And now, the two face off in the mayoral race on Nov. 4 that could help decide who holds power at City Hall.
Mayor Mims’ thoughtful leadership has helped the city weather multiple crises, and he has all the qualities that people want and expect in a mayor, said Dayton City Commissioner Matt Joseph.
“He’s a good guy. He is a responsible person. ... He’s a people person. He loves reaching out, he loves the city, and he’s dedicated,” Joseph said. “And he’s supported the kind of policies that have led to success in the city.”
Commissioner Turner-Sloss is a bold leader with a great track record who has a clear vision for the city and concrete solutions to community problems, said Dayton City Commissioner Darryl Fairchild.
“Dayton’s facing some big issues, and that’s the kind of leadership we need,” he said.
Candidates and their teams
Mims is seeking a second term as mayor, after serving as a city commissioner for two terms. Commissioner Turner-Sloss is finishing her first term in office.
Mims is a retired educator, union leader, school board member and coach. Turner-Sloss is the third Black woman to serve on the city commission, who works as a logistics management specialist at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. She’s also a former city employee who assisted with a variety of community development programs.
The city commission has five members, and Mayor Mims typically votes the same way as Commissioners Chris Shaw and Matt Joseph. When all five commission members are present, three votes are needed to approve legislation, resolutions and take other action.
Commissioner Turner-Sloss sometimes has disagreed with the majority of her colleagues, which has led to her being on the losing end of 3-2 votes, along with Commissioner Fairchild.
Turner-Sloss and Fairchild are running as a team in this election, along with commission candidate Jacob Davis. Fairchild hopes to hold onto his seat, while Davis hopes to win the seat Turner-Sloss is vacating to run for mayor.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Mayor Mims supports their opponents, Karen Wick and Darius Beckham. Wick is a member of the Dayton school board, while Beckham is Mims’ former senior policy aide.
Many people believe that control of power at City Hall is in play in this election.
The mayor’s position is considered part-time and pays about $86,500 annually. The city has about 1,900 employees and a general fund budget of about $230 million. Dayton is the sixth largest city in Ohio.
Beliefs
Mims often likes to say that Dayton has seen more investment in recent years than it saw in previous decades. He also likes to point out that median household income has been increasing for years in the Gem City.
Dayton has been successful at removing blight, improving housing, creating thousands of jobs and attracting major investments by companies like Joby Aviation and Sierra Nevada Corp., Mims said.
Mims says there is more work to do, but his reelection will help ensure Dayton — a city of about 136,350 residents— remains on the right track.
“We have hired more police officers and firefighters, invested in new technology to reduce crime and improve safety and launched our peace campaign violence-reduction program aimed at our youth,” Mims said. “We have expanded high-quality preschool, repaved roads and torn down thousands of vacant structures. Dayton is once again the economic center of our region.”
But Turner-Sloss said residents feel unsafe and face major challenges related to growing unemployment, rising inflation, spreading blight and a shortage of affordable housing. Dayton in recent years has continued to struggle with high poverty rates and had one of the highest homicide rates per capita in the nation.
Many residents have lost trust in City Hall and feel let down by current leadership, Turner-Sloss said.
She says that Dayton is at a crossroads and deserves a mayor who truly listens to the community and serves as a voice for all residents. She said she knows what it’s like to be ignored by people in power, and as mayor she would try to make city government more responsive to community members.
“For far too long, we’ve gone with status quo politics,” she said during a candidate forum in September. “Now is the time for us to move forward. ... We have to get back to accountability and responsible government.”
Mayor’s job
Mims said he offers steady leadership and unlike his opponent he has four decades of proven experience.
Mims says the mayor is an ambassador for the city and he has a full-time commitment to what technically is a part-time job.
Mims said his goal is to give Dayton residents the tools and opportunities they need to have good lives. He said that means continuing to bring good-paying jobs to the city and making sure residents have access to training to obtain those positions.
Wages are up, crime rates are falling, and roads and other infrastructure are being upgraded, he said.
“This election is about continuing to move Dayton forward,” Mims said. “If you want real results and not just talk, I hope to earn your vote.”
Turner-Sloss said Mims never votes against what the city manager puts forward, while she asks questions and explores possible changes and improvements. She said she will never be a rubber-stamp, and she wants to end the toxic environment at City Hall.
She vows as mayor to get more public participation in the legislative process, establish an affordable housing trust fund, reimagine public safety and create a community resource ambassador program.
One of Turner-Sloss’ proudest moments in office, she said, was getting the city to agree to dedicate millions of dollars of its income tax levy revenue to housing investments.
Turner-Sloss also said the city must finally confront lingering community problems like economic inequality, disinvestment in neighborhoods and underfunding of youth programs and services.
About the Author
