iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
An Indian-American lawyer from Cincinnati is planning to run for the Mayor’s office, with an aim to improve the lives of the people in the city from the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
Aftab Pureval, a Democrat, who is the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, has announced his candidacy for the post of Cincinnati’s Mayor, in a tweet on Thursday, January 14.
“Our country is at a critical moment, and our city is too. And that’s why I’m so excited to announce my candidacy to be Cincinnati’s next mayor,” the 38-year-old Democratic Party politician tweeted.
“I’m running for mayor to bring executive experience & a record of improving government services to the table – starting with an economic COVID recovery that benefits every neighborhood in our city & a plan to restore trust in City Hall,” he said in another tweet.
In another tweet, the 38-year-old wrote: “Cincinnati has always been my home. When Bodhi [his 1-year-old son] came along, I started to see it as something much bigger. This campaign isn’t about any one person. It’s about us, about who we want to be to each other & the kind of future we can build together.”
According to local media reports, Pureval is expected to face a crowded field of mayoral contenders that includes a number of city council members, a former congressman and several prominent Democrats.
The election comes on the heels of an FBI investigation into City Hall corruption that led to three council members being arrested on federal bribery charges. Cleaning up corruption has become the main talking point of the race.
Pureval said he’s the best choice because he has a strong track record of improving government services as clerk of courts and was a lawyer in the private sector.
“I have turned an organization around before, just like City Hall needs now,” Pureval said. “On the first day of being clerk of courts, I started reforming the clerk’s office. Prior to getting there, patronage and nepotism were running rampant.”
Pureval cut staff and saved money, touting that at the end of every budget cycle he returns money to the general fund.
Two years ago, Pureval came very close, with just a few percentage points of unseating an 11-term incumbent from Ohio’s 1st congressional district.
According to a local newspaper The Enquirer, Aftab Pureval’s parents migrated from India in 1980 to Xenia, Ohio. He lost the race for Congress in 2018.
“The truth is families are really struggling. Our city is at a critical moment and the progress of the last decade is at stake. We have to come out of the gate swinging after COVID-19 to get our economy moving again,” he was quoted as saying by the newspaper. The candidates in the fray for the post of mayor include four City Council members and a state senator, among others, it said.
