Cincinnati City Manager Patrick Duhaney hired a new chief advocacy officer for Aging and Accessibility – Chandra Yungbluth, Mayor John Cranley's former campaign manager.

Yungbluth swept into Cranley's 2017 re-election campaign after Cranley didn't garner as many votes as then-Councilwoman Yvette Simpson. He moved on to the general election, which he won. But the primary loss was seen as a potential threat.

Under the city's charter, the city manager runs the day-to-day operations of the city, separate from the mayor's office, which is considered political.

The job is a relatively new one for the city, championed first by Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld in 2017 and this year by council, who restored the position after Duhaney cut it during the budget process.

The former aging advocacy officer, John Lawniczak, was moved to the health department earlier this year, one of a handful of employees Duhaney moved to cut costs.

Yungbluth will earn $85,000 a year, slightly more than Lawniczak's annual salary, city records show. The city's 2020 budget, which started July 1, includes $111,000 for that office. As part of the job, Yungbluth will help coordinate the city's 2020 U.S. Census efforts.

Cranley said, "Chandra is more than qualified to advocate for people – she’s been advocating for the dignity of workers her whole career. Food stamps and Head Start funding for Cincinnati residents will directly be impacted by the census. Getting an accurate count is a moral imperative to help the most vulnerable members of our city. There is nobody more qualified to run a door-to-door campaign to get an accurate count than Chandra."

There was wide response to the job posting, said Sittenfeld, who was consulted by the city manager about the hire and supports it.

"Chandra brings together all the ingredients to be a star in this position – deep community relationships, a knack for getting things done, and most importantly, a genuine passion for improving the lives of seniors and people with disabilities in Cincinnati," Sittenfeld said.

In the job, Yungbluth will serve as the liaison to the Cincinnati Accessibility Board of Advisors, direct ADA initiatives, and ensure the streetcar meets accessibility compliance regulations.

She starts work Monday.

Duhaney said Yungbluth "brings a unique and much-needed skill set to this position."

He noted Yungbluth has an established background in project management, community engagement, policy development and relationship building.

Yungbluth has worked for the Ohio Secretary of State, where she was responsible for working on accessibility-related issues at polling places in counties throughout the Greater Cincinnati region. Most recently she served as the Southwest Ohio Director of the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC).

Yungbluth has degrees in political science and diplomacy and foreign affairs from Miami University in Oxford.