When was Jerry Springer the mayor of Cincinnati?
Before he became known as a TV host, Jerry Springer served for a time as mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. A look back at his tenure as mayor...
Jerry Springer had a full career before he got his show on daytime television. The TV host passed away on 27 April, and we wanted to pay tribute to the political career of Jerry Springer, an aspect of his life that is often overlooked.
In 1971, Springer was elected to the Cincinnati City Council after a failed run for Congress. Many may be surprised to learn that the TV host was a lawyer by training and obtained his law degree from Northwestern University.
Jerry Springer’s tenure as mayor of Cincinnati
In 1974, Spring resigned from his city council position after he was caught soliciting a prostitute. However, he was able to overcome the reputational blow by being honest with the city and his constituents, who the following year, re-elected him.
Then, in 1978, Springer’s fellow council members elected him mayor, which at the time held a one-year term.
With such a short time at the helm of the city’s government, Springer was not able to accomplish much. During his tenure, he did try to increase the power of neighborhoods by dividing the city into different districts that would each elect their own representative. However, this proposal was not taken up by city officials.
Throwing his hat in a few more races
While Springer did run for governor of Ohio in 1982, he lost the Democratic nomination. He ran for Senate in the Buckeye State in 2000 and 2004 but ultimately ended his campaign on both occasions because of backlash from his controversial television program.