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Tamaya Dennard
Tamaya Dennard is a former representative on the Cincinnati City Council in Ohio. Dennard was elected in 2017 and resigned on March 2, 2020.[1]
Elections
2017
The city of Cincinnati, Ohio, held elections on November 7, 2017. A primary election for the mayoral race was held on May 2, 2017. The top two vote-getters faced each other in the general election. The filing deadline for mayoral candidates was February 16, 2017. All nine seats on the city council were up for election. Regardless of the number of candidates, Cincinnati does not hold a primary election for the city council races. The filing deadline for city council candidates was August 24, 2017.[2] The following candidates ran in the geneal election for nine seats on the Cincinnati City Council.[3]
| Cincinnati City Council, General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 P.G. Sittenfeld Incumbent |
9.62% | 39,815 |
| David Mann Incumbent |
8.65% | 35,789 |
| Chris Seelbach Incumbent |
7.40% | 30,626 |
| Wendell Young Incumbent |
6.84% | 28,296 |
| Christopher Smitherman Incumbent |
6.56% | 27,149 |
| Tamaya Dennard |
6.30% | 26,053 |
| Greg Landsman |
6.05% | 25,049 |
| Amy Murray Incumbent |
5.77% | 23,888 |
| Jeff Pastor |
5.32% | 21,996 |
| Michelle Dillingham | 5.26% | 21,773 |
| Ozie Davis | 4.51% | 18,671 |
| Lesley Jones | 4.43% | 18,345 |
| Laure Quinlivan | 4.05% | 16,758 |
| Derek Bauman | 4.03% | 16,680 |
| Henry Frondorf | 2.57% | 10,637 |
| Seth Maney | 2.44% | 10,114 |
| Brian Garry | 2.21% | 9,152 |
| Kelli Prather | 1.73% | 7,175 |
| Tamie Sullivan | 1.51% | 6,232 |
| Tonya Dumas | 1.50% | 6,186 |
| Erica Black-Johnson | 1.34% | 5,539 |
| Cristina Burcica | 1.00% | 4,150 |
| Manuel Foggie | 0.86% | 3,556 |
| Dadrien Washington | 0.03% | 125 |
| Total Votes | 413,754 | |
| Source: Hamilton County Board of Elections, "2017 General Election Official Results," November 22, 2017 | ||
Noteworthy events
Bribery charges
On February 25, 2020, Dennard was arrested and charged with wire fraud, bribery, and attempted extortion.[4] According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio, Dennard "allegedly requested between $10,000 and $15,000" in exchange for votes on issues before the city council.[5] On March 2, 2020, Dennard resigned from her position on the city council, saying in a statement, "It is with great sadness that I announce my resignation, effective today, March 2, 2020. The last thing I want is to be a distraction from the work that needs to be done for this city."[1]
On June 29, 2020, Dennard entered a guilty plea on a charge of wire fraud in federal court.[6] Dennard was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the charge of wire fraud. The bribery and attempted extortion charges were dropped.[7]
Open Meetings Act
Dennard was one of five Cincinnati City Council members charged in March 2019 with violating Ohio's Open Meetings Act.[8]
See also
| Cincinnati, Ohio | Ohio | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 WLWT5, "Embattled Councilwoman Tamaya Dennard resigns," March 2, 2020
- ↑ Hamilton County Board of Elections, "2017 Election Schedule," accessed February 2, 2017
- ↑ Hamilton County Board of Elections, "Candidates and Issues List Filed for the General Election November 7, 2017," August 28, 2017
- ↑ Cincinnati.com, "'Send a little help to me today.' How the Tamaya Dennard alleged bribery scandal unfolded," February 25, 2020
- ↑ The United States District Attorney's Office - Southern District of Ohio, "Cincinnati City Council president charged with honest services wire fraud, bribery, attempted extortion," February 25, 2020
- ↑ Fox 19 NOW, "Former Councilwoman Tamaya Dennard pleads guilty to wire fraud," June 29, 2020
- ↑ Fox 19 NOW, "Tamaya Dennard reports to federal prison in West Virginia," June 1, 2021
- ↑ Cincinnati Business Courier, "Judge says City Council members should quit," March 7, 2019
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