Cincinnati City Council candidates debate at Xavier

According to several Cincinnati City Council candidates, Cincinnati is home to a declining job market, weak transportation systems and an increased presence of crime. All of these concerns were debated here at Xavier University Thursday. For the debate, the newly founded Political Science Club, the College Democrats and the College Republicans invited Cincinnati City Council candidates to Kennedy Auditorium in the Conaton Learning Commons to discuss those issues, among others, as the campaign trail blazes on. Dr. Mack Mariani, an assistant professor of political science and sociology, co-moderated the debate with Katherine Ryder, the coordinator for the Center for the American Dream and a member of the Xavier graduating class of 2011. Juniors Chelsea Rodstrom and Kailyn McGowan are co-presidents of the Political Science club and organized the debate. "The primary reason for the debate was to motivate students to become involved and interested in city politics," Rodstrom said. "The second was to make the student perspective relevant to the candidates."

"It's very easy to live in this bubble of being a college student, but students need to understand that these issues around Cincinnati affect them," Mariani said. "We want the candidates to know that there is a constituencyhere that they represent," Mariani said. "They should be thinking about what issues are important to students." Roughly 150 students attended various portions of the total event. The debate was broken up into three different 45-minute sections, during which five different candidates introduced themselves and responded to three or four questions from Mariani and Ryder. Xavier students have been heavily involved with the campaigning of the candidates, and voting on the nine-member council occurs Nov. 8. The final day to register for voting is Oct.11.