P.G. Sittenfeld
Member of the Cincinnati City Council
In office
December 1, 2011 – January 4, 2022
Personal details
Born
Alexander Paul George
Sittenfeld

(1984-10-01) October 1, 1984
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Sarah Coyne
​
(m. 2016)​
RelativesCurtis Sittenfeld (sister)
Education
Websitewww.pgsittenfeld.com
Conviction(s)Felony bribery and attempted extortion (2022)
Criminal penalty16 months

Alexander Paul George Sittenfeld (born October 1, 1984) is an American politician and former member of the Cincinnati City Council. He has been convicted of felony bribery and attempted extortion.

A member of the Democratic Party, Sittenfeld served on the Cincinnati City Council from 2011 to 2022. Elected at age 27, he was the youngest person to ever be elected to the body. Prior to his election, Sittenfeld was assistant director at the Community Learning Center Institute in Cincinnati. In January 2015, he announced his 2016 bid for Ohio's U.S. Senate seat, then held by Republican Rob Portman. On March 15, 2016, Sittenfeld lost the Senate Democratic primary election to former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland.[1] On July 12, 2020, Sittenfeld announced that he would run in the 2021 Cincinnati mayoral election,[2] but dropped out of the race following his arrest on political corruption charges.[3]

On November 19, 2020, Sittenfeld was arrested on federal charges of corruption and bribery,[4] and later suspended from council.[5] Sittenfeld's arrest was part of a broader FBI focus on rooting out political corruption in Cincinnati.[6] Sittenfeld accepted $40,000 in bribes from undercover FBI agents posing as real estate investors in exchange for votes on a matter before the city council.[7] On July 8, 2022, following a two-and-a-half week trial in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, Sittenfeld was convicted on two felony counts of bribery and attempted extortion and was sentenced to 16 months in prison on October 10, 2023.[8][9] As a convicted felon, Ohio law prohibits Sittenfeld from holding public office in the state.[10]

Sittenfeld began his Federal prison sentance on January 2, 2024 at FCI Ashland. [11]

Early life and education

P.G. Sittenfeld was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, the youngest of four children. His mother, Betsy, is a retired school teacher who served as a librarian and art history teacher at Seven Hills School.[12] Sittenfeld's father, Paul, started his career at Procter & Gamble, before leaving to work at Planned Parenthood, later running the Cincinnati Fine Arts Fund, and finally transitioning to become a family investment advisor.[13] Sittenfeld's mother is Catholic and his father was Jewish.

One of his three older sisters, Curtis Sittenfeld, is a novelist known for Eligible and Rodham.[14][15]

For high school, Sittenfeld attended The Seven Hills School, an elite private school, where he was an all-city basketball player. During this time he also wrote a monthly column for The Cincinnati Enquirer and an advice column in Seventeen.[16]

Sittenfeld matriculated at Princeton University, where he served as the president of his freshman class. He remained involved in journalism, including as a columnist for the Daily Princetonian, and as a student stringer through the University Press Club for publications including The New York Times,[17] Trenton Times, and Princeton Alumni Weekly. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa. In 2007, he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in English, and was awarded a Marshall Scholarship to attend graduate school in the United Kingdom.[18]

As a Marshall Scholar, Sittenfeld attended a master's program in English literature at Oxford University.[18] There, he lived at Magdalen College, and studied the works of John Steinbeck.

Career

Cincinnati City Council

"Vote PG" logo

In 2011, at age 27, Sittenfeld became the youngest person ever elected to Cincinnati City Council.[19] He received the second most votes of the 23 candidates.[20] He was sworn into office on December 1, 2011.[19]

He was re-elected to the council in 2013 and was the leading vote-getter among the 21 candidates.[21] He ran again in 2017 & was re-elected with the most votes among the candidates for the second time in a row. Sittenfeld did not run for re-election in 2021.

Committee assignments

  • Budget and Finance Committee, Member[22]
  • Education, Innovation, and Growth, Chair[23]
  • Equity, Inclusion, Youth, and the Arts, Member[24]

Legislation

Sittenfeld sponsored legislation creating the Vacant Foreclosed Property Registry to require banks and lenders to maintain vacant foreclosed houses under their control. Since its creation, the program has generated $4,000,000 for the City of Cincinnati, and mandated the upkeep of more than 4,000 homes.[25][26]

Sittenfeld started an initiative known as the "Golden Cincinnati Initiative", the purpose of which was to provide support to Cincinnati's elderly community. The initiative included the creation of the city's Chief Advocacy Officer for Aging and Accessibility, a role in the city administration tasked with assisting in the creation and implementation of policies with older Cincinnatians and those with accessibility needs in mind.[27] In November 2018, the Over-the-Rhine Senior Center – which primarily serves low-income, older residents in the neighborhoods around Over-the-Rhine – was set to close due to a reduction in funding. Sittenfeld worked with Cincinnati Area Senior Services, the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, and the Office of Aging and Accessibility, to direct city funding to keep the center operational.[28] In January 2019, Sittenfeld advocated for the city's human services budget to incorporate resources for senior citizen services, which had not previously qualified for funding. The legislation adding senior services as a human services budget priority passed unanimously.[29]

In 2020, Sittenfeld sponsored the first "renter's choice" legislation in the United States, allowing apartment-renting tenants alternatives to cash security deposit.[30]

In 2019, working with the AMOS Project, the University of Cincinnati Law School, Northern Kentucky University Law School, and the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, Sittenfeld sponsored legislation ending the City of Cincinnati Law Department's prosecutorial division's policy of requesting cash bail when prosecuting defendants.[31] Sittenfeld later introduced legislation allowing prospective job-applicants to the City of Cincinnati with prior marijuana possession charges on their records to not be denied employment.[32] In 2020, with councilmember Greg Landsman, Sittenfeld introduced legislation to move toward a policy of citations to court, instead of arrests, for low level offenses.[33]

Sittenfeld sponsored legislation creating Cincinnati's first-ever bus-only lane to provide dedicated avenues for Metro buses to traverse city streets, with an emphasis on the Central Business District, to reduce congestion and improve travel times.[34] In 2019, Sittenfeld sponsored an amendment to the city charter which allowed for a regional funding mechanism for the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority's Metro bus system, which previously had only received direct local funding from the city's earnings tax. Voters approved Sittenfeld's charter amendment with 75% support in the November 2018 election.[35]

Beginning in 2017, Sittenfeld began an effort with councilmember Chris Seelbach to establish an annual commitment in the city's budget directing $500,000 toward city-wide pedestrian safety improvements. In 2019, that allocation funded 70 projects, such as enhanced lighting and signs, improved crosswalks, and "bump-outs" which reduce the width of streets at key, pedestrian-heavy intersections.[36]

Sittenfeld sponsored city funding for a new health and wellness center in the neighborhood of Evanston, which serves immigrant students and families. He has also advocated for additional school nurses in the city budget.[37]

Sittenfeld has advocated for reproductive rights. In April 2019, after the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 23, a bill which would ban abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, Sittenfeld introduced legislation requiring the City of Cincinnati's law department to file an amicus curae brief with the court in opposition to the legislation, challenging the bill's constitutionality.[38][39]

Sittenfeld has participated in efforts to convert Cincinnati into a smart city, including sponsoring legislation to create the city's open data portal, expanding wireless internet access to a low-income Cincinnati neighborhoods, creating the city's Government Technology Advisory Council, and calling for implementation of technology tools that can be deployed for public safety, such as ShotSpotter.[40][41]

Texting scandal

In 2018, Sittenfeld was caught leading the "Gang of Five", a group of five city council members (Sittenfeld, Chris Seelbach, Greg Landsman, Wendell Young, and Tamaya Dennard) who communicated via secret text messages attempting to undermine the mayor and bypass public meetings and debates.[42]

In March 2019, the Gang of Five agreed to turn over their text messages in order to settle a lawsuit filed by a local anti-tax activist. Among the text messages were juvenile discussions of city employees' sexuality, messages mocking members of the public who attended council meetings or contacted the city council.[43] The text messages were made searchable and posted on the website of the law firm that brought the suit against the Gang of Five.[44] The Agreed Judgment Entry resolving the case has been made available online at the Scribd website.[45]

In June 2019 additional text messages were released as a result of a lawsuit filed by Sinclair Media reporter Angenette Levy in which it was revealed that Sittenfeld encouraged the then-city manager, Harry Black, to work with African American community leaders to avoid being fired.[46][47][48] This release also included text messages in which Sittenfeld discussed his concern over Black's need for counseling, and Sittenfeld and other council members discussing Black's habit of making late night drunken phone calls to city officials and reporters.[49] Text messages also revealed that Black had engaged in efforts to suppress dissent among city employees, including chastising a city employee after she testified before council about the death of a teenager when 911 operators and Cincinnati police were unable to locate the teen. Despite all these concerns, Sittenfeld opposed efforts to fire Black.[50]

The Gang of Five's efforts cost the City approximately $500,000 as it resulted in additional costs to fire a city manager, and costs to hire outside lawyers to defend the lawsuit and ultimately in paying the fines and attorney fees as part of the agreed order resolving the lawsuit.[51]

Arrest

On November 19, 2020, Sittenfeld was arrested by federal agents on charges of accepting bribes in exchange for favorable votes on developmental deals.[4] Two other Cincinnati councilmembers Tamaya Dennard and Jeff Pastor were arrested under corruption charges earlier in the same year.[52] On July 8, 2022, Sittenfeld was convicted of bribery and attempted extortion and was acquitted on two counts of honest services wire fraud, one count of bribery, and one count of attempted extortion. As part of his conviction Sittenfeld is required to repay $20,000.00 of bribes he was paid by undercover federal agents.[53] His post-trial request to overturn the conviction was denied.[54][55] He was sentenced to 16 months in prison on October 10, 2023.[56][9]

U.S. Senate campaign

On January 22, 2015, Sittenfeld announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held by current Republican Senator Rob Portman in 2016.[57] Sittenfeld lost in the Democratic Party primary to former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland.[1]

Throughout his primary campaign, Sittenfeld focused heavily on gun control issues, claiming he would support reforms such as a federal ban on assault weapons and more comprehensive background checks for gun purchasers.[58] On January 28, 2016, Sittenfeld announced a proposed amendment to the Ohio legislature to restore home-rule authority on gun control. His proposal would allow city governments within Ohio to enact their own gun control laws, a power which was removed by a 2006 state law.[59]

2016 U.S. Senate campaign endorsements
Individuals
Organizations

Mayoral campaign

On July 12, 2020, Sittenfeld announced that he was running in the 2021 Cincinnati mayoral election to succeed incumbent mayor John Cranley. He faced another city councilman, David S. Mann.[2]

Sittenfield stopped being an active candidate for the mayoral race due to the federal charges brought against him.[73]

Personal life

In June 2016, he married Sarah Coyne.[74] Their son George was born on June 12, 2019.[75]

References

  1. 1 2 Torry, Jack; Wehrman, Jessica (March 15, 2016). "Ted Strickland beats P.G. Sittenfeld in Democratic primary for U.S. Senate". Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Coolidge, Sharon (July 12, 2020). "It's a two-man mayor race: Sittenfeld announces Cincinnati 2021 mayoral run". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  3. ↑ Coolidge, Sharon. "P.G. Sittenfeld says 'with a very heavy heart that, due to the current situation' he won't run for mayor". The Enquirer. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Coolidge, Sharon; Horn, Dan (November 19, 2020). "'I can deliver the votes': Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld arrested on corruption charges". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  5. ↑ Coolidge, Sharon (December 7, 2020). "'Extremely disappointed.' Hamilton County Democratic chair slams P.G. Sittenfeld for not resigning from Cincinnati City Council". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Cincinnati city council member arrested, charged with accepting $40k in bribes". www.justice.gov. November 19, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Jury convicts former Cincinnati Council member Sittenfeld of bribery and attempted extortion". www.justice.gov. July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  8. ↑ Coolidge, Kevin Grasha and Sharon. "P.G. Sittenfeld: Jury finds former Cincinnati city councilman guilty in corruption trial". The Enquirer. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Former Cincinnati City Council member sentenced to 16 months in prison for bribery, attempted extortion". justice.gov. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Section 2961.02 - Ohio Revised Code | Ohio Laws". codes.ohio.gov. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  11. ↑ Grasha, Kevin; Coolidge, Sharon (November 29, 2023). "Federal judge delays P.G. Sittenfeld's report date to prison". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  12. ↑ Christian, Paula (May 18, 2016). "What P.G. Sittenfeld learned by (finally) losing". WCPO.
  13. ↑ Lyman, David (August–September 2014). "Wading on In". Cincy Magazine. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015.
  14. ↑ Sittenfeld, Josephine (July 2, 2019). "Opinion: Growing Up Ethan". The New York Times.
  15. ↑ Orbey, Eren (November 15, 2017). "A Photographer's Old College Classmates, Back Then and Now". The New Yorker.
  16. ↑ "Regional Roar: The Newsletter of the Committee on Regional Associations" (PDF). Alumni Association of Princeton University. March 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 22, 2020.
  17. ↑ Sittenfeld, P. G. (May 10, 2006). "When the Professor Is a Tough Grader, and Your Dad". The New York Times.
  18. 1 2 Quiñones, Eric (February 19, 2007). "Four seniors named 2007 Marshall Scholars". Princeton Weekly Bulletin. Princeton University.
  19. 1 2 "Historic Cincinnati city council sworn in, waiting for budget". WXIX. December 2, 2011. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Cincinnati City Council receives major overhaul in election". WXIX. November 9, 2011. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  21. ↑ Wilkinson, Howard (November 6, 2013). "Cranley elected mayor, with big changes on city council". WVXU.
  22. ↑ "1:00 p.m. – Budget & Finance Committee". City of Cincinnati.
  23. ↑ "2:00 p.m. – Education, Innovation & Growth Committee". City of Cincinnati.
  24. ↑ "11:00 a.m. Equity, Inclusion, Youth, & The Arts Committee". City of Cincinnati.
  25. ↑ Wetterich, Chris (August 28, 2013). "Sittenfeld wants foreclosed homes maintained". Cincinnati Business Courier. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  26. ↑ Hanselman, Jay (November 2, 2015). "Cincinnati Council Could Again Tweak Foreclosed Property Registry". WVXU.
  27. ↑ "City of Cincinnati Aging & Accessibility Strategic Plan". City of Cincinnati. August 31, 2017. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  28. ↑ Coolidge, Sharon (December 25, 2018). "Santa? No, it was P.G. Sittenfeld's plan that keeps Over-the-Rhine Senior Center open". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Councilman introduces plan to increase support for senior citizens". WCPO. January 14, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  30. ↑ Coolidge, Sharon (November 21, 2019). "More help for Cincinnati renters coming. Sittenfeld introduces security deposit help". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  31. ↑ Londberg, Max (April 8, 2019). "Advocates, councilman hope to end cash bail for certain nonviolent charges in Cincinnati". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  32. ↑ Smith-Randolph, Walter (October 22, 2019). "Cincinnati could ditch drug testing for marijuana for city jobs". WKRC. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Motion" (PDF). City of Cincinnati. March 5, 2020.
  34. ↑ Schmitt, Angie (November 5, 2018). "Cincinnati Bus Riders Finally Get A Lane of their Own". StreetsBlog USA. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  35. ↑ LaFleur, Pat (August 6, 2019). "City Council poised to take first step toward new funding for Cincinnati Metro". WCPO. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  36. ↑ LaFleur, Pat (January 9, 2020). "Vision Zero Cincinnati: Pedestrian-involved crashes dropped in 2019, according to city data". WCPO. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  37. ↑ "New Schiff Wellness Center Opens at Academy of World Languages". I Am CPS. October 25, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  38. ↑ "Senate Bill 1392: Patients' rights legislation". APA PsycEXTRA. 1977. doi:10.1037/e593322009-003.
  39. ↑ Sittenfeld, P.G. (April 10, 2019). "Motion" (PDF). City of Cincinnati. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  40. ↑ Maddox, Teena (April 27, 2017). "In Cincinnati's mission to become a smart city, public data is critical to its success". TechRepublic. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  41. ↑ Pyzyk, Katie (January 17, 2019). "Inside the Wi-Fi project illuminating Cincinnati's 'Smart Cincy' vision". Smart Cities Dive. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  42. ↑ Coolidge, Sharon (March 6, 2019). "Judge to council 'Gang of Five:' You 'lied' to people of Cincinnati". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  43. ↑ Smith-Randolph, Walter (March 7, 2019). ""Gang of 5" texts reveal discussion of city business, personal affairs". WKRC. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  44. ↑ "Text Messages Released By Cincinnati Councilmembers". Finney Law Firm. March 7, 2019. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019.
  45. ↑ "Gang of Five Final Entry". Finney Law Firm, LLC – via Scribd.
  46. ↑ Smith-Randolph, Walter (June 5, 2019). "Gang of 5 text messages reveal City Hall strategizing as Local 12 wins lawsuit". WKRC. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  47. ↑ Levy, Angenette (June 5, 2019). "Newly released text messages detail racial component to city manager dispute". WKRC. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  48. ↑ Coolidge, Sharon; Horn, Dan (June 5, 2019). "New texts: Cranley and City Council talked about using private money to buy out Harry Black". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  49. ↑ Baker, Jennifer Edwards (June 9, 2019). "New secret council texts released: Behind the scenes of City Hall power struggle over city manager". WXIX. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  50. ↑ "Text messages" (PDF). Retrieved June 9, 2019 – via Dropbox.
  51. ↑ Fisher, Jacob (March 11, 2019). "'Gang of five' case: Four members of Cincinnati City Council have offered to pay $200 each toward the $101,000 in fines and fees". The Cincinnati Enquirer.
  52. ↑ Coolidge, Sharon (November 19, 2020). "From 'Gang of 5' to federal indictments: A timeline of recent Cincinnati City Hall corruption". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  53. ↑ https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2023-09-19/sittenfeld-ordered-pay-back-money-fbi#
  54. ↑ "Judge affirms P.G. Sittenfeld's convictions for bribery, attempted extortion". Cincinnati Enquirer.
  55. ↑ Staff, FOX19 Digital; Riva, Chris; Baker, Jennifer Edwards; Dawson, rew. "Verdict announced in P.G. Sittenfeld trial". fox19.com. Retrieved July 10, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  56. ↑ https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2023/07/12/pg-sittenfeld-what-happened-to-convicted-cincinnati-councilman/70405844007/
  57. ↑ Coolidge, Sharon; Shesgreen, Deirdre (January 22, 2015). "Sittenfeld: Yes, I'm running for U.S. Senate". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  58. ↑ Higgs, Robert (November 17, 2015). "PG Sittenfeld pushes gun regulation as key campaign issue against Ted Strickland". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  59. ↑ Provance, Jim (January 28, 2016). "Sittenfeld seeks return of home-rule authority on guns". Toledo Blade. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  60. ↑ Zichal, Heather (September 8, 2015). "We need lawmakers who will fight for a clean environment". The Hill. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  61. ↑ Pelzer, Jeremy (February 10, 2015). "PG Sittenfeld endorsed by former Ohio Gov. Richard Celeste". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  62. ↑ Ludlow, Randy (February 12, 2016). "Richard Celeste endorses P.G. Sittenfeld in Senate primary race". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on February 13, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  63. 1 2 3 4 5 Pelzer, Jeremy (January 19, 2016). "Ted Strickland, PG Sittenfeld unveil Northeast Ohio endorsements". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  64. ↑ Drusch, Andrea (January 13, 2016). "Ted Strickland's Ohio Woes". National Journal. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  65. ↑ Gomez, Henry (February 19, 2015). "John Kasich keeps everything, including state-run health care exchange, on the table in South Carolina: Ohio Politics Roundup". The Plain Dealer. "P.G. Sittenfeld lands more supporters" (sec.). Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  66. 1 2 3 4 Wehrman, Jessica (January 26, 2015). "Democratic city council members endorse Sittenfeld". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  67. ↑ Troy, Tom (July 22, 2015). "Jim Ruvolo concerned over David Pepper's treatment of Senate candidate Sittenfeld". The Toledo Blade. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  68. ↑ "Actor Jonathan Banks Endorses PG Sittenfeld for U.S. Senate". PG Sittenfeld. February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016 – via YouTube.
  69. ↑ "Actor Mark Hamill (Star Wars iconic Luke Skywalker) endorses PG Sittenfeld". PG Sittenfeld. March 8, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016 – via YouTube.
  70. ↑ "Friends of the Earth Action endorses PG Sittenfeld for Senate". Friends of the Earth Action. February 16, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  71. ↑ Beacon Journal editorial board (February 27, 2016). "For the U.S. Senate: P.G. Sittenfeld in the Democratic primary". Akron Beacon Journal. Archived from the original on February 29, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  72. ↑ Editorial Board (February 29, 2016). "PG Sittenfeld for U.S. Senate in the Democratic primary: endorsement editorial". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  73. ↑ Wilkinson, Howard (November 25, 2020). "Analysis: With Sittenfeld Out, Who Might Now Enter Cincinnati's Mayoral Race?". WVXU. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  74. ↑ Thompson, Chrissie (June 4, 2016). "P.G. Sittenfeld gets married". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  75. ↑ Sittenfeld, P.G. (August 2, 2019). "Welcome to Fatherhood". Cincinnati. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
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