Council faces post-election shakeup with Dem victories

Driving the news: Walsh was elected Ohio treasurer, while Owens won a seat on the Hamilton County Commission. Both were reelected to council just last November.

How it works: Cincinnati's charter allows council members to designate a colleague(s) to pick their replacements upon leave office early.

• They have 60 days to select a replacement, according to the city charter.
• If they don't, council has 30 days to fill the seat. If council fails to act, the mayor makes the appointment.

Zoom in: Walsh designated Owens to pick his replacement.

• Owens tapped Walsh and Evan Nolan to select hers. They'll have to decide together, unless Walsh leaves before a selection is made.

What's next: Walsh plans to take a leave of absence Monday and resign once election results are certified, probably around the end of November. He said he'll donate any salary collected between now and then back to the city's general fund.

• In a statement, Owens said she intends to stay on council as long as possible.
• Both must resign before taking office in January.

Flashback: Owens previously appointed Nolan to replace Reggie Harris, who left for a job in the Biden administration.

• The decision drew criticism from the Cincinnati NAACP because Harris, one of only two Black men on Council at the time, was replaced by a white man.