It's on! Smitherman files to run for Cincinnati mayor in 2021

Sharon Coolidge | Cincinnati Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption Will one of these councilmen be Cincinnati's next mayor? The 2021 campaign is already on P.G. Sittenfeld and Christopher Smitherman are widely expected to be candidates for mayor in 2021. Incumbent Mayor John Cranley is term-limited.

The 2021 Cincinnati mayoral primary is 987 days away and the election is 1,169 days away. But Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman has made official what has been rumored for the last year – he's running for mayor.

Smitherman, an independent, has submitted to the Hamilton County Board of Elections a designation seeking office of mayor, he told The Enquirer.

He's the first to toss his hat into the ring, but it's an open secret that Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld will also run. Others are expected in the race, with Mayor John Cranley unable to run again due to term limits.

"Being the mayor is more of a mission than a job," Smitherman said. "This is an opportunity to give back to the city that has given me so much."

Smitherman, 51, is filing now for two reasons. His wife, Pamela Smitherman, has cancer and he wanted her to be a part of his launch. He also wants to get ahead of possible fundraising restrictions.

Council voted earlier this summer to rein in donations from limited liability companies (LLC), which has long been a way to skirt the $1,100 maximum contribution limit in city elections. The curb on donations will be on the Cincinnati ballot in November.

Sittenfeld has already accepted donations from LLCs and has $220,728 on hand. Smitherman, who has $13,544 on hand, plans to raise money the same way, he said.

Sittenfeld has not filed official paperwork for a mayoral run, but Smitherman believes the designation change was necessary for him.

By the time of the mayor's race, Smitherman will have served 10 years on council. He cannot run again due to term limits. He placed sixth among the nine winners in last year's council race. Cranley tapped Smitherman as vice mayor this term.

Smitherman made a name for himself as a Cincinnati NAACP president, after being elected to council and then losing a re-election bid. At the NAACP, he led efforts to stop the building of a Hamilton County super jail, campaigning against privatizing the city's water department and banning redlight cameras.

In his second tour as a councilman, Smitherman been chairman of the Law and Public Safety Committee the past five years. In the wake of Kyle Plush's death in April after he became trapped in his van and a 911 call went unanswered, Smitherman has made improvements to 911 system a top priority.

More: Will one of these councilmen be Cincinnati's next mayor? The 2021 campaign is already on

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