Major money issues to face new mayors being sworn in to run 2 of Ohio’s largest cities

New Toledo, Dayton mayors to be sworn in

TOLEDO, Ohio — Financial and economic challenges await the new mayors taking office in two of Ohio’s largest cities.

Former Toledo fire chief Mike Bell will be sworn in as the city’s mayor Monday afternoon and will have to confront a $40 million deficit projected for this year. To close that budget gap, Bell has already put a task force to work going over the city’s books.

The former Ohio fire marshal replaces three-term Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner (FINK’-by-nur), who decided not to run for re-election.

In Dayton, new Mayor Gary Leitzell (LYT’-sul) says his job is to pull things together to lift the city out of an economic slump. The political independent who took his oath of office Monday morning unseated two-term Democratic Mayor Rhine McLin on Election Day.