CINCINNATI — Liz Keating, the last Republican to serve on Cincinnati City Council, is looking to get her seat back.
The Hamilton County Republican Party announced Friday morning that Keating has pulled petitions to run for council again — two years after she was ousted.
Hamilton County Probate Court Judge Ralph Winkler in 2020 appointed Keating to serve as an interim replacement for suspended councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, who had just been indicted on charges of honest services wire fraud, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and attempted extortion under color of official right.
At the time, Winkler said he selected Keating out of about 20 applicants because of the then-marketing director's roots in Cincinnati, high energy and promise to help "clean up" City Hall at a time when allegations of corruption were the biggest issue for city leadership.
"Liz has the highest integrity of anyone who applied for this job … she’s just going to be a great member of council," Winkler said at the time of her appointment.
The Hamilton County Republican Party said Keating is gathering signatures to get on the ballot through Aug. 21.
Keating won't be the only ex-council member running. Earlier this week, Cincinnati's former vice mayor announced his candidacy.
Christopher Smitherman, who previously spent a decade on city council, said on social media he intends to run.
"With a sense of duty & humility, I announce my candidacy for Cinti City Council," reads Smitherman's social media announcement.
Smitherman most recently co-hosted a town hall on crime in Cincinnati with Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. He has also announced support for Republican mayoral candidate Cory Bowman.
