...As you may recall, I was elected for the first time in November 2005 in my first run for public office. I ran because, like many of my friends and colleagues, I was embarrassed by the old City Council and its inability to get anything done to help the City. Too much grandstanding and too little action had made Cincinnati a place stuck in neutral while other cities passed us by in terms of quality of life, safety, and cleanliness.

Over the last two years, I believe I have made a difference. I have been leading efforts to make the City safer and cleaner, with emphasis on increasing neighborhood development projects, getting The Banks underway and making the City more financially responsible with our tax dollars. I have also spearheaded the effort to get the Bike Trail built from Lunken Airport to downtown Cincinnati, which will enable an eventual trail west to Indiana and through the Mill Creek Valley.

Election Day is November 6, and the race is very competitive. I will be challenged by lifetime politicians who are trying to return to Council after term limits made them sit out four years. The politicians may not have gotten much done on Council when they were there, but they do have much higher name recognition due to successful grandstanding. I have not been and will not be that kind of Council member—after my meetings at City Hall, I return to my job as Sales Director for the Cincinnati Bengals, and then head home to be with the kids.

I hope you agree that I am the type of person we need leading the City...