Cincinnati City Hall

New Year Brings Leadership and Committee Changes to City Hall

2026 brings changes to Cincinnati City Hall

As the new year begins, Cincinnati City Hall is seeing a number of changes, including new faces, updated leadership roles, and restructured City Council committees. The mayor and City Council members were sworn in on January 6.

Mayor Aftab Pureval has reappointed Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney to serve as vice mayor for the new term. The vice mayor’s primary responsibility is presiding over City Council meetings in the mayor’s absence.

Pureval also selected Council member Scotty Johnson as president pro tem, replacing Victoria Parks, who did not seek re-election. Kearney and Johnson finished first and second, respectively, in the November election.

Ryan James is the only new member of City Council, winning the seat vacated by Parks. James is a former United Way executive who has worked extensively with nonprofit organizations and specializes in diversity, equity, and inclusion policy. A 29-year-old Democrat from the West End, James is the youngest Black man ever elected to Cincinnati City Council.

City Council committees have been restructured for the new term as follows:

  • Budget and Finance is now Budget, Finance and Governance, chaired by Jeff Cramerding.
  • Climate, Environment and Infrastructure is now Climate, City Service and Infrastructure, chaired by Meeka Owens.
  • Healthy Neighborhoods is now Economic and Cultural Opportunity, chaired by Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney.
  • Equitable Growth and Housing is now Housing and Growth, chaired by Mark Jeffreys.
  • Public Safety and Governance is now Public Safety and Quality of Life, chaired by Scotty Johnson.
  • A new committee, Youth and Human Services, has been created and will be chaired by Anna Albi. (Jurisdiction for this committee includes Health and human services; youth issues and employment; Children and Families Cabinet; aging and accessibility issues; homelessness, racial, gender and LGBTQIA inclusion and issues; collaboration with Cincinnati Public Schools, Preschool Promise, universities and higher education institutions; regional collaboration; tenants’ rights, homeownership; federal and state issues.)

“Our primary focus, when it comes to committee structure, is aligning this work with our core priorities as a city,” Pureval said in a statement. “The goal is to encourage the most streamlined and effective legislating possible, and I believe these committees and chairs accomplish that goal.”

In another recent development, City Council is expected to vote this week to appoint Councilmember Anna Albi to the Planning Commission, replacing Vice Mayor Lemon Kearney. Most zoning-related proposals are reviewed by the Planning Commission before advancing to City Council for a final vote, with the commission’s decision serving as a recommendation.

City Manager Sheryl Long also announced several city leadership appointments.

John Brazina is now an assistant city manager after serving as an interim assistant city manager for nearly a year. Before that, he directed the Department of Transportation and Engineering for over five years.

Kait Bell is the new violence reduction manager in the City Manager’s Office; she has worked for the city for nearly 10 years.

Andrea Yang is executive director of Greater Cincinnati Water Works, effective January 4. She has been the interim director of GCWW since early 2025, when former director Cathy Bailey was tapped to serve as interim assistant city manager. Bailey will continue to serve in that position until she retires in October.

As always, Government Strategies Group is available to be a resource for information and insights on City Hall and local government issues.

Join Our

Mailing List

Sign up for first access to the latest news, updates, and events. Please check your email to confirm your sign up.

Anne C. Sesler

Director of Public Affairs

Anne Sesler brings more than twenty years’ experience in public affairs consulting to Government Strategies Group. Anne works with local elected officials, state legislators, reporters and community leaders on behalf of corporate and non-profit clients developing community outreach and engagement strategies, conducts media relations, builds grassroots support for projects, and conducts communication with stakeholders and legislators.

Anne lends her public policy and political communication experience beyond GSG to her role as Vice Chair of the Hamilton County Democratic Party. Over the years, she’s offered political counsel to both state and local campaigns, including Preschool Promise, Ohio Jobs and Growth (the casino ballot initiative), United for Jobs and Ohio’s Future (Third Frontier), and many others. Anne lives in Mt. Lookout with her husband, Bryan.

Focus areas: 

  • Local government relations
  • Coalition building
  • Media relations and communications
  • Crisis communications

Driven by:

  • Making Cincinnati a better place for all

In the community:

  • Leadership Cincinnati Class 47
  • Cincinnati Planning Commission member
  • Lunken Airport Oversight and Advisory Board Chair
  • Cincinnati Democratic Committee Co-Chair
  • Hamilton County Democratic Party, Vice Chair
  • Mt. Lookout Community Council member

Charles “Chip” Gerhardt

President & CEO

Chip Gerhardt has made government affairs, economic development, and issue advocacy his life’s work. He’s worked for decades in the public and private sectors, and advocated at the local, state, and federal levels of government. In 2007, he used that experience to found Government Strategies Group, a full-service government relations firm. At GSG, he works directly with clients, helping them navigate the complicated intersection of politics, public policy, and business.

In his many years in public policy, Chip has been involved in significant policies including; creation of tax increment financing districts, the Clean Ohio program, Cincinnati City Center Development Corporation, and most importantly, the passage of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. He has also been at the forefront of some of the biggest developments in Greater Cincinnati, including the Horseshoe (now Hard Rock) Casino, TQL Stadium for FC Cincinnati, parking garage structures at The Banks, and the redevelopment of the @580 building. Rarely is there a public policy endeavor in Cincinnati that does not involve GSG.

Chip received his B.B.A in Marketing from the University of Notre Dame and his Juris Doctor from the St. Louis University School of Law. He lives in Anderson Township with his wife Jane. Son Charlie is a local chef and children Hank and Anne have completed their education and started lives of their own.

Focus areas:

  • State and local government relations
  • Economic development
  • Issue advocacy

Driven by:

  • A lifelong interest in the political system has driven Chip to a career in public policy and politics. As a parent of three, one with Down syndrome, has compelled him to promote public policies designed to help others. Whether it is enabling financial independence for people with disabilities, advancing funding for housing families facing homelessness, or assisting with economic development projects, Chip involves himself in things that make a positive difference. 

In the community:

  • Hamilton County Board of Elections member
  • Current Board Member for Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, People Working Cooperatively, Corporation for Findlay Market, goVibrant, and the African American Chamber of Commerce
  • Former Chairman of the Board for the National Down Syndrome Society
  • Former board member of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, the Cincinnati Museum Center, the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority, the Clermont County Chamber of Commerce, and the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati
  • Cincinnati Magazine’s 300 of the Region’s Most Powerful Business Leaders, 2021-2022
  • Cincy Magazine Power 100, 2011-2022