Though Democratic incumbent candidates who seek official public backing by the party do automatically receive “presumptive endorsement,” this can be overturned by a two-thirds vote of all party members. One such vote was held during a Montgomery County Democratic Party meeting on Sept. 28, in which presumptive endorsement of McDonald was revoked.
A subsequent vote was held to approve Page as the officially endorsed mayoral candidate.
This is round two of McDonald v. Page for Trotwood’s top seat, as the two ran against each other in 2019, with Page losing by a slim six-point margin. Page was also the Democratic-backed candidate during this election, as McDonald did not seek the endorsement at the time.
McDonald has served on Trotwood City Council since 2005 and was first voted mayor in 2019, winning against incumbent Joyce Sutton Cameron.
“This was my first time in my whole 18 years to have gone before the Democratic party to seek the endorsement because, as I’ve always shared with them, we’re non-partisan,” McDonald said Thursday about her role in city government. “(This time), I asked for the presumptive endorsement and they removed it because a lot of them don’t like the fact that I work across party lines.”
McDonald, who said she considers herself an independent-leaning Democrat, said she feels it’s crucial for her to work effectively with leaders who have opposing viewpoints.
“We are a Republican state and if you choose not to work across party lines, you’re just not going to get your fair share,” she said. “So, I got busy building relationships and really found that people were willing to work with me.”
Page was first elected to council in 2017 against incumbent Rap Hankins, representing Trotwood’s second ward. She was appointed vice mayor in 2022.
Page said McDonald’s claim to represent the Democratic party is misleading.
“There’s no such thing (as an Independent Democrat) ... She pushes the Republican way, even though she says she’s reaching across the aisle,” Page said recently, highlighting Trotwood’s Democrat-leaning population.
Page said McDonald would rather appease Republicans than work with her fellow council members, claiming the two have not had a good working partnership.
McDonald said she felt Page has disrespected Trotwood voters by not attending multiple meet-the-candidate events held recently.
“(Voters) deserve an opportunity to hear from us and to hear both sides at the same time; that’s typically what people come to candidate nights for,” McDonald said.
Page said Thursday schedule constraints kept her from attending and noted she prefers to meet and talk with voters using a different method.
“I’ve been going into the neighborhoods and talking to people by having one-on-one, sit-down discussions instead of in a forum setting,” she said. “Rather than have voters come to me, I will go to them. It allows people to be less guarded and talk more freely.”
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