Sheryl Long: Mayor's pick for city manager pledges to make City Hall 'accessible to all citizens'

A who's who of Cincinnati and Hamilton County turned out for a Friday afternoon press conference by Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval to see him introduce Assistant City Manager Sheryl Long as his pick to be Cincinnati's next city manager.

Spotted in the crowd: City department heads, owners of sports teams, some of the area's biggest developers, and the president of the local chamber of commerce and visitors bureau. There was cheering; a city firefighter brought Long a bouquet of flowers and somebody even had an air horn.

“I am confident in Sheryl Long’s ability to lead our City with tenacity, transparency, compassion and sound judgment,” Pureval said.

He described Long as "brilliant and innovative and strategic."

Long said "I do not take this responsibility lightly." She said her number one priority is "making City Hall accessible to all citizens."

She said she was proud to be one of the few Black women in city leadership across the country and Pueval too noted the importance of picking a woman of color.

"As a Black woman serving as Cincinnati's top executive, she will be a key voice for representing the incredible wealth of diverse perspectives and strengths the city has," said Pureval, who is the city's first Asian-Pacific mayor.

Pureval did a national search, which drew 21 applicants. From there he narrowed the field to two: Long and former Cincinnati City Solicitor John Curp, who has been the interim city manager since January.

It's unclear if Curp will seek to say on in the city. If he is hired as city solicitor, his pay would be significantly more than other department managers. His contract calls for him to earn at least $200,000 for two years should he stay on in another job.

Pureval did not want to comment on his conversation with Curp and Curp could not be reached for comment.

Cincinnati City Council has the final vote on the manager hire, but Long is expected to garner a majority vote. Council is expected to discuss the matter at a special meeting Sept. 1. Members have already had the chance to talk to her one-on-one, plus they've worked with Long since at least January when most of the nine members took office.

Long has been assistant city manager since 2019, coming to the city from being the city administrator in North College Hill.

Long told The Enquirer last week she applied for job because she was inspired by her work on the city's historic policing Collaborative Agreement as part of the Manager’s Advisory Group and her personal experiences growing up in West Price Hill until she 5-years-old and then in Forest Park.

"I recognized that I am particularly well suited to understand the motivations and concerns of members of this community within which I grew up as well as those of my colleagues at the Cincinnati Police Department," she said. "I was empowered to take on this role in late 2020 because of my skill in bridging the gap between these important groups - a successful relationship between the community and our police is absolutely critical to the success of the City and I am uniquely qualified in this role."

The manager's first big job will be to pick a police chief to replace Eliot Isaac, who retired earlier this year. Long said she will move quickly to meet with the search firm tasked with finding chief candidates.

As assistant city manager Long said she worked closely with all city departments. At various times her responsibilities included directly overseeing the Citizen Complaint Authority, Economic Inclusion, the Emergency Communications Center, Human Resources, the Metropolitan Sewer District, the Office of Environment and Sustainability, Public Services, Transportation and Engineering, Water Works, Building and Inspections, City Planning and Engagement, Special Events. She was the liaison for the Board of Health and the Recreation Commission.

Long's resume

2019 to present: Assistant City Manager, City of Cincinnati

2016-2019: City Administrator, City of North College Hill

2013-2015: Communications Director, City of North College Hill

2006-2013: Senior Manager, PLK Properties

2003-2006: Sales and Marketing, Ryan Homes

About Long

Age: 42

Education: Masters of arts degree in marketing, Southern New Hampshire University; bachelor of arts degree in Black World Studies, Miami University

Family: Married to Albert Lester Long Jr. She has a stepdaughter, 22; two sons, ages 16 and 18, and a pug named Mr. P.

Neighborhood: Clifton

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati city manager: Aftab Pureval names Sheryl Long