Chris Bortz
From HereInCincinnati
Chris Bortz currently serves on Cincinnati City Council, a position he has held since he was first elected in November 2005. He is the Chair of the Economic Development Committee, Vice Chair of Rules and Government Operations Committee, a board member for Breakthrough Collaborative (formerly Summerbridge) and a member of the Finance Committee, Education, Health, and Recreation Committee, and the Arts, Culture, and Tourism Committee.
Bortz also represents the city as Chair of the Regional Planning Partnership and as a member on the Hamilton County Storm Water District Oversight Board. In September 2006 Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory appointed Bortz as Co-Chair of GO Cincinnati, a comprehensive economic growth strategy for the city with a primary focus on creating jobs, developing workforce and revitalizing city neighborhoods. Bortz launched the Government Cooperation & Efficiency Project, along with Hamilton County Commissioner Pat DeWine, which will enable local governments to voluntarily explore arrangements to cooperate in the delivery of services, a key ingredient to the success of our region. Bortz also championed the City of Cincinnati’s Streetcar Feasibility Study to examine the potential economic impact of a downtown streetcar loop.
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[edit] Early Life
Chris is a lifelong Cincinnati citizen, having been both born and raised in Cincinnati. He is the son of Neil and Susie Bortz. Growing up as the middle child, between three brothers and a sister, Chris learned very early on how to keep the peace.
Chris attended high school at Cincinnati Country Day School and later went on to graduate from Tufts University in Boston. Upon finishing college Chris decided to give back to the school from which he graduated, devoting himself as a teacher at Country Day for 6th grade English and 8th grade Philosophy. The highlight of Chris’s career as a teacher came when he accepted a position as the Dean of Faculty for Summerbridge Cincinnati, a summer school program designed to give academically qualified, yet underprivileged students the opportunity to advance their education in a rigorous, nurturing academic environment. Besides his role as teacher and Dean of Faculty for Summerbridge, Chris also coached the football, track, baseball and wrestling teams to numerous victories.
[edit] Towne Properties
Following his time as an educator and mentor, Chris joined the family business at Towne Properties as an Assistant Project Manager, and worked on converting the historic Shillito’s department store into modern residential living. On this and many other projects, Chris worked closely with his uncle, Arn Bortz, who served nine years on Cincinnati City Council and one term as Mayor of Cincinnati in the early 1980’s.
After the renovation of “The Lofts at Shillito Place,” Chris enrolled in law school at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Although the weather was beautiful, Chris longed for his hometown. So as soon as he finished delivering the commencement address at his law school graduation, Chris packed up his apartment and moved back to Cincinnati, taking on a new role at Towne Properties as General Counsel and Special Projects Director.
[edit] City Council
While working hard to rejuvenate downtown and Greater Cincinnati, Chris witnessed both the attributes and deficiencies of Cincinnati and its local leaders on City Council and was determined to make a change. Although Chris has served on the Charter Committee Board since 1997, he felt that he owed it to Cincinnati to take on a greater role in the direction of the city. When offered, Chris gladly accepted a position on the Cincinnati Electoral Reform Commission, a panel created to study Cincinnati government. While attempting to strengthen the City’s electoral process as a panel member of this commission, Chris was further exposed to both the good and bad characteristics of local government.
During this experience, Chris realized that a significant change was needed and it was then that Chris began to seriously consider running for City Council. After brief contemplation and consultation with family and friends, Chris decided that he did not want to sit on the sidelines anymore and watch our great city suffer because of an ineffective city government.
Chris announced he was running for Cincinnati City Council, was endorsed by the Charter Committee April 13th, 2005, and has since fully dedicated himself to winning a seat at City Hall.
Chris's genuine belief in the qualities and character of Cincinnati inspired the goal that we can preserve and even enhance our quality of life through real integrity and pure government. He wants to remind those citizens of Cincinnati who have become disenchanted with local politics that despite its problems, Cincinnati is still a city brimming with abundant character and potential. With energy and optimism, Chris feels that he can bring the changes needed to improve our great city. He is committed to working openly with everyone who shares common values and the goal of seeing our entire region prosper.
[edit] Personal Life
Chris’s life has always been moving at rapid pace, but he was stopped dead in his tracks when he met Susie Green. Their first date was in Mt. Adams (very close to the apartment they currently share) and they were married 15 months later in a joyous ceremony at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel, September 18, 2004. Susie, a lifelong Cincinnatian, is literally Chris’s better half, having graduated from Saint Ursula Academy, then University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), where she played 4 years on the National Championship Women’s Soccer Team. Susie’s athleticism, intelligence and beauty is only matched by the size of her heart, exemplified by the 6 months she spent working in India with Mother Theresa helping the poor. Susie currently works for the John R. Green Company, a family business selling school supplies and furniture, and is Chris’s closest advisor.
