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, Ohio, Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, 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 co ...

through the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

" Dayton Project" to the present day.

City Commissioners

The city government of

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, 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 Nonpartisan or non-partisan may refer to: __NOTOC__ General political concepts * Nonpartisanship, also known as Nonpartisanism, co-operation without reference to political parties * Non-partisan democracy, an election with no official recognition ...

elections. The four top vote-getters in the primary election go on to compete in the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

, 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 corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

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

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 the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...

, 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 Dayton, Ohio-related lists Government of Dayton, Ohio