By a concerned Cincinnati neighbor
If you grew up in Cincinnati—really grew up here, in the heart of Over-the-Rhine during the ’90s and early 2000s—then you already know. You’ve seen how systems fail our kids. You’ve watched neighborhoods get left behind while others rise up. And you’ve probably asked yourself more than once: Who’s really fighting for us?
Donald Washington is.
He’s not a politician born in a boardroom or groomed behind closed doors. He’s a son of this city. He’s one of us. He walked these streets as a boy, dodging bullets of poverty, crime, and neglect. But he didn’t run from it. He ran into it—with purpose. At 17, Donald joined the U.S. Air Force and later served a tour in Iraq. And when he came home, he didn’t forget where he came from. He came back to serve, again.
What makes Donald different is that he’s not asking to sit at City Hall so he can play politics. He’s running to fight. To fight for the kids carrying trauma in their backpacks instead of books. To fight for mothers who can’t find fresh food within walking distance but have three liquor stores on the same block. To fight for the young man staring down two paths: crime or unemployment—because opportunity never made it to his ZIP code.
Donald knows firsthand that trauma is the most untreated epidemic in our community. It’s not just emotional. It’s physical. Biological. It rewires the brain and fuels the cycle of poverty, incarceration, and generational pain. And while other candidates might quote statistics, Donald can quote memories. He’s lived it. And that’s why he’s serious about funding trauma-informed programs, expanding mental health access, and pushing for early interventions that break the cycle before it begins.
He also knows crime doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It grows in the cracks of abandoned buildings and broken promises. Donald is committed to addressing the root causes—not just policing symptoms. That means real investment in after-school programs, job training, small business support, and turning blighted lots into spaces of pride, not fear.
And when it comes to food disparities in our Black communities, Donald is done with lip service. He’s ready to champion urban agriculture, expand community gardens, and demand grocery store incentives in food deserts. Because our people deserve more than just survival—we deserve health, dignity, and joy.
This isn’t about politics. This is about people. About you. About us.
Donald Washington is calling on you—not just for your vote, but for your partnership. For your belief that Cincinnati can be more than a tale of two cities. That every child deserves safety, that every family deserves nourishment, and that our trauma does not define us—it unites us.
So when you see his name on the ballot, know this: he’s not just running for office. He’s running with you, because of you, and for the future we all deserve.
Let’s put someone in City Hall who never forgot where he came from. Let’s elect Donald Washington.