Political newcomer Leitzell pulls off upset of two-term incumbent McLin

Rhine McLin, mayor of Dayton, has a short meeting with her supporters at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at the Frank Ware Sr. Memorial Banquet Center in Dayton. The two-term mayor lost by less than 900 votes out of about 29,000 cast.

Ron Alvey Rhine McLin, mayor of Dayton, has a short meeting with her supporters at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at the Frank Ware Sr. Memorial Banquet Center in Dayton. The two-term mayor lost by less than 900 votes out of about 29,000 cast.

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Gary Leitzell, right, reacts while talking during an election night gathering at the Leitzell campaign party in the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Dayton, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009.

Staff photo by Peter Wine Gary Leitzell, right, reacts while talking during an election night gathering at the Leitzell campaign party in the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Dayton, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009.

'Change is coming to Dayton, I promise you,' says Leitzell. Challenger won with 51.5% of vote

By Joanne Huist Smith, Dave Larsen and Steve Bennish
Staff Writers Updated 9:04 AM Wednesday, November 4, 2009

DAYTON — Challenger Gary Leitzell defeated incumbent Mayor Rhine McLin on Tuesday in the race for Dayton’s next mayor.

According to final, unofficial totals from the Montgomery County Board of Elections, Leitzell had 51.5 percent of the votes to 48.5 percent for McLin, a Democrat. That amounted to 14,923 votes for Leitzell and 14,045 for McLin.

McLin was seeking a third term as mayor. Leitzell, running as an independent, is chairman of the Southeast Priority Board and a new voice in Dayton politics.

“Change is coming to Dayton, I promise you,” Leitzell said to supporters late Tuesday night. “We are going to kill the old and outdated methods of governing that consolidates all of the power at the top of City Hall and council chambers while leaving John and Jane Q. Taxpayer out in the cold.”

“Ladies and gentleman, this is your city,” Leitzell said. “You live here, you pay the taxes, you pay the salaries of the people you elect, and you are the ones who say which direction you want the great ship Dayton to go.”

Leitzell also praised McLin.

“I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge my worthy opponent Rhine McLin, who has honorably served the city and state for much of her adult life. While we have vastly opposing views on leadership, no one can deny that Mayor Rhine McLin has served the people with heart, compassion and courage.

“Tonight, Dayton, I stand before you with a simple promise: I will deliver the change you want. I am eager to get in there and get to work for you,” Leitzell said.

McLin gave an acceptance speech of sorts to reporters at Montgomery County Democratic Party headquarters shortly before the vote count swung in Leitzell’s favor. She then left the building without making a public statement.

On Wednesday morning Montgomery County Democratic Chairman Mark Owens, who was McLin’s campaign manager, said he expects McLin to make a statement later in the day.

“We certainly congratulate (Leitzell) for his win,” Owens said. “Obviously, the voters wanted a change in the mayor’s office. Rhine put in a tremendous job in her eight years as mayor. But this has been a rough year for incumbents and people decided they wanted something different.”

He dismissed the notion that Leitzell’s victory portends a loosening of the party’s grip on Dayton politics.

“We still have four of the five commissioners,” he said. “I think the Democratic Party is still going to have a large say in what happens in city of Dayton politics, in Montgomery County and the state of Ohio.”

Owens said McLin congratulated Leitzell on his victory.

In the race for two seats on the Dayton City Commission, incumbents Joey D. Williams and Nan Whaley won re-election. They easily defeated businessman David Esrati. Whaley and Williams each received 39 percent of the vote to 21 percent for Esrati.

McLin spent much of Election Day driving to polling locations around the city shaking hands and passing out literature.

By 5 p.m., the mayor had visited 15 polling locations. At Grace United Methodist Church off Salem Avenue, she ran into her opponent Leitzell. They shook hands.

Leitzell said he started the day with a group of volunteers in the Patterson Park Neighborhood about 4:30 a.m. passing out sticky notes reminding citizens to vote. He also made a round of polling locations.

“It’s been good. People coming up to me have been positive,” Leitzell said. “I still feel confident.”

Leitzell’s grass-roots campaign went up against an organized Democratic machine. Leitzell is an Independent who was endorsed by the Montgomery County Republican Party.

Volunteers for the Montgomery County Democratic Party provided rides to voting locations throughout the day.

Local Democrats began their “get out the vote” effort weeks ago when volunteers walked Dayton neighborhoods leaving 25,000 cards that could easily be filled out and mailed to the Montgomery County Board of Elections to request an absentee ballot.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2362 or josmith@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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