David S. Mann

David Scott Mann (born September 25, 1939) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States representative for Ohio's 1st congressional district from 1993 to 1995. He also served as a member of the Cincinnati City Council from 2013 to 2022 and from 1974 to 1992, during which time he served as mayor of Cincinnati from 1980 to 1982 and again in 1991. Mann ran in the 2021 Cincinnati mayoral election, but lost to Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval.

Early life

At the time of his birth, Mann's parents resided in Park Hills, a Northern Kentucky suburb of Cincinnati. During his father's service in the United States Navy in World War II, Mann lived with his mother in her hometown of Horse Cave, Kentucky before moving to his father's assignment of the Bronx. His family later settled in Cincinnati.

Mann completed his secondary education at Dixie Heights High School 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 Navy from 1961 to 1965. As a lieutenant, Mann served aboard the destroyer USS ''English'' during the Cuban Missile Crisis. 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. 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''. Mann returned to the Cincinnati metropolitan area after graduation so that he would be closer to family.

Political career

Early political involvement

Mann put up yard signs for Jack Gilligan's unsuccessful 1968 Senate campaign; he originally intended to help write Gilligan's policy proposals, but the campaign did not accept his request. He later contributed to Tom Luken's campaign for a seat on the Cincinnati City Council.

Initial municipal career

Mann was a member of Cincinnati's board of health from 1972 to 1974. Luken encouraged him to run for a seat on the City Council, but Mann's first attempt in 1973 was unsuccessful. The following year, Mann replaced Jerry Springer on the Council after Springer resigned due to a prostitution scandal. 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. During both of Mann's mayoral terms, the office of mayor was not directly elected and was largely ceremonial in nature. Following a 1989 shooting in Louisville, Mann successfully proposed a ban on most semi-automatic firearms within Cincinnati. He left the Council in 1992.

Congress

Ahead of the 1992 House of Representatives elections, incumbent representative Charlie Luken of Ohio's 1st congressional district announced that he would not seek re-election after already winning the June primary. Mann was term-limited in the City Council and was considering a campaign for a judicial position, but instead decided to run for the congressional seat, stating that his name recognition would help propel him to victory. Mann won the three-week special primary to become the Democratic nominee, narrowly defeating State Senator William Bowen. Mann won 51% of the vote in the general election, defeating both Republican-backed independent Stephen Grote and Libertarian-affiliated independent Jim Berns.

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. Mann voted against President Bill Clinton's stimulus package and budget proposal and was skeptical towards Clinton's health care plan. Mann also called for further investigation into the Whitewater controversy. His opposition to much of Clinton's agenda led an article in ''The Washington Post'' to state that he "often behaves more like a Republican than a Democrat". Mann supported some Clinton-backed initiatives, such as the Brady Bill, which established a waiting period of five days for handgun purchases. Mann voted for the 1994 Crime Bill, which he later said he regretted. After learning that one of his sons was gay, he voted in favor of Barney Frank's failed 1994 bill to prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination.

Mann voted in favor of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which damaged his reputation with some of his allies in organized labor. Bowen, with the support of several prominent labor unionists, attempted to primary Mann ahead of the 1994 midterms. Despite statements by unions that they would support primary candidates running against pro-NAFTA Democrats, NPR referred to Bowen as the only "serious" labor-backed primary challenger in the country. The Clinton administration supported Mann in the primary, with Vice President Al Gore attending two fundraisers that collectively grossed over $100,000 for Mann's campaign. The sum from Gore's fundraisers roughly matched the donations that Bowen stated he would receive from unions. In a debate against Bowen, Mann expressed his alignment with the New Democrats and refused to support increased taxes or spending, stating that Bowen wanted to "tax more and spend more". Mann won renomination by 667 votes, which an article in ''The Christian Science Monitor'' attributed to his successful television advertising. Unions were divided on Mann's general election campaign; some, such as the Ohio Education Association, endorsed him, while others, such as the Cincinnati AFL–CIO Labor Council, refused to do so. Mann ultimately lost his bid for re-election to Republican Steve Chabot in the "Republican Revolution". Mann left office in 1995.

Later municipal career

Mann ran for a position on the Ohio First District Court of Appeals in 1996, but lost to incumbent Lee Hildebrandt, Jr. He would not return to politics until 2013, when he ran for and won a seat on the Cincinnati City Council. He was simultaneously endorsed by the Democratic Party and the Charter Committee. Mann was appointed vice mayor by Mayor John Cranley in 2013, a position which he would hold until 2018. Mann opposed the Cincinnati streetcar and voted to halt its construction on his fourth day in office, but work on the project eventually proceeded. Mann often served as a mediator between 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.

Mann was re-elected in 2017. In 2018, Mann became the chair of the Council's Budget and Finance Committee, which is responsible for the city's finances. That same year, 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". The proposal was implemented in 2019. In 2020, Mann voted with the majority of the Council to remove the fare from the streetcar.

In May 2020, Mann announced that he would participate in the 2021 Cincinnati mayoral election. In a letter to potential donors, Mann stated that he had no ambitions for higher office beyond city politics and that his "experience and leadership qualities" could help address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021, Mann won 29% of the vote in the nonpartisan mayoral primary, placing second and advancing to the general election. Following the primary, Mann stated that general election opponent Aftab Pureval lacked the experience to serve as mayor, referring to Pureval's position of Hamilton County Clerk of Courts as "small". By October 21, Mann had raised $388,307, trailing Pureval's $961,810. Mann lost the November general election with 34% of the vote to Pureval's 66%.

Other ventures

Mann joined the Ohio State Bar Association in 1968. From 1995 to 2001, he taught at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. In 1997, Mann and his son Michael founded their own law firm, Mann & Mann. The firm primarily handles tax law and employment discrimination cases.

Mann has served on the boards of numerous charitable organizations, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Freestore Foodbank.

Personal life

Mann lives in Clifton with his wife, Betsy. They have three children. Mann is a Methodist.

Electoral history

Notes

See also

* List of United States representatives from Ohio

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, David S.
1939 births
20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
Candidates in the 2021 United States elections
Cincinnati City Council members
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio
Dixie Heights High School alumni
Harvard Law School alumni
Living people
Mayors of Cincinnati
Methodists from Ohio
People from Kenton County, Kentucky
Lawyers from Cincinnati
United States Navy officers
University of Cincinnati College of Law faculty