CINCINNATI — Cincinnati's former vice mayor has announced he plans to run again for Cincinnati city council.
Christopher Smitherman announced his intent to run on social media Tuesday morning. Smitherman previously served on Cincinnati's city council from 2011 to January 2022. He ran for Hamilton County Commissioner in 2022, but lost to Stephanie Summerow Dumas.
"With a sense of duty & humility, I announce my candidacy for Cinti City Council," reads Smitherman's social media announcement. "We need experience & common sense at City Hall. If elected, I will act to reduce crime & support our police, listen to residents on development issues & make sure tax $ are spent on essentials."
He's previously eyed a run for Cincinnati mayor, but dropped out of the 2021 race.
Smitherman has run as an Independent in the past.
However, recently he co-hosted a town hall with Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The town hall was set up to discuss crime in Cincinnati following a fight downtown that gained national attention; Ramaswamy, a Cincinnati native, said he called the town hall after a "candid" meeting with Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge and Mayor Aftab Pureval.
With a sense of duty & humility, I announce my candidacy for Cinti City Council. We need experience & common sense at City Hall. If elected, I will act to reduce crime & support our police, listen to residents on development issues & make sure tax $ are spent on essentials. pic.twitter.com/xeNu87pNHi
— Christopher Smitherman (@voteSmitherman) August 12, 2025
Smitherman has also said on social media that he supports Cory Bowman, mayoral candidate and half-brother of Vice President JD Vance.
"I continue to enjoy getting to know you and your beautiful wife," Smitherman wrote in response to Bowman's post promoting Smitherman's council run. "I support you for Mayor. I love how you continue to work hard to earn the hearts of the citizens in Cincinnati. This race is not about any political party but a need for honest & strong leadership."
Thank you Cory. I continue to enjoy getting to know you and your beautiful wife. I support you for Mayor. I love how you continue to work hard to earn the hearts of the citizens in Cincinnati. This race is not about any political party but a need for honest & strong leadership.
— Christopher Smitherman (@voteSmitherman) August 11, 2025
During past terms, Smitherman has opposed Ohio's move to relax concealed carry laws and led the charge to return Cincinnati city council term limits back to a two-year term, after it was changed to a four-year term in 2012.
He wasn't in public office at the time, but Smitherman also opposed the sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway.
Smitherman served as vice mayor during the controversial "Gang of Five" case, where multiple council members were charged for a text messaging scandal. In that case, then-council members P.G Sittenfeld, Greg Landsman, Tamaya Dennard, Chris Seelbach and Wendell Young admitted to violating Ohio's Open Meeting Act by conducting public business in private text messages and emails with each other.
The city agreed to pay $101,000 to settle a lawsuit against the five council members, but Smitherman called for them to also pay the city's entire $176,000 legal bill for representing them in that lawsuit.
Some of the Gang of Five text messages discussed Smitherman.
“The fact that he is using his wife, saying, 'While I’m home taking care of my dying wife….' is disgusting,“ Chris Seelbach texted.
“It really is grotesque," P.J. Sittenfeld texted. "Using that for a political agenda is actually staggering."
“Yup. As I’ve said for six years, both [Mayor John] Cranley and Smitherman seem to have serious mental illness,” Seelbach wrote back.
Pamela Smitherman died of breast cancer in 2019 after a two-year battle with the disease.
Smitherman responded by releasing what he said was his wife’s recorded message chastising council members for those comments.
“I have no idea why I am being talked about. I question the moral integrity of anyone who wants to take cancer and make a mockery of it,” the recording said.
The comments by Sittenfeld and Seelbach became public when a judge ordered the Gang of Five’s messages released.
