James (Jim) Tarbell is an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

of the Charter Party, who was a member of the city council and vice-mayor of

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

. By mayoral proclamation, Jim Tarbell holds the title "Mr. Cincinnati" for life.

Early life and education

Tarbell's family moved from a small Ohio town to the Hyde Park neighborhood of Cincinnati in 1946. He attended St. Xavier High School and graduated from

Withrow High School Withrow High School (originally East Side High School) is a public high school located on the east side of Cincinnati, Ohio. It is part of the Cincinnati Public Schools. History The school opened in 1919 and was listed on the National Register ...

in 1960 before attending the

Lowell Technological Institute The Lowell Technological Institute was a public college located in Lowell, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1895 as the Lowell Textile School. Its campus is now part of the University of Massachusetts Lowell. History Beginnings P ...

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, It is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,5 ...

. He returned to Cincinnati in 1967.

Business career

Tarbell opened the Ludlow Garage, a local concert venue, in September 1969 and operated it until its closing in 1971, featuring artists such as

Grand Funk Railroad Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in 1968 in Flint, Michigan, by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Don Brewer (drums, vocals), and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved peak popularity and succ ...

, Spirit, Santana,

Elvin Bishop Elvin Richard Bishop (born October 21, 1942) is an American blues and rock music singer, guitarist, bandleader, and songwriter. An original member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a mem ...

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

Humble Pie Humble Pie are an English rock band formed by guitarist and singer Steve Marriott in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. They are known as one of the first supergroups of the late 1960s and found success in the early 1970s with songs such as " Black Co ...

Sons of Champlin The Sons of Champlin are an American rock band, from Marin County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, formed in 1965. They are fronted by vocalist-keyboardist-guitarist Bill Champlin, who later joined rock band Chicago, from 1981 to 20 ...

, Cold Blood, Boz Scaggs,

James Gang James Gang is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. The band went through a variety of line-up changes until they recorded their first album as a power trio consisting of Joe Walsh (guitars, lead vocals), Tom Kriss ...

, Bo Didley,

Iggy and the Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer ...

, MC5,

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started ...

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...

NRBQ NRBQ is an American rock music, rock band founded by Terry Adams (musician), Terry Adams (piano), Steve Ferguson (guitar) and Joey Spampinato (bass). Originally the "New Rhythm and Blues Quintet", the group was formed around 1965. Adams disbande ...

, Commander Cody,

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (inc ...

, the

Staple Singers The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha (April 11, 1934 – February 21, ...

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...

, The Lemon Pipers,

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...

and the

Allman Brothers Allman may refer to: Music *The Allman Brothers Band, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame southern rock band, formed by Duane and Gregg Allman *The Allman Joys, an early band formed by Duane and Gregg Allman *The Gregg Allman Band People * Allman (surna ...

, who recorded a live album there. From 1976 to 1998, he owned

Arnold's Bar and Grill Arnold's Bar and Grill is the oldest continuously operating bar in Cincinnati, Ohio, and one of the oldest in the United States. History Arnold's is the oldest continuously operating bar in the city and one of the oldest in the country. The est ...

, the oldest continuously operated bar in Cincinnati.

Political career

In 1997, Tarbell began his political career by campaigning in his now well-known top hat and tails. He was first appointed to Cincinnati City Council in 1998 to replace the retiring

Bobbie L. Sterne Bobbie L. Sterne (November 27, 1919 – November 22, 2017) was an American politician who served two terms as the Mayor of Cincinnati, from 1975–1976 and 1978–1979. Early life and education Sterne was born on November 27, 1919, in Moran, ...

, was elected in 1999, and re-elected in 2001, 2003 and 2005. Until 2003, when Christopher Smitherman won a seat on the council, Tarbell was the sole Charterite on the council. In 2005, Tarbell was appointed Vice Mayor by

Mark Mallory Mark Mallory (born April 2, 1962) is an American politician who served as the 68th Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first two-term Mayor under the City's new Stronger-Mayor system, the first directly ele ...

, the newly elected Mayor of Cincinnati. Because of term limits, Tarbell could not run for re-election in the November 2007 election. In March 2010, Tarbell ran for Hamilton County Commissioner for the first time. In September 2014, Tarbell announced that he was running for Hamilton County Commissioner again, this time as a write-in candidate.

References

External links

Write In Tarbell for County Commissioner
official campaign website. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Cincinnati City Council members St. Xavier High School (Ohio) people Charter Party politicians Lowell Technological Institute alumni {{Ohio-politician-stub