Cincinnati City Council Member Reggie Harris announced on Tuesday that he will be resigning his seat and taking a job with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Harris’s new title will be deputy assistant secretary of economic development in the Department of Community Planning and Development.
“I will oversee over $7 billion in HUD-managed economic development and housing funds critical to communities across the country,” Harris wrote in a statement released Tuesday.
Harris’s replacement will be selected by council member Meeka Owens, and will serve out the rest of his term, which ends at the end of this year.
Owens has been selected by Harris to choose his successor, which is standard procedure. In a statement, Owens said she’s looking forward to the challenge of selecting someone who will “meet the moment.”
“Our council is representative of all 52 neighborhoods and over 300,000 residents, and I look forward to identifying someone in our community who will bring the determination to meet this moment in our city just as council member Harris has done,” Owens said.
Harris' legacy
“Our council is representative of all 52 neighborhoods and over 300,000 residents, and I look forward to identifying someone in our community who will bring the determination to meet this moment in our city just as council member Harris has done,” Owens said.
Harris' legacy
Elected in 2021 and re-elected in 2023, Harris has spent nearly three years on the Cincinnati City Council. During that time, he has served as chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, vice chair of the Equitable Growth and Housing Committee and led numerous housing initiatives, making the subject a priority during his tenure.
Harris co-sponsored the Connected Communities Zoning Overhaul, which proposed increasing housing around bus routes and business districts, and championed the Affordable Housing Leveraged Fund. Outside of direct alterations to Cincinnati’s housing policies, Harris also advocated for the creation of a housing data dashboard to track and measure Cincinnati housing investments.
A former ballet dancer, social worker and director of community life for The Community Builders, a nonprofit affordable real estate developer, Harris also served as board chair for Equality Ohio, a LGBTQ+ rights organization.
The first openly gay Black man elected to city council, Harris has also prioritized LGBTQ+ issues throughout his time in City Hall.
Harris authored a resolution making Cincinnati a sanctuary city for gender-affirming care, and spearheaded efforts to expand the City of Cincinnati’s nondiscrimination policies.
“I’m a social worker by trade, who found myself at the forefront of helping to provide quality affordable housing for those in need in the Avondale Community,” Harris wrote in Tuesday’s statement. “In my time in office, I’ve continued that work and fought to grow Cincinnati and make it the most inclusive city it can possibly be. Now, I will head the call to continue that work upstream and have an even greater impact to make sure that our partners at the Federal level are giving cities an opportunity to receive the support they need.”
Support from council
Support from council
In the aftermath of Harris’ announcement, there has been an outpouring of support from his colleagues on city council.
“I think it’s wonderful for him. I think it’s a big loss for the city,” said council member Mark Jeffreys.
“We had a really close, strong working relationship,” Jeffeys said, adding that he admired Harris’ diligence and dedication.
Asked what advice he had for the person that will fill Harris’ seat, Jeffreys said, “Listen, learn. Be willing to be more of a workhorse than a showhorse.”
“We need people who are dedicated to rolling up their sleeves and solving problems,” Jefferys added.
Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney said she was “very excited for him, and for the country, because he’s going to be fantastic.”
Seth Walsh, who was appointed by Harris upon former council member Greg Landsman’s departure, told CityBeat he hopes to carry on Harris’ legacy in his absence.
“I owe my political career to Reggie appointing me to Council in 2022, and I hope to carry on his legacy and keep fighting for a growing, vibrant, inclusive Cincinnati,” Walsh wrote in an emailed statement.
It’s not yet clear when Owens will be selecting Harris’ replacement.
