Jeffrey Mims

Jeffrey Mims Jr.
Born	Jeffrey Mims Jr.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician
Title	Mayor of Dayton, Ohio
Known for	Mayor of Dayton, Ohio (2022–2025)

Jeffrey Mims Jr. is an American politician who served as the Mayor of Dayton, Ohio, from 2022 until December 31, 2025. Before becoming mayor, Mims served as a member of the Dayton City Commission, accumulating approximately a decade of service on the commission by the time he left office. Mims sought a second term as mayor in the November 2025 election but was defeated by Dayton City Commissioner Shenise Turner-Sloss in what was described as the closest mayoral race in Dayton in more than a decade. His tenure as mayor and city commissioner encompassed a period during which the city addressed various governance and development challenges, and his departure from the commission at the end of 2025 marked the conclusion of a significant chapter in Dayton municipal politics.

Career

Dayton City Commission

Jeffrey Mims Jr. served on the Dayton City Commission for approximately a decade before his final meeting on December 31, 2025. As a city commissioner, Mims was part of the governing body responsible for legislative and policy decisions affecting the city of Dayton, Ohio. His long tenure on the commission provided him with extensive experience in municipal governance, which he later drew upon during his time as mayor.

During his years on the commission, Mims worked alongside other commissioners, including Shenise Turner-Sloss, who would later challenge him for the mayoral seat. Reports indicated that the two sat just a few feet apart on the dais at City Hall, though their relationship was marked by disputes over the years. These disagreements reflected differing visions and priorities for the city's governance and future direction.

Mayor of Dayton

Mims became mayor of Dayton following the 2021 municipal election cycle. Under Dayton's commission-manager form of government, the mayor serves as the presiding officer of the city commission and as the city's ceremonial leader, while the city manager handles day-to-day administrative operations. As mayor, Mims was the public face of city government and played a central role in setting the commission's agenda and representing Dayton in intergovernmental and public affairs.

During a candidates' forum in August 2025, Mims discussed his priorities for the city, his vision for Dayton's future, and the challenges facing the municipality. The forum provided voters with an opportunity to compare his record and platform with those of his challenger, Commissioner Turner-Sloss, who articulated a different set of priorities for the city.

2025 Mayoral Election

In the November 2025 election, Mims ran for a second term as mayor of Dayton. His opponent was Dayton City Commissioner Shenise Turner-Sloss, and the race was characterized by the long-running tensions between the two officials. Coverage of the campaign noted that the candidates had "different visions [and] priorities for the city," reflecting a substantive policy divide as well as personal friction that had developed over their years of service together on the commission.

Campaign finance reports filed ahead of the election showed that Mims and his allies raised approximately $236,000 across the mayor and city commission races. Turner-Sloss, by contrast, missed a campaign finance reporting deadline. Despite Mims's fundraising advantage, the election results did not favor the incumbent.

On November 4, 2025, Turner-Sloss defeated Mims in what multiple news outlets described as an upset. The Dayton Daily News reported that the contest was the closest mayoral race in Dayton in more than a decade. Spectrum News similarly confirmed that Turner-Sloss would become the city's new mayor effective January 2026. The results, while unofficial at the time of initial reporting, indicated that the city of Dayton was in line for a new mayor come January 1, 2026.

Prior to the election, Spectrum News had profiled the race, noting that Mims, as the incumbent, was "looking to snag a second term" against Turner-Sloss. The outcome represented a significant shift in Dayton's political landscape, as an incumbent mayor was turned out of office by a fellow member of the city commission.

Final Commission Meeting and Departure

On December 31, 2025, the Dayton City Commission held its last regular meeting of the year, which was also Mims's final meeting as mayor and commissioner. During the meeting, Mims delivered remarks from the dais reflecting on his time in office. The Dayton Daily News reported on his farewell, noting that it marked the end of his decade-long tenure on the commission. Turner-Sloss assumed the office of mayor on January 1, 2026.

Mims's departure from office concluded a period of municipal leadership during which he navigated the governance of Ohio's sixth-largest city. His loss in the 2025 election and subsequent departure were covered by regional and statewide media outlets, reflecting the significance of the mayoral transition for Dayton and the broader Miami Valley region.

2025 Election Campaign Details

The 2025 Dayton mayoral race attracted attention from local and regional media due to its competitive nature and the personal dynamics between the two candidates. Both Mims and Turner-Sloss were sitting members of the Dayton City Commission at the time of the election, making the race an unusual intra-commission contest for the city's top elected position.

The Dayton Daily News provided extensive coverage of the race, including reporting on the candidates' differing platforms, their campaign fundraising, and the years of disputes that preceded the electoral contest. In an August 2025 forum, both candidates discussed their priorities for the city and the challenges they believed Dayton faced going forward. The forum highlighted the policy and leadership differences that defined the race.

Mims entered the race with the advantages typically associated with incumbency, including name recognition, the ability to point to his record in office, and a significant fundraising operation. He and his political allies raised a combined $236,000 for the mayoral and related city commission races, a substantial sum for a municipal election in a city the size of Dayton. Turner-Sloss, meanwhile, missed a campaign finance reporting deadline, which drew attention from local media but did not appear to significantly damage her campaign.

Despite these advantages, the election results showed Turner-Sloss prevailing over Mims. WDTN described the outcome as an "upset," suggesting that many observers had expected the incumbent to win reelection. The closeness of the race — reported as the tightest mayoral contest in Dayton in over a decade — underscored the competitive nature of the election and the degree to which voters were divided between the two candidates.

The 2025 race also had implications beyond the mayoral seat. The Dayton Daily News reported that other commission contests were decided on the same ballot, with candidates Darius Beckham and Karen Wick competing alongside their respective opponents for commission seats. Beckham and Chris Fairchild prevailed in the commission races, further reshaping the composition of the Dayton City Commission heading into 2026.

Legacy

Jeffrey Mims Jr.'s decade on the Dayton City Commission, including his term as mayor, represents a sustained period of engagement with the governance of one of Ohio's major cities. His tenure coincided with a time of ongoing challenges for Dayton, including economic development, public safety, and infrastructure concerns that are common to midsized American cities.

His defeat in the 2025 election by a fellow commissioner was a notable event in Dayton politics, reflecting the capacity of municipal electorates to choose change even when incumbents hold traditional advantages such as fundraising strength and name recognition. The race's closeness — described as the most competitive mayoral election in Dayton in more than a decade — suggested a deeply engaged electorate with substantive disagreements about the city's direction.

At his final commission meeting on December 31, 2025, Mims reflected on his service from the dais, marking a public farewell to an office he had held for ten years. His departure and the transition to a new administration under Mayor Turner-Sloss represented a turning point for Dayton's governance, with potential implications for the city's policy priorities and political dynamics in the years ahead.