My Resignation

Dear Friend,

I wanted to notify you that effective at 3 PM today, I have resigned my seat on Cincinnati City Council, in order to return to a needed full-time focus on my private sector professional responsibilities, and to allow for a fuller appreciation of my time with my family.

At 4 PM today, I held a final press conference, with my wife and 3 children at my side, joined by my good friend and colleague Chris Bortz, to introduce my successor on Council for the remaining 7+ months of my term.

Before I introduce my successor to you, I want to thank you for your friendship and support. As I said in my January 27 email announcing my intention to leave my seat early, for 5 years I did my best to make the City better, always with an eye towards the next generation, not the next election.  I believe that public service is most important when stepping up to solve the toughest issues and to tackle the most difficult challenges. I did so knowing that to do so was to risk my political peril in the name of unpopular solutions. I am heartened by the gratitude offered to me in the last few weeks.

I stated that I had complete confidence in Chris Bortz to help me identify a worthy successor. Although we did not have to work through a political party given my status on Council as an Independent, we solicited the input of numerous respected community leaders. I spoke to dozens of prospective candidates, many of whom would be outstanding Council Members and who I would love to see campaign for election.  Chris and I considered individuals who are registered Democrats and Republicans and some who locally are Charterites.

As you can see, political party did not matter. That should not surprise anyone who knows me. What mattered to both me and Chris was that the person appointed continue my work on the issues, fulfilling the aspirations and values of people who voted for me on the ballot giving me a 2-year term. It would be unfair to have a person come in and change course from the voters’ intentions. Having said that, I wanted someone who would offer the 3 what I call “I-traits” that guided me on Council the most:

1)     Intelligence

·         Someone thoughtful, who could study and understand complex issues and seek smart solutions;

2)     Independence

·         Someone who would not be guided by political party or partisan ideology;

3)     Integrity

·         Someone who was in office for the right reasons, not for self promotion, not for a paycheck, but for contributing in this way to make our City better through honest service to the citizens

I am pleased to say that we found just such an exceptional candidate who offers these qualities and will serve with the distinction I reference above.

I did not know him very well before this replacement process. I have gotten to know him quite a bit over the last few weeks, and have grown to like and admire him. I feel confident that he is worthy of serving as my successor, and I will do all I can to help him earn election this November.

Wayne Lippert was born and raised in Cincinnati, and is the oldest of seven children. Wayne has been married to his wife, Chris, for eleven years and they have three children: Lily (7), twins Holland (4) and Trey (4), and a dog named “Otis”.

He is a graduate of the Summit Country Day School, Albion College in Albion, Michigan, and later earned a Master of Business Administration Degree in Finance from The American University in Washington, D.C.

From 1993 to 1997, Wayne worked in the public sector to help fellow Cincinnatians both in the district and in Washington, D.C. in his role as an aide to then-U.S. Congressman Rob Portman.  In this capacity, he served as a caseworker, helping constituents in Ohio’s Second Congressional District with federal matters. Later, as a Legislative Assistant, Wayne served as Rob’s point person on health care and federal budget issues in Washington, D.C.

Wayne gained valuable business and financial experience working for Rothschild Asset Management during business school, and then as a Vice-President in the Institutional Sales and Trading Division of the SoundView Technology Group, a boutique investment bank located in Old Greenwich, CT.

Currently, Wayne is a Principal at Truepoint, Inc., widely recognized as one of the nation’s premier wealth management firms, and is a Certified Financial Planner, CFP^®.

This real world financial experience should serve him well on City Council. I know that he will be guided on how to make the City an attractive home for his kids when they are starting their families many years from now.

I am confident you will enjoy meeting him, getting to know him and seeing his service at City Hall.

As I leave, I want to say that I am not saying goodbye to our relationship nor to public service. I will continue to find roles to serve as a volunteer civic leader. Cincinnati desperately requires change, and I know from past experience that one can serve the City and make it better without the too-consuming, too self-important weekly battles at City Hall and the lengthy committee meetings. So I pledge to stay in touch and hope you will as well.

I will miss many of the people who work at City Hall, in the City Administration, in the Clerk’s office, and in Council offices. I will in particular miss Leslie Ghiz and Chris Bortz, who have been my good friends and confidants for every day of my 5 years here. We were friends before we were elected, and will be friends far beyond today. I wish them well as they work with Amy Murray, Charlie Winburn, Roxanne Qualls and Wayne as they stand up for the too often forgotten taxpayers who pay the bills in this City. We need their leadership more than ever.