In Cincinnati, former City Councilman John Cranley was leading Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, according to results available by deadline.
Attorney Cranley, 39, wants to halt streetcar construction and is against a plan to outsource city parking. He says that there won’t be funding available for the streetcar in the future, and that the city would see more benefits from highway, bridge and other infrastructure work.
Qualls, 60, a real estate agent who served as mayor in the 1990s, favors both plans. She contends the streetcar will boost residential and economic growth, bringing more visitors to the city, and that the plan to lease city meters and garages will bring a jolt of up-front revenues and continuing income.
The Cincinnati mayor race affects not just the city’s nearly 300,000 residents, but people in nearby communities in southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana with residents who work there, have business ties and visit to see the sports teams and other attractions.
In Cleveland, Mayor Frank Jackson was leading in his campaign for a third term, according to results available by deadline. His campaign centered on the city’s downtown resurgence, while his challenger, businessman Ken Lanci, had pointed out that many are still suffering in one of the nation’s poorest cities.
Jackson, 67, is a veteran politician in Cleveland, first elected to the city council in 1989 before being elected mayor eight years ago. Lanci, 63, is a printing house mogul who lost out on a bid for the new Cuyahoga County executive job in 2010.
In Dayton, City Commissioner Nan Whaley defeated former county judge A.J. Wagner.
Whaley and Wagner stressed the need for job growth but differed on how to achieve it. Whaley said Dayton has made progress and wants to build on some plans in place while Wagner said major change is needed.
Whaley has been a commissioner for eight years. Wagner served as a judge in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court and as county auditor.
In Toledo, independent city councilman D. Michael Collins was leading over political independent Mike Bell, according to results available by deadline.
Collins is a retired police officer who has the backing of several labor unions in the state’s fourth-largest city.
Bell is a former state fire marshal who has the support of many business groups in Toledo.
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