Harris Happy to Have Qualls Back

Although many say Roxanne Qualls' reappearance at City Hall and her entry into the fall City Council race should strike fear in the hearts of many of the other candidates, Greg Harris says he's happy to have her back. He volunteered on her congressional campaign and has worked with her through his job at Knowledge Works.

"She has an incredible mind. She just very smart. And now, with her public policy background, she's just going to bring so much."


Over lunch yesterday at Kaldi's - he says the red beans and rice is great, by the way - he talked about the race and why, when it's difficult for a newcomer to raise enough money, he's in it:


1. He wants to focus on workforce development. "I know public policy sounds so academic, but it's really about helping people have access to money for job training. There are so many programs out there, but many people just don't know about them. I want to make that connection. I know how government works and where the resources are."


2. When he ran unsuccessfully for congress against Steve Chabot, he got 63% of the vote in the city of Cincinnati. He's hoping many of those voters remember him and vote for him again.


3. He wants to win, obviously, but he would prefer to do it with a healthy percentage of votes from black people. He believes people elected by mostly whites can tend to make policy without considering the effects on other demographic groups.


4. He's going door-to-door to try to offset the need for more campaign funds. "I'm just trying to do face time." He has passed out more than 5,000 of his magnets (they have kitchen measurement equivalents on them). "Those are 5,000 mini-conversations."


www.votegregharris.com