CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Cincinnati's mayoral candidates met for a debate at Xavier University Thursday night ahead of November's election.
The candidates discussed topics ranging from violence downtown to affordable housing throughout the city.
A question was posed to each candidate regarding whether they believe the city is safe. Statistics show that on the whole, violent crime is down, but over the summer, Over-The-Rhine and Downtown saw an uptick.
The challenger candidate, Cory Bowman, said that he believes violence is a serious issue and many residents may be in danger. He said that police need to be freer to act against crime.
He also said that solutions being approved by the current city administration are coming too late.
"The problem with City Hall right now is that we are being reactive instead of proactive," he said. "That's what is happening with all the crime. There is no de-escalation tactics. It's only showing up worst-case scenario."
Incumbent Mayor Aftab Pureval stated that he believes the statistics show that crime is down, but he said he doesn't believe that matters if residents perceive danger.
"What matters is what's in the hearts and minds of Cincinnatians, and many of them don't feel safe, which is why city council has moved quickly to prioritize visibility," he said. "For the first time in a very long time, police officers are out of their squad cars and walking a beat."
He also pointed to curfew enforcement as an example of action being taken by the city.
Pureval was asked about the Fraternal Order of Police. Specifically, the mayor was not endorsed by Cincinnati's primary police union, and the union voted "no confidence" in the mayor earlier this year. The moderator asked him to address that and state how he would win their support back.
Pureval said he works to collaborate with the police, and he pointed to recruitment initiatives undertaken by the administration.
"This council, as opposed to the past, has invested in recruit classes every single year, and if we continue on that path, we will hit the complement that we need," he said. "This council gave the most generous contract to the FOP, I think in the last 40 years, because we understand that in order to recruit and retain the best and brightest of our police officers, we have to support them financially."
Bowman was endorsed by the FOP, and he pointed to the Firefighters' union's lack of endorsement for Pureval as further evidence that first responders might not be on the side of the mayor.
"When you lose the confidence of these institutions that have built Cincinnati for safety, I don't have any trust in the other side," he said.
The discussion later turned to housing development. Specifically, the candidates were asked to address a housing development in Hyde Park that became the center of much controversy among residents in the area.
Over the last year, the City Council and Pureval have faced scrutiny for moving forward with a housing development that many residents did not want in their neighborhood.
Bowman said that it's the job of elected officials to reflect the will of their voters and criticized the Connected Communities plan.
"[The Hyde Park development] was the first time that we're seeing what this Connected Communities issue is about: It's about city hall dictating what the zoning needs to be for our communities without considering the voices of our communities," he said.
Pureval said that Cincinnati is in a housing crisis and that solving such a crisis requires the construction of affordable housing.
He said that Cincinnati's previous zoning laws were hindering progress, and he said that they sometimes need to disagree with residents in one part of town in order to address the needs of residents in the entire city.
"We are going to do the hard, sometimes unpopular work of building housing across Cincinnati because poll after poll will show you, we need housing and we need more specifically affordable housing," he said, adding that the city cannot become a city for solely wealthy people.
The debate at one point centered on immigration. Candidates were asked for their opinions of ongoing ICE raids and mass deportation.
Pureval criticized broad deportation of non-violent immigrants, and he said he did not believe it was the role of city police to take part in federal enforcement.
"If you commit a violent crime, CPD is coming after you, and we are going to hold you accountable, and yes we will deport you because you do not need to be here," he said. "Otherwise, there is no reason for local law enforcement to enforce federal law."
Bowman said that he believed that local law enforcement needs more specific instruction in handling immigration.
"We need to focus on the citizens of Cincinnati first," he said. "Let's take in account that this city council and this mayor have put out that we're a sanctuary city,but when we talk to police officers and law enforcement,there's no clear directives on what that means."
The debate also saw candidates addressing issues such as speed bumps, collaboration with the Trump administration, the possibility of building a new arena in the city and much more.
The full debate can be viewed on Cincinnati.com's Youtube Channel.