Welcome City Manager Long

Government Strategies Group welcomes new Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long.

Government Strategies Group welcomes City Manager Sheryl Long, Cincinnati’s newly confirmed top administrator.

Manager Long has been with the city of Cincinnati since April 2019 as Assistant City Manager. In that role, she oversaw the Departments of Public Services, Transportation & Engineering, Citizens Complaint Authority, Office of Environment & Sustainability, MSD, Water Works, and others. Before serving as Assist. City Manager in Cincinnati, she was the City Administrator in North College Hill. A Cincinnati native, Long grew up in Forest Park and received her Bachelors degree from Miami University. She worked in private sector real estate before getting her Masters degree in marketing and moving into public service.

Click here to view a Cincinnati Enquirer interview with the new manager.

Manager Long was nominated by Mayor Pureval after a national search lasting several months and was unanimously confirmed by Council. Her talent and character are well-regarded by city staff and leadership. She was unanimously approved by Council in early September. Her first order of business she says? Finding the city’s permanent police chief. Manager Long will coordinate with the Mayor, Council, and a search firm to recruit Cincinnati’s next police chief and address increasing concerns about crime and stability in the department. Council voted earlier this year to fund a second police recruit class to add officers to the force.

Our team looks forward to working with Manager Long through the upcoming carryover budget process and beyond. 

Copyright 2021 | Government Strategies LLC

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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