City Manager Harry Black resigns before special City Council session vote called to fire him. The Enquirer/Phil Didion
Insiders have been chatting lately about what Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley‘s next step in politics might be – if there is one.
Buzz has centered on Cranley running for Hamilton County prosecutor in 2020 if Republican Joe Deters decides not to run for re-election. But after giving a lot of thought to leaving, Deters has said he’s running again. Cranley shot down any idea he’d still go for the prosecutor’s seat.
“No, not true,” Cranley told Politics Extra. “I think Deters is doing a good job, and I wouldn’t run against him.”
OK, how about governor? Cranley didn’t answer that one and declined all other questions about his political future.
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Cranley, who’s term-limited in 2021, had given serious thought to running for prosecutor. He and Deters have a good relationship, despite being in different political parties. It’s uncertain whether they discussed the idea of Cranley running for prosecutor, which is the most powerful seat in local government.
The prosecutor controls law and order in the third-largest county in Ohio, and the office has a large staff. The Republicans for years have used the prosecutor’s office as a farm system to prepare attorneys to run for judicial seats.
The GOP needs Deters to run again to give the party the best chance to hold onto the seat in blue-trending Hamilton County. If a Democrat were to end up prosecutor, the Republicans probably wouldn’t be too upset with Cranley. He’s a moderate, pro-life, pro-business Dem who’s worked well with Republicans.
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Prosecutor would seem a logical next step for Cranley, who’s been mayor since 2013. Public safety has been a top priority for him, not only during his tenure as mayor but also his nine years on City Council.
While on Council, Cranley helped lead the effort to create the Collaborative Agreement in the wake of the 2001 riots. The agreement has been held up as a national model for police-community relations. Cranley, 44, has not practiced criminal law, but he co-founded the Ohio Innocence Project early in his career.
So then what is Cranley’s next step?
He’s had his eye on maybe running for governor someday. But as a moderate who has a reputation of fighting with the far left in his own party, Cranley would probably have a tough time winning a primary. Some believe the hard-charging Cranley doesn’t have a future in politics, because he has upset too many people.
Regardless, Cranley first has to turn things around at City Hall. The first six months of this term has been tumultuous, marred by the Kyle Plush tragedy, the mayor’s nasty public feud with former City Manager Harry Black and a $32 million budget deficit.
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