John Cranley is seeking election to Ohio Governor. Teresa Fedor is seeking election to Lt. Governor.
Why are you running for office, and what previous experience makes you the most qualified candidate for the position?
I’m running because Ohio needs a comeback and a ticket that’s up to the task. After I graduated from Harvard divinity school and law school, I co-founded the Ohio Innocence Project, which has cleared and freed 34 wrongfully convicted people — many of whom spent decades in prison for crimes they did not commit. Their determination and perseverance inspired me to further dedicate my life to public service.
As mayor of Cincinnati, I've led a major comeback, with more jobs, higher wages, and population growth for the first time in sixty years. In 2021, the Milken Institute ranked Cincinnati as the best performing city in Ohio, a ranking that evaluates job and wage growth, housing affordability, and high-tech GDP. Cincinnati has more Black-owned businesses that make a million dollars than any city in Ohio, we built the largest municipally owned solar farm in the country, and passed the only $15-dollar minimum wage for city workers in the state. Cincinnati municipal government, which supplies water to 1.1 million people, is carbon neutral. In short, by prioritizing and implementing ideals of economic inclusion and sustainability, we have shown that Democratic principles work.
Now, I am running for governor with my LG candidate, Sen. Teresa Fedor, to bring those same principles to Ohio. Many people will think, “maybe it's too hard. Maybe it can’t be done. Ohio is too conservative.” But I know that innocent people can be freed. And I know that cities in decline can make an inclusive comeback. As governor, and with Senator Teresa Fedor as my LG, I promise you we will deliver that same comeback for our families and our kids.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish in this position?
We have tremendous challenges in our state, ranging from protecting the environment to rebuilding our manufacturing base. I am proud to have a bold, forward-looking agenda that can attract a broad coalition of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans — policies that I know can win in November 2022 and then get enacted in my first term. I will discuss three of my top priorities below.
What are three policy initiatives you plan to focus on?
As governor, I will create 30,000 jobs every year that pay at least $60,000 per year and do not require a college degree, rebuilding roads and bridges, expanding broadband Wifi access to the entire state and creating advanced manufacturing and renewable energy jobs. Secondly, I will legalize recreational marijuana, using the tax revenue to fund the aforementioned jobs plan and end the failed war on drugs. Finally, I will provide Ohio families with a yearly energy dividend, similar to that of Alaska and North Dakota by creating the first severance tax on the natural gas industry in the state of Ohio.
Young people are leaving Ohio following graduation at an alarming rate. Several factors contribute to this, including lower wages, a lack of good paying jobs, and college affordability. What can be done to support young Ohioans to keep them, and their talent, in our state?
I believe there are two critical areas that need to be focused one. First, many far-right policies make Ohio a less welcoming place than it should be. Attacks on women’s reproductive rights, voting rights, LGBTQ rights, etc. are forcing many young people to choose between staying in a state they love and grew up in, or move to a state that will reflect the values and policies they believe in. We can and must do more. Second, many of our young people do not believe that we Ohio is a place where the future happens — dynamic, forward-looking, and exciting. This must change.
To achieve that second goal, we need to make many changes. Prioritizing economic inclusion and repairing the broken social contract like we have in Cincinnati is a good first step, however it is not enough. We must also push to make our state universities and hospitals the best in the world in at least one thing. Carnegie-Mellon revitalized Pittsburgh. The University of Cincinnati and UC hospital have been key factors in the Cincinnati comeback. Silicon Valley started as a lab in Stanford. Ohio has one of the best state school and research hospital systems in the country. By expanding research and development, we can make Ohio a leader, bringing economic opportunity and a higher quality of life to the state.
Will you support nondiscrimination policies that protect individuals regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, veterans status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression? If so, how?
Absolutely. I’m proud that Cincinnati has a 100% rating from the Human Rights Council for more than six years running. To achieve this, we changed and added number of policies, including adding non-discrimination hiring processes and changing our healthcare package to support transitioning city workers. We also created a municipal ID for undocumented Cincinnatians, as well as making Cincinnati a sanctuary city. As governor, I will continue to fight for equity and equality for every Ohioan.
What can the state of Ohio be doing to ensure racial equity and eliminating bias in community policing?
I am proud of the progress Cincinnati has made on race relations. Twenty years ago, I was 26 and a fresh face on the Cincinnati City Council and in short order, the police killed multiple unarmed Black men — causing the city to boil over. Civil rights leaders like Rev. Damon Lynch III, his father, Damon Lynch Jr., and Rev. Dr. Otis Moss boycotted Cincinnati as a city too racist to do business in. I am proud to say that today, all three are supporting my campaign for governor.
The reason for this is over the past 20 years, we have worked hard together to implement reforms. While Cincinnati is far from perfect, we have made demonstrable progress. After the murder of George Floyd, the US Conference of Mayors asked me to write a report on the Cincinnati model and the changes we made. I am happy to provide the report to explain our model in detail, but I’ll offer a few big changes here.
Firstly, Cincinnati created a Citizens Complaint Authority, which is a civilian board that has concurrent jurisdiction to investigate reports of misconduct by police officers. Secondly, body cameras on all officers. Thirdly, changing use of force policies to prioritize de-escalation and eliminating dangerous tactics such as the use of batons or chokeholds. Finally, a shift in the training of officers. This includes implicit bias and mental health training but also a change in how officers focus on crime. In Cincinnati, we have shifted officers to focus on violent crime, and less on things like curfew violations.
Reforms in policing themselves, however, are not enough. We must make efforts to improve economic racial equity as well. As Mayor, I increased contacts with the City and Black-owned business from 2% to 17% and partnered with the business community to create a Black-owned business incubator. Now, Cincinnati has more Black-owned businesses that make a million dollars than any other city in Ohio.
As a result of these changes, over the last 20 years, we have arrested half as many people as 2002 and type 1 crimes are down over the same period. We improved community-police relations and made the city safer by arresting less people.
As Governor, I have licensing authority over law enforcement. I will enact reform that mirrors the Cincinnati experience statewide through that authority.
Do you support reasonable regulations on firearms in the United States? Please explain in detail.
We need common sense gun reform in our country. I support background checks, red flag laws and waiting periods. If Republican Indiana has red flag laws, we should absolutely have them here in Ohio as well. However, a legislative answer isn’t enough. We need creative solutions. That’s why I created the Smart-Gun Consortium. Most gun violence is committed with lost or stolen guns. SmartGun technology prevents anyone who isn’t the owner of a firearm from using it. Currently, the NRA opposes SmartGun technology and enforces boycotts on manufacturers for developing it, even though studies show that they are popular among gun owners. The SmartGun Consortium is a partnership of cities that use their collective buying power of municipal police departments to create a market for the development of the technology. As Governor, I will use the buying power of the state for the same purpose and always look for similar creative solutions.
Affordability of health care is one of the most pressing issues facing Ohioans. The quality of care received by patients also remains inequitable, with significant differences in services provided and treatment outcomes by race, income, and geography. What will you do to improve health care access and outcomes for Ohioans?
Currently, there are 44 counties that do not have a federally certified healthcare center. This is unacceptable. As Governor, I will put a FCHC in every county. In Cincinnati, I already run several clinics that provide primary healthcare, as well as dental, addiction and mental health services. These clinics are free to operate as they are covered by the federal government under Obamacare. I will put at least one of these in each county as there is absolutely no reason not to have accessible care across the state.
Reproductive Health & Education
Please respond "YES" or "NO" to the following questions/statements regarding reproductive health and education:
Do you believe that all individuals should have the right to access safe, legal, confidential and affordable abortion and reproductive health care services?
Yes
Do you oppose attempts to undermine Roe v. Wade through legislation that creates separate legal rights for fetuses distinct from those of a pregnant individual?
Yes
Do you support policies to expand access to contraception, such as requiring insurance companies to cover all federally approved contraceptive methods?
Yes
Do you support comprehensive (age appropriate), medically accurate sex education in schools that is inclusive of resources surrounding contraception, sexually transmitted diseases (STIs), HIV/AIDS, consent and LGBTQ+ identities?
Yes
Ohio's 237,000 chronically ill medical cannabis patients are faced with countless burdens and roadblocks, many of which stem from mismanagement by the three entities governing Ohio's existing program. How would you support improving this process?
My policy proposal is simple and straightforward: legalize recreational marijuana. I am also in favor of expungement for non-violent offenses — many of which have disproportionately hurt minority communities. In fact, we passed legislation in Cincinnati that works with the Legal Aid Society to expunge the records of non-violent offenses within the City of Cincinnati. This process is automatic and occurs without any application by the original defendant. I look forward to rolling our my comprehensive policy on marijuana in the next ten days.
Climate & Clean Energy
Please respond "YES" or "NO" to the following questions/statements regarding climate and clean energy:
Do you recognize the existence of climate change?
Yes
Do you believe the government has a responsibility to respond to climate change?
Yes
Do you support our state government incentivizing the adoption of clean/renewable energy sources over the use of fossil fuels?
Yes
Do you commit to using a union bug on all print materials?
Yes