There was a severe thunderstorm warning in the afternoon, and heavy rainfall in the evening. But, that didn’t stop Dayton residents from coming out Tuesday to vote in the local special elections.
Voters narrowed down a crowded field of three mayoral and seven commissioner candidates. Mayoral candidates Jeffrer Mims Jr. and Rennes Bowers, and commissioner candidates Shenise Turner-Sloss, Stacey Benson-Taylor, Darryl Fairchild and Scott Sliver are moving on to the November general elections.
The Montgomery County Board of Elections expected a low voter turnout. In addition, many polling sites were closed and moved to more central locations.
One of those locations was Stivers High School.
Lisa Davis came as soon as she got off work as a chef at the Dayton Christian Center. It was Taco Tuesday, so her day was pretty busy. But, she didn’t want to miss out on this election.
“I just turned 60 and I have never missed an election,” Davis said. “The city of Dayton is expected to get millions of dollars of covid money. Now, what are we going to do with that money?”
Davis was born and raised in Dayton, and has been following the elections closely. She voted for Gary Leitzall and Shenise Turner-Sloss for mayor and commissioner respectively, after hearing them speak at candidate forums.
“No matter if it's in the city of Dayton to the state of Ohio, up to Washington, D.C., it all trickles down and it affects me,” Davis said.
Residents like Davis passed all six charter amendments. One of the amendments will increase salaries for mayor and city commissioners, and another amendment will declare the city’s water system a public utility.
