iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
The city of Cincinnati elected its first Asian American mayor on Tuesday, November 2.
Indian American Aftab Pureval, 39, who is a lawyer by profession, will be the new mayor of Cincinnati.
Pureval defeated David Mann with a whopping 65 percent vote share, according to results.votehamiltoncountyohio.gov.
Soon after the news of his victory broke out, Pureval tweeted, “Words can’t express how honored and excited I am to be the next mayor of Cincinnati. Tonight, we made history! Let’s get to work!”
Pureval will succeed term-limited Mayor John Cranley, who is seeking Ohio’s Democratic nomination for governor in 2022, reported nbc.com.
A son of immigrants, the half-Indian, half-Tibetan Pureval is viewed as a rising political star in the state, the report further read. He was elected clerk of courts in 2016 after running ads with a stuffed duck quacking his name — “Aftab!” — in a campaign reminiscent of the old Aflac insurance commercials.
Pureval is currently the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, and was the first Democrat elected to this office in more than 100 years.
Conceding defeat, Pureval’s contender Mann, a Democrat and a former Congressman tweeted, “Congratulations to Aftab on his well-deserved victory. I have spoken with him and wish him nothing but the best, and it has been the honor of my lifetime to serve this community as a councilman, mayor, and member of congress throughout my career. Thank you, Cincinnati!”
Pureval was born and raised in Southwest Ohio, the son of first-generation Americans. The product of public schools, Pureval went off to The Ohio State University for college where he was student body president.
According to Pureval formayor.com, Pureval attended UC for law school where he volunteered in the domestic violence clinic to protect victims of abuse. He has also worked as a Special Assistant United States Attorney where he worked with the FBI to prosecute crimes against children.
Before becoming Clerk of Courts, Pureval worked at P&G as the global brand attorney for Olay.
Pureval lives in Clifton with his wife Whitney, a doctor who treats COVID patients, and their one-year-old son, Bodhi.
[Photograph courtesy: @AftabPureval]
