalization of the small business districts. When you have jobs, you have houses. It's a simple trickle-down effect.

Answer from Justin P. Jeffre:

The Housing Advisory Council Plan is a regional solution that benefits all. I will work to make sure it is approved and implemented. Affordable housing is a top priority of mine because people move when they don't have an affordable place to live. My Neighborhood Rescue Plan outlines a method to empower Community Councils to rebuild problem properties or remove structures that are hazardous. Our worst neighborhoods will get the most help.

Answer from Alicia Reece:

As Vice Mayor, I worked with residents to craft and pass the city's first Anti-Predatory Leasing Law, to crack down predators who were taking advantage of our citizens. As Mayor, we will expand on outlawing predatory practices and redlining. My Housing Ownership and Retention plan will focus on not only new home-ownership but it will also focus on helping citizens retain their homes to respond to the high number of bankruptcies and foreclosures. We will also create affordable housing stock for the working middle class through tax incentives. I will continue to promote mixed income diverse neighborhoods.

Answer from Charlie Winburn:

I support quality affordable housing that is not concentrated in one neighborhood. As Mayor, I will impose quality standards to abide by. If certain affordable housing developments do not follow such quality standards, I will not support it.

Answer from Mark L. Mallory:

As a state senator, I have already begun taking steps to provide more affordable housing in Cincinnati, and I have worked to keep seniors in their houses by cracking down on predatory lenders. But we have to do more. As mayor, I will provide incentives for private developers to renovate apartments and single family homes. I will provide further incentives to make residential structures +rental and owner-occupied + more energy efficient, which will make the cost of utilities less and reduce the number of bankruptcies. Finally, I will ensure that vacant buildings are maintained so they can be reused as soon as possible.

Answer from David Pepper:

As Mayor, I will do everything in my power to increase homeownership and encourage the development and rehabilitation of high quality affordable, "workforce" and middle-class housing in Cincinnati. This is critical to stemming our city's population loss.

I will bring together many of the City's current housing programs to reduce blight and restore abandoned buildings and land for affordable housing developments.

Through the Mayor's appointments to the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority Board, I will demand accountability and ensure that Cincinnati's public housing developments are worthy of the working families who inhabit them and contribute to the communities around them.

The order of the candidates is random and changes daily.