The Columbus mayoral election of 2011 was the 84th mayoral election in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. It was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2011. Incumbent mayor

Michael B. Coleman Michael B. Coleman (born November 18, 1954) is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 52nd mayor of Columbus, Ohio. He was the first African-American to serve as the mayor of Ohio's capital city. Coleman was a memb ...

defeated challenger Earl W. Smith. The scheduled nonpartisan primary was canceled because only two candidates were able to make the ballot. While the election was formally nonpartisan, Coleman was affiliated with the

Democratic party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

while Smith was affiliated with the

Republican party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. Coleman was re-elected to a fourth term and became the longest-serving mayor of Columbus.

Candidates

Michael B. Coleman

(born November 18, 1954) is an American politician of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, the 52nd mayor of

. He is the first African-American mayor of Ohio's capital. Coleman was born in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, but moved to Toledo at an early age. After growing up in the Toledo area, Coleman earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of Dayton School of Law The University of Dayton School of Law (UDSL) is a private law school located in Dayton, Ohio. It is affiliated with the University of Dayton, which is a Catholic university of the Society of Mary. The school is accredited by the American Bar As ...

. Coleman was a member of the Columbus City Council from 1992–1999, and served as president of this city council from 1997-1999. In 1998, Coleman was the running mate for gubernatorial candidate

Lee Fisher Lee Irwin Fisher (born August 7, 1951) is an American attorney, politician, and academic. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 64th lieutenant governor of Ohio, with Governor Ted Strickland, from 20 ...

. Coleman ran for and won the Columbus mayoralty in 1999 and was re-elected unopposed November 4, 2003. In February 2005, Coleman announced that he would run for the Democratic nomination for

governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

in the 2006 gubernatorial race, but subsequently dropped out of the race on November 29, 2005, citing heavy work and family obligations. In 2007, Mayor Coleman won a third term as mayor of Columbus.

Earl W. Smith

Earl W. Smith, a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, was a retired

Columbus Division of Police The Columbus Division of Police (CPD) is the main policing unit for the city of Columbus, Ohio, in the United States. It is the largest police department in the state of Ohio, and among the twenty-five largest in the United States.Based upon the ...

sergeant, and the principal of E.W. Smith and Associates, a security education and consulting firm. A 32-year police veteran, Smith held a number of high-profile positions with the Division of Police. He served as the Division’s spokesperson as the uniformed supervisor for the Public Information Unit. During his years with the Crime Prevention Unit, and later as a supervisor with the Community Liaison Section within the Strategic Response Bureau, Smith represented the Division in virtually all of Columbus’s neighborhoods and came to know many of the city’s local community leaders. Additionally, he developed and presented crime prevention and safety programs to civic organizations, neighborhood associations and business groups.

Jeffrey E. Brown (write-in)

Jeff Brown is a native of Findlay Ohio, who moved to Columbus in 1978 to attend the Ohio State University and majored in photography and cinema. He served 12 years as a civil servant for

Columbus City Schools Columbus City Schools, formerly known as Columbus Public Schools, is the official school district for the city of Columbus, Ohio, and serves most of the city (portions of the city are served by suburban school districts). The district has 46,6 ...

as a video production coordinator. Brown filed in August 2011 to run as a

write-in candidate A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

in the 2011 Columbus mayoral race, but as a write-in Brown was not listed on the ballot.

Official Results

References

External links

http://www.earlformayor.com
* https://web.archive.org/web/20110708174700/http://www.colemanforcolumbus.com/

{{United States elections, 2011, state=collapsed Mayoral elections in Columbus, Ohio 2011 Ohio elections

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...