Mayoral Debate Rundown: Pureval & Bowman Discuss Local Issues
Mayoral Debate Rundown: Candidates Pureval & Bowman Discuss Safety, Housing and Trump Ties
Cincinnati’s two mayoral hopefuls, incumbent Aftab Pureval and challenger Cory Bowman, went head-to-head Thursday night in a spirited debate at Xavier University. The event was hosted and moderated by The Cincinnati Enquirer in partnership with Citicable and the Ohio Debate Commission.
The hour-long debate gave each candidate two minutes per question and a minute for rebuttals. Topics ranged from public safety and housing to national politics and local infrastructure.
MORE: Cory Bowman, JD Vance’s Half-Brother, Announces Run for Mayor
Public safety took center stage early. When asked whether Cincinnati is safe, Cory Bowman, who owns a business and pastors a church in the West End downtown, said crime remains a serious concern.
“Many people believe Cincinnati is unsafe because of news headlines,” he said. “…in our area (West End), we don’t see it as perception. We see it as reality.”
Mayor Pureval countered that, saying his administration has made safety its top priority — pointing to increased patrols, curfew enforcement, and new downtown drone surveillance.
“For the first time in a very long time we are actually enforcing curfew, and it has been extraordinarily successful,” Pureval said.
Bowman criticized the city’s Emergency Communications Center, saying slow or unmotivated responses leave residents frustrated:
“We need to rethink administratively everything going on with the ECC, with these community initiatives, and I will say it over and over again we need to let the police do their jobs.”
Pureval acknowledged that despite lower crime statistics, fear remains.
MORE: The Banks Goes 21+ on Weekend Nights Amid Safety Concerns
The debate also veered into national politics. Bowman, the half-brother of Vice President JD Vance, said he wanted to keep the focus local. But tensions rose when Pureval accused Bowman of aligning with “MAGA extremists,” drawing boos from Bowman’s supporters.
“You either support the Trump agenda or you don’t,” Pureval said. “You can’t run for mayor and not be concerned…”
Bowman dismissed the charge, saying he’s running to “fix what’s broken” in the city, not to advance a partisan agenda.
When the conversation turned to housing, Pureval highlighted his administration’s effort to rezone areas for affordable housing and build 40,000 new units over the next decade.
Bowman said residents in his community are frustrated with mismanaged housing funds and promised greater accountability.
MORE: CPS to Open Secure Sleep Lot for Homeless Families
Both candidates closed with a vision for Cincinnati’s future.
Bowman said he’s not a career politician and has no plans beyond the mayor’s office: “I have no aspirations for higher office, I am just very disappointed with what the city has done in the last four years of this administration,”
Pureval pointed to his record, citing his achievements, the city’s growing reputation for office-to-housing conversions, and over $1.6 billion in local investment. He urged voters to “choose the future.”
“…we’ve got a record of accomplishments…. We’re not interested in flipping back in history. We’ve been there, we’ve seen what it’s like and we want to choose the future. That’s the vision we are running on.”
Early voting for the Cincinnati municipal election is now underway. Election Day is November 4th, 2025, with polls open from 6:30AM to 7:30PM.
Watch the full debate here:
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Mayoral Debate Rundown: Candidates Pureval & Bowman Discuss Safety, Housing and Trump Ties was originally published on thebuzzcincy.com
