Roxanne Qualls Politician

Roxanne Qualls (born March 3, 1953) is a former Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, having served from December 1993 to November 1999. She also served a two-year term on the Cincinnati City Council prior to her service as mayor, having been elected in 1991. On August 8, 2007, the Charter Committee announced her appointment to fill the unexpired term of council member Jim Tarbell. Qualls was elected to a two-year term on Cincinnati City Council in November 2007, and again in 2009 and 2011. She served as Vice Mayor, the chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, chair of the Livable Communities Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on Major Transportation and Infrastructure Projects. Since returning to council in 2007, she has focused on initiatives that are fundamental to building a strong Cincinnati and result in enhanced quality of life, a globally competitive local economy, and smart management of city resources. Her Great Neighborhoods Initiative is using the best approaches from around the country to strengthen and revitalize Cincinnati’s neighborhoods by giving communities innovative, new tools to protect neighborhood character while encouraging investment. She is working to develop a 21st-century transportation system that reinforces walkable neighborhoods and increases investment in multi-modal transportation systems that accommodate public transportation, bicycles, and pedestrians. Qualls has worked to ensure that the I-75/Brent Spence Bridge project supports economic development in Cincinnati neighborhoods. She started the Homeless to Homes Initiative to take homeless men and women off the streets and help them become productive members of our community.She was a candidate in the November, 2013 election for Mayor of Cincinnati, but was defeated by John Cranley.