Maple Heights mayor Blackwell runs for Ohio auditor

Maple Heights Mayor Annette M. Blackwell is running for Ohio auditor as a Democrat. She faces Republican Frank LaRose.

Blackwell, who has served as mayor since January 2016, said on her campaign website that she wants to "tackle this corruption and safeguard our tax dollars by holding bad actors accountable." She also said she plans to partner with communities across the state so they can provide safe, affordable places for working families.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: Ohio auditor
Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
Opponent: Frank LaRose (Republican)
Education: High school diploma, St. Joseph High School (1980); bachelor's degree in public relations and corporate communications, Ursuline College (2016)

Upon graduating from Ursuline College, Blackwell received the Sister Diana Stano, OSU, PhD, Award for Excellence in Academics, Leadership and Service, according to Ursuline College.

Experience and public service

Blackwell was sworn in as Maple Heights' 16th mayor in January 2016, the first woman and first African American to hold the office in the city's 100-year history, according to the city of Maple Heights. She is serving her third elected term. She also serves as the city's director of safety.

Blackwell moved to Ohio from Selma, Alabama, at age 2, according to the Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association.

Before becoming mayor, Blackwell worked in property tax and financial services roles. She was an administrative coordinator at University Hospitals of Cleveland from 1987 to 1999, according to BallotReady. She then worked as a property tax associate II at Deloitte from 1999 to 2007. She was a senior property tax associate at Thomson Reuters from 2007 to 2012, then a lead analyst at Ryan LLC Property Tax from 2013 to 2015. She also worked in installment lending at KeyBank, formerly Ameritrust.

On the issues

Fiscal management: Blackwell said she led Maple Heights through an economic turnaround after the city was in fiscal emergency and on the state's fiscal watch list when she took office. She said she wrote the city's five-year turnaround plan.

The city received the state auditor's Clean Audit Award every year from 2021 to 2023 under her leadership, according to the Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association.