Debates and Discussions Show Candidates’ True Beliefs

Post date: Oct 31, 2017 3:9:54 PM

Published 10/20/17

By Amanda Anderson, '19

Mayor John Cranley speaks in response to a question in the Cincinnati mayoral debate on Oct. 10 at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Simpson and Cranley were both given equal time to respond to questions, provide a rebuttal and later ask each other questions.

Audience members listen intently as Cranley and Simpson debate. The debate covered many of the commonly discussed political topics such as transportation and Children’s Hospital, but also touched on less well-known topics such as the Winton Terrace and Western Hills Viaduct.

With election day approaching, this year’s mayoral and city council elections have become a focus of many WHHS students. The Student Democratic Club has been hosting “Meet the candidates” events in the Recital Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. Six candidates have come to WHHS as of oct. 18: Chris Seelbach, Derek Bauman, Erica Black Johnson, Lesley Jones, Manuel Foggie and Henry Frondorf. Each candidate has taken a different approach to interacting with the students, influenced partially by their own campaign intentions and the impression the students give off when the forums begin. The first event on Tuesday, Oct. 3, hosted Derek Bauman and Chris Seelbach. Bauman, a first time candidate, and Seelbach, an incumbent, had very different approaches when talking to the students. Bauman, a retired police officer, was very forward with what he plans to do if he is elected and what he would push for on the council. This includes increasing the awareness around police brutality and working to combat discrimination in Cincinnati. Seelbach, however, reflected on what he and other council members have already accomplished. He believed that this showed the continued success he hopes to have this term. First-time candidates Lesley Jones and Erica Black Johnson appeared at the second “Meet the candidates” event. Though the candidates have somewhat different ideological beliefs (Jones being a Democrat and Johnson being an Independent), both candidates had very similar views when it came to the importance of increasing the education around police brutality and ensuring that the city is working toward a decrease in gun violence. Many AP U.S. Government and Politics students attended this event to learn more about the candidates and to fulfill volunteer requirements for their civic action projects in an interesting, hands-on way. The next event, held on Oct. 12, featured candidates Manuel Foggie and Henry Frondorf. Both candidates are among the youngest out of those running, with Frondorf in his early thirties and Foggie being only 19. Their forum focused mainly on issues such as the Western Hills Viaduct and how the city should handle taxes. The discussion then switched topics, evolving into a sort of advice session on how one becomes involved in local politics and runs for a position such as city council. Although these events have given students a view of how the candidates go about interacting with their audience and each other, nothing did this quite as effectively as the recent mayoral debate. The mayoral debate between Mayor John Cranley and Councilwoman Yvette Simpson on Oct. 10 at the Cincinnati Art Museum was a more structured, heated version of the “Meet the candidates” events at WHHS. The mayoral candidates took a very different approach to persuading their audience that they were deserving of this position. This involved more finger-pointing from the two candidates and the deconstruction of each other’s previous actions. Cranley criticized Simpson’s proposition regarding reimbursing the residents of Avondale during the expansion of the Children’s Hospital, and Simpson denounced Cranley’s treatment of the residents of Winton Hills Terrace. The debate gave voters a polarizing view of each candidate that was meant to help them better decide who to support. Overall, the “Meet the candidates” events and mayoral debate have brought out many aspects of the Cincinnati election candidates, allowing citizens to have a more informed view on each person running and what they hope to achieve if they win.