David S. Mann

Mann completed his secondary education at Dixie Heights High School[2] before attending Harvard University on a Navy ROTC scholarship, graduating cum laude in 1961 with a degree in biochemical science. After graduating, Mann served in the United States Navy from 1961 to 1965. As a lieutenant, Mann served aboard the destroyer USS English during the Cuban Missile Crisis.[3][4] Mann was a supporter of President John F. Kennedy; Mann credits Kennedy's assassination with convincing him to attend law school instead of medical school so that he could better engage in public service.[5] After his time in the navy, Mann attended Harvard Law School and was awarded a Bachelor of Laws degree magna cum laude in 1968. He was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.[3][4] Mann returned to the Cincinnati metropolitan area after graduation so that he would be closer to family.[6]

Mann was a member of Cincinnati's board of health from 1972 to 1974.[7] He first ran for a seat on the Cincinnati City Council in 1973, but was unsuccessful. The following year, Mann replaced Jerry Springer on the Council after Springer resigned due to a prostitution scandal.[6] Mann served as mayor of Cincinnati twice during his time on the Council, first from December 1980 to November 1982 and then from January to November 1991. He left the Council in 1992.[8]

Mann was the Democratic nominee for Ohio's 1st congressional district in the 1992 House of Representatives elections, narrowly defeating State Senator William Bowen in the primary. Mann won a roughly 8-point victory over Republican-backed independent Steve Grote in the general election.[9][10] Mann began serving in the 103rd United States Congress in 1993. While in the House, he sponsored five bills and served on the House Armed Services and House Judiciary Committees.[11] Mann voted in favor of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which damaged his reputation with some of his allies in organized labor.[6] In 1994, Mann lost his bid for re-election to Republican Steve Chabot in the "Republican Revolution". Mann left office in 1995.[7]

Mann returned to politics in 2013, running for and winning a seat on the Cincinnati City Council.[12] He was simultaneously endorsed by the Democratic Party and the Charter Committee.[13] In 2014, Mann became vice mayor, a position which he would hold until 2018.[14] Mann often served as a mediator between Mayor John Cranley and Cranley's opponents on the Council, helping broker deals on a number of issues. In 2015, Mann reached a compromise with Cranley on a budget dispute, preventing a government shutdown.[12] That same year, Mann became the chair of the Council's Budget and Finance Committee, which is responsible for the city's finances.[14]

Mann was re-elected in 2017.[15] In 2018, Mann proposed levying an excise tax on short-term rentals, with the proceeds going to the city's affordable housing fund. Mann stated that the tax would "strike a balance between preserving and funding affordable housing units and community in neighborhoods, encouraging tourism and entrepreneurship through short-term rentals, and ensuring that all visitors to Cincinnati are staying in units that are safe and up to code".[16] The proposal was implemented in 2019.[17]

In May 2020, Mann announced that he would participate in the 2021 Cincinnati mayoral election.[8] Mann came in second place in the nonpartisan mayoral primary, winning 29% of the vote, allowing him to advance to the general election.[18] He lost the general election to Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval.[1]