Since its creation as a town in the 18th century, the Politics of Dayton, Ohio have adapted to and reflected the changing needs of the community, from the

Miami and Erie Canal The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal that ran from Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845 at a cost to the state government of $ ...

through the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Dayton Project The Dayton Project was a research and development project to produce polonium during World War II, as part of the larger Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bombs. Work took place at several sites in and around Dayton, Ohio. Those working ...

" to the present day.

City Commissioners

The city government of

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

, is governed by a city commission comprising five commissioners, one of whom is the mayor. The commissioners serve staggered, four-year terms. Commissioners are elected two at a time in open, at-large,

nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

elections. The four top vote-getters in the

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

go on to compete in the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

, regardless of party membership. The top two vote-getters in the general election are elected. As of November 1969, the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

is elected in a separate election. Although the elections are nominally nonpartisan, the Democratic and Republican parties nominate candidates.

Commission Seats 1 and 2

Commission Seats 3 and 4

1820 to 1828

From 1820 to 1828, Dayton was governed by a seven-member city council headed by a council president.

1829 to 1913

Old Montgomery County Courthouse - Dayton, Ohio (2021)

From 1829 to 1913, Dayton was governed by a seven-member city council headed by a mayor.

1914 to 1969

Starting in 1914, Dayton's government was changed to the "weak mayor" manager-council form. In this system, the five-member commission selects the

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief execu ...

, who holds administrative authority over the municipal government. The

is simply one of the five members of the city commission. The mayor's only power over the other commissioners is as chairperson of the commission. Bold type indicates mayor.

1970 to present

As of November 1969, the mayor is elected separately from the other four commissioners.

Election results

Bold type indicates winner.

General election

Primary election

The two candidates who run in the general election are chosen in this primary election. When fewer than three candidates file, no primary election is held.

Municipal Court Clerk

The clerk of the

, Municipal Court is elected for a four-year term.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Politics Of Dayton, Ohio

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...