David S. Mann

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = David Mann

|image = DavidMannCrop.jpg

|caption = Mann at an FC Cincinnati event in 2018

|state = Ohio

|district = {{ushr|OH|1|1st}}

|term_start = January 3, 1993

|term_end = January 3, 1995

|predecessor = Charlie Luken

|successor = Steve Chabot

|office1 = Mayor of Cincinnati

|term_start1 = January 3, 1991

|term_end1 = November 30, 1991

|predecessor1 = Charlie Luken

|successor1 = Dwight Tillery

|term_start2 = December 1, 1980

|term_end2 = November 30, 1982

|predecessor2 = Ken Blackwell

|successor2 = Thomas Brush

|birth_name = David Scott Mann

|birth_date = {{nowrap|{{birth date and age|1939|9|25}}}}

|birth_place = Park Hills, Kentucky, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = Democratic

|spouse = Betsy Mann

|education = Harvard University (BA, LLB)

|allegiance = {{flag|United States}}

|branch = {{flag|United States Navy}}

|serviceyears = 1961–1965

|rank = Lieutenant

}}

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{{cite web |title=#TBT: David Mann remembers an Italian NYE |url=https://www.wcpo.com/news/insider/throwback-thursday-david-mann-recalls-new-years-eve-1961-spent-aboard-navy-ship-docked-in-italy |website=WCPO|access-date=May 12, 2021 |date=Jan 7, 2016 |quote=We asked the Dixie Heights High School and Harvard Law School graduate to throw back his memory to a New Year’s Eve long ago.}} 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.{{cite web |title=Council Member David Mann |url=https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/council/council-members/council-member-david-mann/ |website=City of Cincinnati |access-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327195120/https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/council/council-members/council-member-david-mann/ |archive-date=March 27, 2021}}{{cite web |title=Full Biography for David Mann |url=http://www.smartvoter.org/2013/11/05/oh/hm/vote/mann_d/bio.html |website=Smart Voter |access-date=May 11, 2021 |date=September 6, 2013}} 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.{{cite web |title=Cincinnati mayoral race: Aftab Pureval, David Mann to face off in November |url=https://www.wlwt.com/article/cincinnati-mayoral-race-aftab-pureval-david-mann-to-face-off-in-november/36334599# |website=WLWT |access-date=May 11, 2021 |date=May 4, 2021}} 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.{{cite web |title=The Right Mann for Mayor? |url=https://www.cincymagazine.com/the-right-mann-for-mayor/ |website=Cincy Magazine |access-date=July 1, 2021 |date=March 25, 2020}}

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.{{cite web |last1=Fox |first1=John |title=A Look Ahead to the 2021 Cincinnati Mayoral Race |url=https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/article/a-look-ahead-to-the-2021-cincinnati-mayoral-race/ |website=Cincinnati Magazine |access-date=February 28, 2025 |date=October 1, 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Merritt |first1=Jennifer |title=David Mann Running For Cincinnati Mayor |url=https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2020-05-26/david-mann-running-for-cincinnati-mayor |website=WVXU |access-date=February 28, 2025 |date=May 26, 2020}} Following a 1989 shooting in Louisville, Mann successfully proposed a ban on most semi-automatic firearms within Cincinnati.{{cite web |title=Cincinnati bans most assault guns |url=https://www.proquest.com/midwestnews1/docview/287803324?sourcetype=Newspapers |website=The Plain Dealer |access-date=January 28, 2025 |date=September 28, 1989}} He left the Council in 1992.

=Congress=

File:David S. Mann.jpg

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.{{cite web |title=Cincinnati Councilman Wins Nomination to Ohio Seat in Congress |url=https://apnews.com/article/94221cb7b2bf7d2efdc976f84f26916f |website=AP |access-date=November 6, 2021 |date=August 4, 1992}}{{cite web |title=Federal Elections 92 |url=https://www.fec.gov/resources/cms-content/documents/federalelections92.pdf#page=88 |website=Federal Election Commission |access-date=May 11, 2021 |date=June 1993}}{{cite web |title=The 1992 Campaign: Ohio; Congressman's Withdrawal Prompts a 3-Week Campaign |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/03/us/the-1992-campaign-ohio-congressman-s-withdrawal-prompts-a-3-week-campaign.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=January 26, 2025 |date=August 3, 1992}}{{cite web |last1=Moloney |first1=Sharon |title=Mann: 'Time to go' Chabot win ends 20-year service: [METRO Edition] |url=https://www.proquest.com/midwestnews1/docview/429261416/?sourcetype=Newspapers |website=Cincinnati Post |access-date=January 28, 2025 |date=November 9, 1994}}

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.{{cite web |title=David Mann |url=https://www.c-span.org/person/?davidmann |website=C-SPAN |access-date=May 11, 2021}} 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.{{cite web |last1=Berke |first1=Richard L. |title=Saving Lawmaker on Labor Hit List |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/15/us/saving-lawmaker-on-labor-hit-list.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=December 20, 2021 |date=March 15, 1994}} Mann voted for the 1994 Crime Bill, which he later said he regretted.{{cite web |last1=Costello |first1=Becca |title=In final debate, candidates for mayor show off 'stark differences' |url=https://www.wvxu.org/politics/2021-10-21/aftab-pureval-david-mann-final-mayoral-debate-recap |website=WVXU |access-date=December 20, 2021 |date=October 21, 2021}} 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.{{cite web |last1=Mann |first1=David |title=David Mann's change of heart on gay issues |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2014/11/14/david-manns-change-heart-equality/19021227/ |website=The Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=December 30, 2024 |date=November 14, 2024}}

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.{{cite web |title=One Democrat Facing Labor Opposition in 1994 |url=https://www.proquest.com/midwestnews1/docview/189989070?sourcetype=Other%20Sources |website=NPR |access-date=January 28, 2025 |date=April 12, 1994}} 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".{{cite web |last1=Moloney |first1=Sharon |title=Mann, in a hot race, stakes out definition as a New Democrat: [METRO Edition] |url=https://www.proquest.com/midwestnews1/docview/429148044?sourcetype=Newspapers |website=Cincinnati Post |access-date=January 28, 2025 |date=April 20, 1994}} Mann won renomination by 667 votes, which an article in The Christian Science Monitor attributed to his successful television advertising.{{cite web |last1=Dillin |first1=John |title=For '94 Election, Labor Questions Ties to Democrats |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1994/0804/04011.html |website=The Christian Science Monitor |access-date=February 27, 2025 |date=August 4, 1994}} 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.{{cite news |last1=Walsh |first1=Edward |title=Labor Won't Forget, But Does Forgive |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/11/03/labor-wont-forget-but-does-forgive/085e8d83-a865-4a84-903f-ed0591b372fb/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=December 20, 2021 |date=November 3, 1994}} Mann ultimately lost his bid for re-election to Republican Steve Chabot in the "Republican Revolution".{{cite web |last1=Coolidge |first1=Sharon |title=David Mann: Inspired to serve when Kennedy said, 'Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.' |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2021/10/20/meet-cincinnati-mayoral-candidate-david-mann/5987815001/ |website=The Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=December 20, 2021 |date=October 19, 2021}} Mann left office in 1995.{{cite web |title=MANN, David Scott |url=https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/M000100 |website=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress |access-date=May 11, 2021}}

=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.{{cite web |title=In re: Judicial campaign complaint against Hildebrandt. (1997) |url=https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/oh-commission-of-five-judges/1231524.html |website=FindLaw |access-date=January 27, 2025 |date=January 27, 1997}}{{cite web |last1=Wilkinson |first1=Howard |title=Crowd forming (slowly) for Cincinnati council race |url=https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2013-01-26/crowd-forming-slowly-for-cincinnati-council-race |website=WVXU |access-date=February 27, 2025 |date=January 26, 2013}} He would not return to politics until 2013, when he ran for and won a seat on the Cincinnati City Council.{{cite web |last1=Christian |first1=Paula |title=They thought he was 'nuts.' He proved them wrong |url=https://www.wcpo.com/news/insider/at-age-76-david-mann-is-known-as-the-horse-whisperer-of-cincinnati-city-council |website=WCPO |access-date=July 1, 2021 |date=March 24, 2016}} He was simultaneously endorsed by the Democratic Party and the Charter Committee.{{cite web |last1=Andrews |first1=Cindi |url=http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2013/08/08/charter-endorses-2-dems-1-republican-for-council/ |title=Charter endorses 3 major-party candidates| website=The Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=December 6, 2019 |date= October 8, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209233312/http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2013/08/08/charter-endorses-2-dems-1-republican-for-council/ |archive-date=December 9, 2013 }} Mann was appointed vice mayor by Mayor John Cranley in 2013, a position which he would hold until 2018.{{cite web |title=Mann tapped for next Cincinnati vice mayor |url=https://www.wlwt.com/article/mann-tapped-for-next-cincinnati-vice-mayor/3537407 |website=WLWT |access-date=December 30, 2024 |date=November 25, 2013}}{{cite web |title=UCI Hosts Virtual Forum with Cincinnati Mayoral Candidates David Mann and Aftab Pureval |url=https://www.uptowncincinnati.com/blog/2021/10/27/uci-hosts-virtual-forum-with-cincinnati-mayoral-candidates-david-mann-and-aftab-pureval |website=Uptown Consortium, Inc. |access-date=November 20, 2021 |date=October 27, 2021}} Mann opposed the Cincinnati streetcar and voted to halt its construction on his fourth day in office, but work on the project eventually proceeded.{{cite web |last1=Andrews |first1=Cindi |title=Cranley: ‘We’re going to have a streetcar’ |url=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/12/19/suspense-whispers-and-meetings-at-city-hall-on-streetcar-decision-day/4125405/ |website=Golfweek |access-date=December 30, 2024 |date=December 19, 2013}} 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.{{cite web |title=WATCH: Mayor, City Council Sworn In to Office |url=https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityofcincinnati/news/watch-mayor-city-council-sworn-in-to-office/ |website=City of Cincinnati |access-date=May 15, 2021 |date=January 2, 2018}} In 2018, Mann became the chair of the Council's Budget and Finance Committee, which is responsible for the city's finances.{{cite web |last1=Hanselman |first1=Jay |title=Mayor Cranley Selects New Vice Mayor And Budget Chair |url=https://news.wosu.org/wvxu-stories/2017-12-13/mayor-cranley-selects-new-vice-mayor-and-budget-chair |website=WOSU News |access-date=December 19, 2021 |date=December 13, 2017}} 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".{{cite web |last1=Swartsell |first1=Nick |title=City Councilman Proposes Regulations on Cincinnati Airbnb Rentals |url=https://www.citybeat.com/news/blog/21027442/city-councilman-proposes-regulations-on-cincinnati-airbnb-rentals |website=CityBeat |access-date=November 8, 2021 |date=October 15, 2018}} The proposal was implemented in 2019.{{cite web |last1=Swartsell |first1=Nick |title=Cincinnati City Council Passes Short Term Rental Regulations |url=https://www.citybeat.com/news/blog/21065996/cincinnati-city-council-passes-short-term-rental-regulations |website=CityBeat |access-date=November 8, 2021 |date=April 25, 2019}} In 2020, Mann voted with the majority of the Council to remove the fare from the streetcar.{{cite web |last1=Sparling |first1=Hannah K. |title=Cincinnati Bell Connector: The streetcar is now free to ride |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2020/09/02/cincinnati-bell-connector-streetcar-now-free-ride/5691667002/ |website=The Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=December 30, 2024 |date=September 2, 2020}}

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.{{cite web |title=David Mann announces run for mayor in 2021 |url=https://www.wcpo.com/news/government/greater-cincinnati-government/david-mann-announces-run-for-mayor-in-2021 |website=WCPO |access-date=July 1, 2021 |date=May 26, 2020}} 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".{{cite web |last1=Coolidge |first1=Sharon |title=Pureval, Mann headed to November match for Cincinnati mayor |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2021/05/04/top-two-cincinnati-mayoral-candidates-advance-general-election/7395876002/ |website=The Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=May 5, 2021 |date=May 4, 2021}} 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%.{{cite web |last1=Coolidge |first1=Sharon |title=Mann concedes; Cincinnati's next mayor is Aftab Pureval |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2021/11/02/cincinnati-mayor-race-aftab-pureval-david-mann/6106015001/ |website=The Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=November 2, 2021 |date=November 2, 2021}}

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

{{Election box begin no change |title=Ohio's 1st congressional district, 1992{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html |title=Election Statistics |access-date=2008-01-10 |publisher=Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070725184700/http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html |archive-date=2007-07-25 }}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = David Mann

|votes = 120,190

|percentage = 51.3

}}

{{Election box candidate no change

|party = Independent{{efn|Grote was endorsed by the Republican Party, but failed to meet the deadline to officially run as a Republican.}}

|color = #DCDCDC

|candidate = Stephen Grote

|votes = 101,498

|percentage = 43.3

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Independent

|candidate = Jim Berns

|votes = 12,734

|percentage = 5.4

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 234,433{{efn|Includes 11 write-in votes.}}

|percentage = 100.0

}}

{{Election box hold with party link no change|

|winner = Democratic Party (United States)

|loser = Independent

|swing =

}}

{{Election box begin no change |title=Ohio's 1st congressional district, 1994

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Steve Chabot

|votes = 92,997

|percentage = 56

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = David Mann (incumbent)

|votes = 72,822

|percentage = 44

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 165,819

|percentage = 100.0

}}

{{Election box gain with party link no change|

|winner = Republican Party (United States)

|loser = Democratic Party (United States)

|swing =

}}

{{Election box begin no change |title=Mayor of Cincinnati, 2021{{Cite web|date=November 17, 2021|title=Election Night Reporting {{!}} General Election {{!}} 11-02-2021 {{!}} City of Cincinnati for mayor|url=https://results.votehamiltoncountyohio.gov/OH/Hamilton/110775/web.278093/#/detail/45319|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20211229033402/https://results.votehamiltoncountyohio.gov/OH/Hamilton/110775/web.278093/%23/detail/45319#/detail/45319|archive-date=December 29, 2021|access-date=January 25, 2025|website=Board of Elections Hamilton County, Ohio}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate no change

|party = Nonpartisan{{efn|name=Nonpartisan|The mayoral race was officially nonpartisan, though both candidates were affiliated with the Democratic Party.{{cite web |last1=LaFleur |first1=Pat |title=Cincinnati mayoral primary will likely include nine candidates |url=https://www.wcpo.com/news/government/local-politics/cincinnati-mayoral-primary-will-likely-include-nine-candidates |website=WCPO 9 |access-date=February 28, 2025 |date=February 18, 2021}}}}

|color = #C0C0C0

|candidate = Aftab Pureval

|votes = 34,541

|percentage = 65.84

}}

{{Election box candidate no change

|party = Nonpartisan{{efn|name=Nonpartisan}}

|color = #C0C0C0

|candidate = David Mann

|votes = 17,919

|percentage = 34.16

}}