Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune announced Thursday he will not run for re-election. ‘My cancer has spread.’ Portune said. Briana Rice, Cincinnati Enquirer
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Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune announced Thursday he will not run for re-election after more than a quarter-century in public life.
At an emotional press conference, where he was surrounded by two of his children and dozens of leaders from both sides of the political aisle, Portune revealed that his cancer has returned. And it has spread.
A three-month round of chemotherapy over the summer did not work, he said.
“It’s clear to me, whether it is undergoing treatments or not, the physical impact will be extremely challenging and difficult and painful,” Portune said.
The 61-year-old Portune, known for working tirelessly, said would not be able to perform to the level he expects of himself.
This isn’t a resignation, he stressed. But he acknowledged it’s possible he may not be able to finish his term, which concludes at the end of 2020. He declined to be specific about his cancer, saying only that he has not seen all the doctors he plans to yet.
At times he choked up when speaking. But there were also moments of laughter at political in-jokes about the county and city getting along and the contentious building of a music venue at The Banks.
“There is no job that I have enjoyed better than having had the opportunity to serve the people of Cincinnati and Hamilton County for almost 27 consecutive years,” Portune said. “Ever since my accident at home in mid-April I have not been able to carry out my duties and responsibilities as your commissioner in the manner in which you have grown accustomed, nor in the matter in which I believe the job should be performed.”
Fighting for rights “before it was popular”
Some attending the announcement at the Hamilton County offices cried when hearing the news, though many expected the news.
“Todd Portune has stood tall in this community for decades, serving the public with an unmatched dedication and enthusiasm,” Commissioner Denise Driehaus said “He has also been my friend, from the time I worked for him as his legislative assistant at City Hall to present day, as his colleague on the county commission. It has been my honor and privilege to serve beside Todd, who has taught me the value of integrity, thoughtful deliberation and (to make) decisions based on what is right and just.”
Chris Monzel, a Republican, who served on council and commission with Portune, showed up for the announcement to show support.
“Even if we didn’t always agree, there is respect,” Monzel said. “I wanted to support him in a very difficult decision. I lost a brother to cancer. My heart goes out to his family for what they’re dealing with. It’s tough.”
Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, a fellow Democrat who has sometimes clashed with Hamilton County officials, said Portune had fought for gay rights, disability inclusion, and addiction help “before it was popular.”
“That’s the legacy his kids will know and I will trumpet,” Cranley said.
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County attorney Tom Gabelman went to University of Cincinnati Law School with Portune, graduating a year behind him. They’ve worked on many projects together. Four years ago, at the Yard House on The Banks, they determined together they have a “decade to deliver” on projects like the U.S. Bank Arena, the rest of The Banks and the transit system.
Then they wrote all the projects out on a napkin, which Gabelman still has.
When news of the retirement broke, Gabelman texted Portune referencing a Robert Frost poem, Stopping by the Wood of a snowy evening, which ends with the words, “And miles to go before I sleep”, telling him “miles to go, a decade to deliver.”
Portune replied: “We may need to deliver sooner than a decade.”
To which Gabelman responded: “You have delivered for at least two and half decades and our city and our region has been transformed as a result.”
Portune is one of the longest-serving Democrats in this region’s history, serving for almost 27 years first as a Cincinnati City Councilman and then later as commissioner. Had he run again next year, it would have been for an unprecedented sixth term.
He’s proud people see him not as partisan, but as a commissioner.
For much of his career, ill health has eroded Portune’s body, leaving him partially paralyzed, in a wheelchair and missing his left leg above the knee.
Doctors in 1996 discovered tumors on Portune’s spine and warned him they could paralyze him if they continued to grow.
Treatment for a blood clot in 2002 caused the spinal tumors to hemorrhage, paralyzing the former track star from the chest down. An aide would go to the hospital with work. Portune continued to introduce motions from his hospital bed.
He’s persevered through it all, serving on the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners since 2000. Prior to that, Portune was a Cincinnati City Councilman for seven years.
Despite the health issues, Portune has forged a career in politics, becoming one of the region’s leading Democratic figures.
It has sometimes required holding public meetings in the hospital where he has convalesced.
The three commissioners met in an auditorium at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in the spring of 2018. Portune had just had his left leg amputated above the knee due to cancer.
Then, in April, Portune fell at his Green Township home, injuring his spine once again.
The fall partially paralyzed him on the right side of his body. He missed about a month’s worth of meetings. After the commissioners couldn’t come to an agreement about whether to meet at Drake Hospital where Portune recovered, Portune managed to wheel himself into the commissioner’s meeting at the end of May.
“I’m very happy to be here,” Portune said in that meeting. “I had to move heaven and Earth to be able to be with all of you today to fulfill this aspect of my duty as a county commissioner.”
He’s attended most of the meetings of the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners since then.
It’s the end of a political era for Democrats. Cincinnati and Hamilton County has gone from complete Republican rule to almost total Democratic control in Portune’s time.
A career in Cincinnati and Hamilton County politics
He lost only one election, his first in 1992. He was a 34-year-old lawyer recruited by the Democratic party to run against Ohio Senate President Stanley Aronoff, whose name graces the theater downtown.
Most politicos at the time saw Portune as the sacrificial lamb in that race. They were right. Aronoff easily beat him.
Within two months, Portune joined Cincinnati City Council as the appointed replacement for David Mann, who was headed to Congress.
It’s not clear who will succeed Portune. No Democrats have stepped forward yet to run.
Indian Hill Republican Andy Black has already announced his candidacy for Portune’s seat on the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners.
Portune exits as serious financial decisions face the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners. A projected budget shortfall of $20 million has commissioners considering a sales tax hike. They’ll consider whether to continue the 0.25 percent sales tax that voters approved five years ago to pay for the Union Terminal renovations. That tax was slated to expire April 2020. Staff has recommended continuing the tax.
Portune said he was making the announcement “without regret.”
“Because of everyone’s support, including first and foremost the Lord above, I have been able to live and experience a blessed life,” he said. “Many times I have remarked that I wish everyone could experience what I have experienced. (My life) has been a rich and blessed life in service to others.”
For much of his speech, Portune read from a statement. It was out of character, but said he did it so he would be become “blubberly” or talk too long, which drew laughs.
Portune is known for his passionate, and at times, long speeches.
But at the end, he added his own heartfelt words as he looks at the dozens of people who turned out to support him.
“I love all of you,” he said. “This has been a great ride. There is still a little bit of the ride to go.”
Profiles of the three Hamilton County Commissioners. Wochit
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