In an era in which Cincinnati City Council is known for its sometimes raucous and frequently loud debate, Bobbie Sterne was the member who rarely raised her voice.
She spoke calmly and quietly, often with devastating effect. Her colleagues past and present agree that when Mrs. Sterne spoke, people listened.
Wednesday, the longtime council member resigned and handed her seat over to another Charterite, restaurant owner and Broadway Commons advocate Jim Tarbell.
In recent political campaigns, Mrs. Sterne, 77, billed herself as the "quiet and dependable" council member, a stark contrast to some of her colleagues.
"She gave a sense of calm and dignity to a place that was often more raucous than anything else," said Gerald Newfarmer, who was city manager in the early 1990s.
"She gave council its sense of stability," Mr. Newfarmer said. "And now it is lost."
On a council where no one else had served before 1990, Mrs. Sterne -- a member over 27 years, except for a two-year break in the mid-1980s -- was seen as the body's "institutional memory," the one who could speak with authority about how past councils had dealt with city problems.
Mrs. Sterne's former colleagues said she was gracious and pleasant to deal with, but serious about her work.
Former Democratic councilman Peter Strauss said that when he was first appointed in 1979, a large group of friends and family applauded his swearing-in.
"Bobbie turned to me and said, "Remember, Pete, they're clapping for you now, but you haven't voted on anything yet,' " Mr. Strauss said.
Former Republican councilman Nick Vehr said City Hall "will never be the same."
"Bobbie and I disagreed on many issues, but I never questioned her word," Mr. Vehr said. "When she looked me in the eye and said something, she meant it and would stand by it."
Mrs. Sterne's service on council ran from her first election in 1971 to her final one in 1997 -- broken only by a two-year period away from City Hall.
One close loss
In 1985, she finished 10th in the race and lost her seat, but regained it in 1987.
Running as a Charterite, she lost in 1969, running 15th, but before the filing deadline for candidates in the 1971 council election, went to court and had her name changed legally to "Bobbie" -- creating a political persona that became instantly recognizable to Cincinnati voters.
Mrs. Sterne, who lives in North Avondale, was mayor in the 1970s, when a coalition of Charterites and Democrats ruled Cincinnati City Council and split the mayorship during the two-year council term.
Mrs. Sterne's turns as mayor came in 1976 -- when she became the first elected woman mayor of the city -- and later in 1979.
Severe budget problems afflicted the city in Mrs. Sterne's first term and she pushed hard for a 17.5 percent increase in the city earnings tax. It ended up losing by a slim margin -- about 2,200 votes out of about 130,000 cast.
At the end of her first term as mayor, Mrs. Sterne cited improvements in the quality of life in Cincinnati neighborhoods, increased activity in downtown development, the adoption of a riverfront policy ordinance, and the creation of "environmental quality district" zoning among her accomplishments.
When, in December 1978, she began her second one-year stint as mayor -- following Democrat Jerry Springer -- political observers around Cincinnati were saying that she entered the largely ceremonial office with more clout than she had earlier in her political career. In the early 1970s, she was overshadowed by well-known and entrenched political figures, such as her Charterite mentor, Charles P. Taft, and by Democrat Tom Luken and Republican Willis Gradison, both of whom went directly from council to Congress.
Handled police strike
But by the time her second turn as mayor came around, she had established herself as one of the senior members of council.
That year, 1979, Mrs. Sterne had to deal with a police strike that angered many in the community.
At the time she took over as mayor, 7 percent of the city's police force was black. Mrs. Sterne pushed for and got a minority recruitment plan that eventually swelled the ranks of black police officers. Also in 1979, she took enormous criticism for one of her ceremonial duties that turned out to be controversial -- she signed a proclamation declaring a "Lesbian - Gay Pride Day."
Despite pressure, she would not withdraw the proclamation and her stance earned her the support of politically active gay groups such as Stonewall Cincinnati -- support that continued throughout her political career. In the early 1980s, she and then-councilman Guy Guckenberger were the only council members who routinely were offered and accepted Stonewall endorsements.
Later, in the early 1990s, she lost her longtime backing from the AFL-CIO when she voted against union-only labor for the Fountain Square West project.
Fought in court
Her political career almost ended five years ago when it appeared that Cincinnati's term-limits law, approved by voters in 1991, was going to prevent her and council members John Mirlisena and Peter Strauss from running for re-election.
Mr. Mirlisena, a Democrat, and Mrs. Sterne went to court arguing that the law should not be retroactive and that their term limit "clocks" should start with their re-election in 1991.
In a surprise decision in fall 1993, the Ohio Supreme Court agreed, reinstating Mrs. Sterne and Mr. Mirlisena to the ballot.
Wednesday, after the resignation that surprised so many inand out of City Hall, political adversaries and allies were praising Mrs. Sterne.
City Hall's grand lady
"She is the grand lady of Cincinnati City Hall," said Hamilton County Democratic Party chairman Tim Burke. "She is stubborn, yes; tough, yes; but she always carried herslef with the utmost dignity."
Ohio Treasurer J. Kenneth Blackwell, who followed Mrs. Sterne as mayor in 1980, found himself on the opposite side of issues with her many times after he switched from the Charter Committee to the Republican Party.
But Mr. Blackwell said he always "appreciated her thorough and thoughtful response to some really challenging issues. Very few have been devoted to this city for that long."
