Democrat Debbie Lieberman and Republican Mary McDonald talked to the Dayton Daily News about why they’re running and what they’re hoping to accomplish if elected.
Debbie Lieberman
Lieberman, the commission’s president, is running for re-election because she wants to continue helping people in need and carry out work to address issues with housing, workforce and more.
“To see a life change, that really is the most rewarding part of being a county commissioner,” she said. “My personal mission statement is to give people without voice a voice. I want to be a champion for things that matter, and we have so many people in need in our community.”
Lieberman was elected to the Montgomery County Commission in 2004 and is in her fifth term. Prior to then, she served on Clayton’s city council and worked at the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office as a director of real estate and later a chief deputy clerk.
The Dayton region is on the rise, officials have said, with new industries rooting themselves in the region and creating job growth. But housing, workforce and child care issues remain important to Montgomery County residents.
“We’re doing a great job with economic development. But one of the issues that keeps me up at night is, where are we going to get the workforce?” she said. “We have so many jobs going unfilled right now. Our focus on workforce has to be a priority.”
Lieberman said she hopes to create a partnership among jurisdictions and builders to work past obstacles for developing more workforce housing. Work is also ongoing to increase workforce housing access in Montgomery County. This includes 40 new homes that will be built by the Montgomery County Landbank, Lieberman said.
The area’s nonprofits provide crucial social services to the community, Lieberman said, and support and funding for those organizations must also continue.
She takes pride in the county’s reentry efforts, and she wants to see programs offered by the Montgomery County Office of Reentry expand. This office works with people leaving incarceration, helping them to find gainful employment and stability.
“We’re investing in people,” she said. “And that’s one of the investments where I believe we see the most return. To see those men and women on graduation day, full of joy, full of hope… it’s truly awe-inspiring. It makes a difference.”
Lieberman was elected to the National Association of Counties Board of Directors in 2015 and is vice chair of the Human Services and Education Steering Committee. She is a member of the Economic Mobility Leadership Network and was also elected chief elected official of the Greater Ohio Workforce Board (formerly Area 7), representing 42 Ohio counties. She is also a graduate of the University of Dayton School of Law.
Mary McDonald
McDonald said she’s running for county commission to serve her community in a “meaningful way” and empower people to take care of themselves.
“I envision being the kind of leader that is willing to engage people and willing to hear their ideas, but really give them the power to do things they can do for themselves,” she said. “Then in government, we’ll do the part that we can do. That kind of leadership helps everyone take equal responsibility for what we do.”
McDonald joined Trotwood City Council in 2005 and was first voted mayor in 2016. McDonald was also the owner and operator of a few beauty salons, and she has roughly 40 years of experience in the beauty industry.
McDonald said her time running her small businesses developed a valuable skill she has brought into government: listening.
“You just find yourself touching on people’s lives in a lot of different ways,” she said. “They sit down in the chair, they talk to you about anything going on in their lives. The truth is, your hairdresser knows a lot about you. We listen and — sparingly — offer advice.”
She said her city faced numerous hurdles during her time as mayor — tornadoes, COVID-19 and other challenges. But her leadership in Trotwood helped the city avoid bankruptcy and moved Trotwood from a negative Moody bond rating — which ranks the creditworthiness of borrowers — to an A+ Moody rating, she said.
If elected, she would want to focus on economic development in communities she feels are underserved.
“I will want to look at communities where there has not been the growth and development that has been equal to what’s happened in other places,” she said. “I want to look at that and see what could we do, how could we incentivize, how could we help the community be something better.”
The former mayor also wants to see a commission with diverse voices. She would be the first Black woman elected to the Montgomery County Commission if she were to win this fall, she said.
“It would be super important, not just for the African-American community, but anywhere where people feel that they are not being seen or heard,” she said.
McDonald was a longtime Democrat, but she switched to the Republican Party this year. This followed the Montgomery County Democrat Party endorsing her opponent, Yvette Page, in the 2023 race for Trotwood mayor. Page, who was the city’s vice mayor, narrowly defeated McDonald.
McDonald’s candidacy was challenged in January, when protesters argued she was not qualified to be on the Republican ballot. After a tied vote of the Montgomery County Board of Elections, the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office ruled in favor of McDonald remaining on the ballot.
McDonald said she has a history of working with others on projects, regardless of their political affiliation.
“I’m the same Mary,” she said. “And I’m willing to work with others to get things done for my community.”
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