Local

Dawn Iannantuono elected to serve unexpired mayoral term

Published

Monday, July 18, 2022

Tiffin, Ohio — Tiffin City Council has elected 3rd Ward Councilmember Dawn Iannantuono to serve the remainder of former Mayor Aaron Montz’s unexpired term.

During council’s meeting Monday evening, Councilmember Vickie Wilkins proposed a motion to proceed with selecting the city’s next mayor from the two remaining candidates: Dawn Iannantuono and Brian Cole. That motion passed with a vote of 4 to 1, with Councilmember Ken Jones being the sole member to vote against.

Council then proceeded to hold a roll call vote to choose between the two candidates. Councilmembers Vickie Wilkins, Dawn Iannantuono, Steve Lepard, and Dan Perry voted for Iannantuono, while Councilmember Ken Jones voted for Brian Cole.

The vote by city council makes Iannantuono the first female mayor elected to office.

Iannantuono, a retired small business owner, has served on Tiffin City Council since 2016, representing the city’s 3rd Ward. She previously served on the Tiffin City Schools Board of Education for 18 years, on the Vanguard-Sentinel Board of Education for three years, and unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2007.

Dawn Iannantuono. (Contributed Photo)

“I just want to say to all of you that I am humbled, honored, and excited to step forward as your next mayor of Tiffin,” Iannantuono said.

“I look forward to working with all of you, I look forward to working with Bryce Riggs, who has been exceptional in this process as a member of the Chamber, and with Aaron Montz as the TSEP CEO. I look forward to working with both of those gentlemen to keep us moving forward,” Iannantuono continued. “I know it’s been a tough couple of weeks, and I’m not going to comment on that any further. We’ve moving forward, and it’s done. So I appreciate all the support, I appreciate all the reaching out that I’ve had the last few days. It’s really touched me, and I do appreciate that. Thank you.”

Iannantuono will be sworn in Tuesday, July 19 at 4:30 p.m. in council chambers at Tiffin City Hall.

Iannantuono has stated that she intends to remain in office only for the remainder of Montz’s term and does not intend to seek re-election in 2023.

In accordance with the city’s charter, Council President Bridget Boyle was sworn in as acting mayor July 5 following Montz’s resignation. During a council meeting on June 20, Boyle stated she would not be filling the remainder of Montz’s term.

Five candidates submitted resumes and cover letters as their self-nomination for the seat by the June 27 deadline. One candidate withdrew their nomination prior to council giving interviews to candidates. On July 11, council met in special meeting and voted to elect Councilman Zack Perkins as the new mayor. On July 12, Perkins announced his decision to decline accepting the mayoral position and to resign from Tiffin City Council following allegations of misconduct.