Press Releases

Bipartisan Mayors Group Discusses Public Safety, Housing, Need for State and Federal Partnerships

CINCINNATI – The Ohio Mayors Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of mayors in Ohio’s 31 largest cities, hosted a regional meeting in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday to discuss issues such as public safety, housing, and the importance of state and federal partnerships. The group also discussed a letter sent earlier this week outlining three specific requests for federal support and renewed its call for state funding to support public safety and local first responders.
 
“I’m very glad to welcome the Ohio Mayors Alliance and this great, bipartisan group of mayors to Cincinnati this week,” said Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval. “Mayors know that public safety is foundational to building strong, vibrant, and thriving communities for residents and visitors alike.”
 
Hosted by Mayor Pureval, the Ohio Mayors Alliance brought together a bipartisan group of over a dozen mayors to meet in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday to discuss a range of issues impacting cities, including a discussion on the importance of public safety. The mayors also discussed housing and economic development issues with Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) and State Representative Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon).
 
“Ohio cities have made major investments into public safety, with as much as two-thirds of municipal budgets going exclusively to police and fire services,” said Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith. “Given the extraordinary costs to cities and local taxpayers, state and federal partners can and should play an important role in supporting local public safety efforts.”
 
Earlier this week, the bipartisan Board of Directors of the Ohio Mayors Alliance sent a letter outlining three specific requests for federal assistance with local public safety efforts. These were: 1) increased funding for the COPS Hiring Program; 2) the restoration of key violence prevention provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act; and 3) preventing cuts to federal agencies like ATF that support local law enforcement with ballistics data and investigative tools.
 
“When the Local Government Fund was cut in half over a decade ago, it had an impact on cities,” said Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn. “Every dollar cut from the LGF effectively reduced funding for local public safety. This is why we are continuing to push for the creation of a dedicated state fund to support public safety and our local first responders.”
 
Earlier this year, the Ohio Mayors Alliance advocated for a new state fund that would support local public safety costs. The measure was not included in the recently passed state budget, but the organization renewed its call for support and the need for this state fund.
 
“Cincinnati is a great city and the amazing work being done here to drive growth across the region and support Ohio’s statewide economic success cannot be overstated,” said Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther. “As Mayor Pureval has stated, public safety is foundational to that success, and we must continue working to drive down violent crime trends here and in cities across the state and country.”
 
As a result of investments that mayors have made into law enforcement and violence prevention, violent crime in many cities across the state and country is declining, as demonstrated from a recent report from the FBI. Overall, national violent crime decreased an estimated 4.5% in 2024 compared to 2023 estimates.
 
Over a dozen mayors, both Republican and Democrat, joined the Ohio Mayors Alliance meeting in Cincinnati this week. Participants were Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, Dayton Mayor Jeff Mims, Dublin Mayor Chris Amorose Groomes, Elyria Mayor Kevin Brubaker, Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn, Grove City Mayor Ike Stage, Kettering Mayor Peggy Lehner, Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith, Middletown Mayor Elizabeth Slamka, Reynoldsburg Mayor Joe Begeny, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, and Youngstown Mayor Tito Brown.

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The Ohio Mayors Alliance is a bipartisan coalition of mayors in Ohio’s 31 largest cities, and the Ohio Mayors Alliance Foundation provides non-partisan policy and research support to cities. For more information, including a list of members, visit: OhioMayorsAlliance.org.

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