Next Tuesday, voters across the Dayton Region will be going to the polls to vote for (or against) levy renewals, state initiatives, trustees, city councils, school board members, commissioners and mayors. And though the City of Dayton has a city manager form of government in which the mayor is actually a part-time position that has no significant power and is in fact simply one vote out of five, it is still considered an important position because whoever holds it is the spokesperson for the city and the region. Despite the limited role the mayor plays, he or she is still considered by city and suburban residents alike as the defacto leader of the city.
And then there is the commission race, with incumbents Joey Williams and Nan Whaley, and challenger David Esrati. Top two vote-getters on Tuesday win the two seats up for grabs. While most of the attention is on the mayor race, it should be noted that the mayor is simply one vote of five, so the commission race is just as important.