Lachey draws crowd at campaign stop

Lachey draws crowd at campaign stop

OK, so there were no hordes of screaming fans or paparazzi lining West Fourth Street when entertainer Nick Lachey walked into Club Bang Saturday night.

But about 100 people were waiting inside to greet him.

The West Side native and boy band alumnus was in town to endorse Justin Jeffre in his run for Cincinnati City Council. Jeffre and Lachey sang in 98°, a “boy band.”

No one seemed too interested in talking politics as fans – many young, female and showing plenty of skin – lined up to get their pictures taken with Lachey.

But Lachey did his best to get out the message in between shaking hands and smiling for the cameras.

Lachey said he admired “more than anything, (Jeffre’s) passion for his city. He’s a lifelong resident of the city, and I was, too, and we both watched things change here, and Justin’s committed to turning the city around. No one’s more passionate about the city, except maybe me. But I can’t run for council because I don’t live here anymore.”

The two have known each other for about 20 years since they were classmates at the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Over-the-Rhine.
Jeffre, 34, of Clifton Heights has been endorsed by the Green Party of Southwest Ohio.

He cited his priorities as economic development, with an emphasis on attracting and retaining small business, transportation and tougher environmental policies.

“We need to be more creative about how we move people around this city,” Jeffre said. His priorities include exploring mass transit options, including a light-rail system, as well as increasing use of alternative fuels.

This council race isn’t his first foray into Cincinnati politics. In 2005, he ran for mayor as an independent, garnering only 2 percent of the votes.