OPN Nov. 6 send: Election results

As always, I’m more than happy to take questions, tips, or concerns. I can be reached at Avery.Kreemer@coxinc.com or on X at @AveryKreemer.

• The story: Dayton City Commissioner Shenise Turner-Sloss defeated incumbent Jeffrey Mims Jr. in Dayton’s closest mayoral race in more than a decade and a half, becoming just the third woman to hold the city’s highest elected office, according to unofficial final election results from the Montgomery County Board of Elections.

• Celebration: On Tuesday night, Turner-Sloss told a cheering crowd at an election night watch party, “It’s time for the residents in this community ... to start having true representation on the commission. That’s what this is about.”

• Concession: In a statement, Mayor Mims said, “The people of Dayton have spoken, and I respect their choice. It has been one of my greatest honors to serve as your mayor. Though I am disappointed with this outcome, I remain committed to fighting to keep moving Dayton forward.”

• State of play: Turner-Sloss will now helm the five-member Dayton City Commission, with Mims set to leave the commission entirely, but political balance on the board is likely to remain the same. Two seats were up for grabs Tuesday, one won by Turner-Sloss’ ally and incumbent Darryl Fairchild and the other won by commission newcomer Darius Beckham, Mims’ political ally and former staffer. Beckham was endorsed by current commissioners Chris Shaw and Matt Joseph.

• Here’s the full story from Cornelius Frolik

Ohio adopts new congressional map with 12-3 GOP advantage

• The story: Last Friday, the Ohio Redistricting Commission unanimously approved new boundaries for the state’s 15 congressional districts in a plan that would give Republicans a 12-to-3 advantage over Democrats, on paper.

• Timely: The map, which garnered begrudging support from Democrats of little leverage, will theoretically give Republicans a boost in a 2026 midterm election where political control of the tightly contested U.S. House of Representatives is on the line. It’ll be used for the 2028 and 2030 elections, too.

• Targets: Simply put, the new plan weakens Democratic support in two districts — one near Toledo, one near Cincinnati — that have twice marginally elected Democrats to the U.S. House. In exchange, the new map strengthens Democrats’ hold on a competitive district around Akron. The rest of the state’s districts remain relatively unchanged, politically.

• Yes, but: House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn, from Cincinnati, rejected the characterization that this is a 12-to-3 GOP map, despite decrying a broken process and a gerrymandered map. The Democratic leader contended that Democrats still had a path to victory in Cincinnati and Toledo, and said new map was functionally similar to the state’s previous map, which gave Republicans a 12-to-3 advantage on paper but resulted, twice, in a 10-to-5 congressional delegation.

• GOP P.O.V.: For Republicans, the bipartisan agreement was proof that Ohio’s redistricting process works just fine. The resulting map, ORC Co-Chair Brian Stewart said, reflects the overwhelming success Republicans have had in Ohio. “The fact that there are 12 districts in which Republicans have a very good opportunity to be successful is something that our caucus is pleased about,” Stewart said.

• Here’s my full story

• Issue 9: A strong majority of Dayton voters approved a property tax levy that will raise about $2 million annually for an effort to create a new public hospital in West Dayton, according to final unofficial election results from the Montgomery County Board of Elections. Tuesday’s victory is just a start. Cornelius Frolik has the details.

• Tax asks: Local schools had mixed results in their asks to create new, or keep old, tax levies on Tuesday. Franklin and Jefferson Twp. schools had levies rejected by voters and face potential state takeovers; Springboro voters approved a new bond issue; and Carlisle voters kept an income tax. Here’s the story from Eileen McClory.

• Miamisburg schools: In a local school board race that got national and state political organizations involved, incumbents Christopher Amsler and Ann Niess and non-incumbent Shelbi Nunery bested non-incumbents Chris Keilholz and Ryan Riddell. Eric Schwartzberg has the story.

• Roundup: There were plenty of other important races decided Tuesday night. Josh Sweigart has some key takeaways; Eileen McClory and London Bishop detail races that still aren’t settled. And, here’s our page to find all of the area’s election results.

• Mail-in ballots: The Ohio Senate voted Wednesday to require all absentee ballots in future elections to be delivered to local boards of elections by the close of polls, shortening the mail-in return window for Ohio voters by four days. Here’s my story.

• Site set?: The state is moving to allocate $2.5 million to purchase the former location of Hara Arena in Trotwood and Harrison Twp. to develop a brand new, state-run behavioral health hospital to be known as the Miami Valley Behavioral Healthcare Hospital. Here’s my article with Aimee Hancock.

• Notification: A local lawmaker’s bill to provide Ohioans with advance notice that their driver’s license or other state-issued ID is about to expire passed the Ohio House and is now under Senate review. Here’s my reporting.

• Foodbanks, SNAP lapse: Court rulings that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program must be funded during the federal government shutdown may not be enough to alleviate the increasing pressure put on area food banks by higher costs and demand, and shrinking resources. Here’s Michael Kurtz, Eileen McClory and Sydney Dawes.

• Local sway in D.C.: New federal disclosures reviewed by the Dayton Daily News detail how entities critical to the region are navigating Washington, D.C.’s decidedly turbulent political waters — with the assistance of some hired lobbyist help. Here’s Dave Levinthal with the story.

• Furloughs, for now: Some 8,100 civilian employees at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base received new 30-day furlough notices late last week as the ongoing federal government shutdown became the longest in U.S. history. Here’s Thomas Gnau.