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Montgomery County Commission Candidates Edge Out Party Endorsed Candidates

In Tuesday’s election, former Dayton mayor Gary Leitzell and Miami Twp. trustee Bob Matthews won their Republican primaries and will go on to challenge two long-serving Democratic incumbents for their Montgomery County Commission seats.

Leitzell and Matthews edged out their party-endorsed opponents—Donald Birdsall and Charlotte McGuire—by several percentage points.

Matthews says he’s looking ahead to the next election, and hopes 40 years experience in business and project management will get him a seat on the commission.

“Two of our current county commissioners are political science majors, one of them is a lawyer. None of them are business people. None of them are technical people,” Matthews said.

He will challenge Democratic Commissioner Judy Dodge for her seat in November.

Leitzell now moves on to challenge Commissioner Debbie Lieberman, who’s seeking her fourth term.

“I think it’s just time for fresh ideas and someone who’s a little bit more bold and try some things that others haven’t tried," the former mayor said.

In Greene County, Republican incumbents Tom Koogler and Robert Glaser both won their primary challenges.

Jerry began volunteering at WYSO in 1991 and hosting Sunday night's Alpha Rhythms in 1992. He joined the YSO staff in 2007 as Morning Edition Host, then All Things Considered. He's hosted Sunday morning's WYSO Weekend since 2008 and produced several radio dramas and specials . In 2009 Jerry received the Best Feature award from Public Radio News Directors Inc., and was named the 2023 winner of the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors Best Anchor/News Host award. His current, heart-felt projects include the occasional series Bulletin Board Diaries, which focuses on local, old-school advertisers and small business owners. He has also returned as the co-host Alpha Rhythms.