DAYTON — Less than a month after City Manager Rashad Young leaves Dayton for a more lucrative job in Greensboro, N.C., residents here decide whether to give Mayor Rhine McLin a third term or take a chance on her opponent.

Without question, McLin has had a rough year.

Some blame her for every piece of bad news that hits Dayton, including NCR’s announced departure and the city’s projected revenue shortfall in 2010 of $15 million to $20 million.

“My passion for the city is above that negativity that people throw my way,” McLin said. “It does show people are paying attention.”

If McLin gets re-elected Nov. 3 and completes a third term, she’ll be the longest serving mayor in the history of Dayton. To get there, she’ll have to beat Gary Leitzell, an independent endorsed by the Montgomery County Republican Party.

The neighborhood activist decided to run against McLin after being unhappy with her response when he approached her about nuisance properties near his home in the Walnut Hills neighborhood.

“I’m somebody stepping up to the plate to do what’s right for Dayton. Nobody else would do it,” Leitzell said.

Despite Dayton’s economic troubles during McLin’s eight years as mayor, nobody predicts she’ll be easy to beat. She defeated Mike Turner, a former two-term mayor, in 2001.

In 2005, she defeated neighborhood activist Dave Bohardt, winning with 55 percent of the vote.

Bohardt believes McLin is unbeatable. Working hard on the campaign trail and equalling her spending in the final weeks before the election wasn’t enough. There is no key to defeating her, Bohardt said.

“She beat me clearly and fairly,” Bohardt said. “She’s highly knowledgeable. She knows the ins and outs of City Hall. She and the city manager were able to significantly reduce workforce and expenditures quietly without a lot of hell raising.”

Leitzell, a stay-at-home dad who home schools his daughter and an entrepreneur who paints miniatures, is known for his activism in the Southeast Priority Board, but has never held elected office.

“I don’t think her challenger has the background or the acumen that our city is going to need,” Bohardt said.

Leitzell believes he’s moving in the right direction.

“I never thought I’d get this far,” Leitzell said.