Base your vote Tuesday on issues

For the Nov. 7 election, The Enquirer will break from its longstanding tradition of endorsing political candidates in favor of providing our readers with a useful perspective that can inform your decision, without actually telling you how to vote. Today, the editorial board examines some of the critical issues in the race for Cincinnati City Council. 

When voters head to the polls on Tuesday, they will be faced with making decisions that could directly impact their lives and determine the direction of the Queen City for the next four years. While much has been made of the mayor’s race, equally important to maintaining Cincinnati’s upward trajectory is the election of nine people to occupy seats on City Council. These nine individuals working in conjunction with the new mayor will provide stewardship over the city’s finances and bring forth legislative solutions to some of Cincinnati’s biggest challenges.

The Enquirer editorial board has examined all 24 candidates during the campaign season and talked extensively with the majority of them. While the board won’t be making endorsements in the Council race, we do want to examine some issues of importance when considering your vote:

• Neighborhood investment and development. Residents want council members to pay more attention to their neighborhoods. Too many of them feel forgotten or left out of the prosperity of Downtown and Over-the-Rhine. A visit every once in a while by their elected officials would be nice, but a commitment of tax dollars to help improve business districts, streets and other quality of life amenities would be even better. Candidates with a clear and practical plan — not just lip service — to fund neighborhood improvements will be attractive to many voters.
• The heroin epidemic. City Council can’t solve Cincinnati’s heroin crisis alone, but it can set a tone of compassion and create an environment for collaboration. Council must look for ways to get police and paramedics the resources they need to adequately overdoses. There are still too few treatment facilities and beds in the city to help those in need and needle exchange programs need to be more widely embraced. The heroin epidemic is a threat to the city’s health, economic vitality and workforce development. We need a Council who sees it that way as well.
• Transportation. For Cincinnati to move from good to great, it must upgrade its subpar transportation system. Cincinnati needs Council members who will make getting a multi-modal transportation plan on the table as soon as possible a priority. The first step in that plan is a tax proposal that will bring additional funding for the bus system. Getting residents to and from centers of employment fast and efficiently is critical. So too is promoting and marketing the streetcar, while fixing the myriad of glitches that have mired the project during its inaugural year. Making Cincinnati safer and friendlier for bicyclists and pedestrians also needs to be a priority for Cincinnati’s leadership.
• Poverty and inclusion. As Cincinnati becomes a more desirable place to live, many people feel shut out of the renaissance. Not just because of a lack of affordable housing, but because there is a lack of jobs that pay a livable wage. The city can’t pass its own minimum wage requirements, but there are innovative ways Council can promote better pay from those the city does business with. We need Council members who will bring innovation to bear on providing affordable housing, better wages and helping minority businesses get greater access to economic opportunity.
• Collaboration. Few, if any, of the aforementioned issues will get addressed adequately unless the new Council and mayor can work together. Cincinnati needs Council members who can put aside personality conflicts and petty politics in the interest of making legislative accomplishments that can move Cincinnati forward. Council needs more thoughtful, mature debate and fewer social media rants.