Shenise Turner-Sloss

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Shenise Turner-Sloss
Shenise-Profile.jpg
Turner-Sloss in 2021
Mayor-elect of Dayton, Ohio
Assuming office
January 2026

Shenise Turner-Sloss (born November 20, 1981) is an American politician who has served since 2022 on the Dayton City Commission. [1] Turner-Sloss is the third African American woman to serve on the Dayton City Commission. [1] She is also a logistics management specialist at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. [2] [3] [1] A member of the Democratic Party, she is the presumptive mayor of Dayton, Ohio after slimly winning the non-partisan 2025 election against incumbent Jeff Mims. [4]

Contents

Education

Tuner-Sloss is a graduate of Dayton Public Schools. She graduated in 2004 from Fisk University, a historically black university, with a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science. In 2009, she graduated from Central Michigan University with a Master of Science degree in Administration. [1] She was a member of the sorority Delta Sigma Theta. [1]

Career

Turner-Sloss started her career after graduation as a City of Dayton employee in the Planning & Community Development Department where she was a Senior Community Development Specialist and was responsible for allocating federal and state grants to the city. [5]

In 2013, Turner-Sloss began work at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as a logistics management specialist in the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, [6] where she joined the AFGE union [2] . In 2024 she was selected to participate in the LEADership Wright-Patt program, a five-month program designed to develop current and prospective leaders at the base. [6]

In 2015, Turner-Sloss co-founded the non-profit Neighborhoods Over Politics [7] and led efforts to direct over $7.6 million in local investments into projects that "uplift communities, generate economic opportunity and improve housing conditions for Daytonians." [8]

City Commission

As City Commissioner, Turner-Sloss has advocated for increased funding for affordable housing, youth programming, and the fire department. [9]

During the 2023 budget negotiations which threatened to result in a city government shutdown, [10] Turner-Sloss and fellow commissioner Darryl Fairchild secured an additional $1 million in funding for youth programming. [11]

In the eventually successful 2025 income tax levy renewal, Turner-Sloss advocated for allocating $650,000 per year for housing programming. [12] She was also responsible for "getting the city to approve its first-ever housing policy framework, which will be a roadmap to addressing the city's growing housing crisis." [13]

2025 Dayton mayoral election

Turner-Sloss is running against incumbent mayor Jeff Mims in the 2025 Dayton mayoral election on a platform to "increase the median income, improve housing conditions, support more programs that assist with homeownership and build more affordable housing." [13]

Turner-Sloss was elected mayor with almost 52% of the vote. [14]

Electoral history

Turner-Sloss was first elected in 2021, garnering about 29% of the votes in the 4-way general election. [13] [15] [16] She campaigned alongside incumbent commissioner Darryl Fairchild [17] , who finished in second and was re-elected to another term. In that election Turner-Sloss was endorsed by the Ohio Working Families Party [18] , Our Revolution Ohio, the Dayton chapter of the Sunrise Movement [19] , and other progressive organizations and labor unions including her own, the American Federation of Government Employees local 1138. [2]

Though a member of the Democratic Party, she has been considered "outside the establishment". [20] She was not endorsed by the Montgomery County Democratic Party during any of her campaigns, including the successful one in 2021. In fact, the Montgomery County Democratic Party released attack ads against Turner-Sloss and Fairchild, for which the Ohio Democratic Party issued an apology, stating that the ads "violated several of their mailer policies.". [21] The controversy resulted in the resignation of the county party's Executive Director, [22] the retirement of the county party Chair, [23] and an official apology of the county party Central Committee which stated that "Commissioner Fairchild and candidate Turner-Sloss – and all their supporters – are valued members of the county party." [22]

November 2, 2021 general - City of Dayton - Commission [24]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Shenise Turner-Sloss 7,488 28.87
Nonpartisan Darryl Fairchild (incumbent) 7,442 28.69
Nonpartisan Stacey D. Benson-Taylor6,07623.43
Nonpartisan Scott Sliver4,93019.01
November 5, 2019 general - City of Dayton - Commission [25]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Matt Joseph (incumbent) 7,488 28.87
Nonpartisan Christopher Shaw (incumbent) 6,845 30.09
Nonpartisan Shenise Turner-Sloss 5,91025.98
Nonpartisan David Esrati3,02713.31
November 7, 2017 general - City of Dayton - Commission [26]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Joey D. Williams (incumbent) 9,022 30.14
Nonpartisan Jeff Mims (incumbent) 7,950 26.56
Nonpartisan Darryl Fairchild6,78322.66
Nonpartisan Shenise Turner-Sloss6,17420.63

Personal life

Turner-Sloss lives with her husband Chad, an Assistant Professor who teaches at Antioch University [27] and Wittenburg University [28] , along with their three children in Dayton's Southern View neighborhood. [29] [30]

She is a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Delta Sigma Theta, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) - Local 1138, Our Revolution, Higher Heights, Matriots, and the Working Families Party. [1] [31]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Meet Your Commissioners | Dayton, OH". www.daytonohio.gov. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  2. 1 2 3 "AFGE Member Wins City Commissioner Election in Ohio". afge. American Federation of Government Employees. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  3. "Black History Month Profiles: Shenise Turner-Sloss". aflcio. AFLCIO. 19 February 2022. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  4. "Dayton voters face May runoff for city commission; mayor race set for November". dayton-daily-news. Dayton Daily News . Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  5. "2025 Candidate Profile: Shenise Turner-Sloss for Dayton Mayor". dayton weekly. 2025-04-30. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  6. 1 2 "LEADership Wright-Patt fuels career paths while highlighting base's global impact". wpafb. WPAFB . Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  7. "Neighborhoods Over Politics | For a healthy, sustainable Montgomery County". neighborhoodsoverpolitics.com.
  8. Jordan, Zeakia (2025-03-07). "Dayton City Commissioner Turner-Sloss announces mayoral bid with strong community backing". WKEF. WKEF . Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  9. "2 Dayton leaders want more money for housing, youth programs, fire". WYSO. WYSO. 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  10. "Threats of city government shut-down loom over Dayton". WYSO. WYSO. 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  11. "Dayton's City Commissioners approve draft 2023 budget, youth get $1 million". WYSO. WYSO. 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  12. "Housing a priority for both Cincinnati and Dayton going into 2025". cet. WCET (TV). 2025-03-21. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  13. 1 2 3 "Turner-Sloss vows to upend status quo in November Dayton mayor race vs. Mims". dayton-daily-news. Dayton Daily News . Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  14. "Decision 2025 Election Results | Ohio | Spectrum News 1". Spectrum News. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  15. "Dayton City Commission swears in new mayor and city commissioners". WYSO. WYSO. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  16. "Mims wins Dayton mayor's race; Fairchild and Turner-Sloss will be on city commission". WYSO. WYSO. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  17. Iqbal, Mawa; Welter, Chris (November 3, 2021). "Mims wins Dayton mayor's race; Fairchild and Turner-Sloss will be on city commission". WYSO . Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  18. "Ohio Working Families Congratulates WFP-Member Shenise Turner-Sloss, Deborah Gray, and Six Others On Election Day Victories". Working Families Party. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  19. "OH WFP Endorses Shenise Turner-Sloss and Jared Grandy for Dayton City Commission". Working Families Party. April 23, 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  20. "Controversial rule change pulled from the agenda at Dayton City Commission meeting". WYSO. WYSO. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  21. "Ohio Democratic Party issues apology for ads targeting Dayton Commissioner candidates". WYSO. WYSO. 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  22. 1 2 "Democratic executive director resigns over party mailers". dayton-daily-news. Dayton Daily News. 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  23. "Montgomery County Democratic Party Central Committee chairman Mark Owens to resign". dayton-daily-news. Dayton Daily News. 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  24. "General Election 2021". Montgomery County Board of Elections. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  25. "General Election 2019". Montgomery County Board of Elections. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  26. "General Election 2017". Montgomery County Board of Elections. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  27. "Faculty Directory". Antioch University. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  28. "Chad Sloss, Ph.D." Wittenberg University. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  29. Frolik, Cornelius (April 18, 2021). "Meet the 7 running for run-off in Dayton commission race on May 4". Dayton Daily News . Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  30. Frolik, Cornelius (Aug 15, 2024). "Dayton OKs 180-day moratorium on new group home facilities. City wants time to explore new regulations". Dayton Daily News . Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  31. "YLEH: Candidate Profiles". WDTN. Apr 13, 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2025.