Blackwell seeks Ohio auditor post on fiscal turnaround record

Maple Heights Mayor Annette M. Blackwell is running for Ohio auditor as a Democrat in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She faces Republican Frank LaRose.

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

Candidate information

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

Blackwell moved to Ohio from Selma, Alabama, at age 2, according to the Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association. Upon graduating from Ursuline College, she 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 female and first African American to hold the office in the city's 100-year history, according to the city's website. She is serving her third elected term and also holds the title of director of safety.

Before entering public office, Blackwell worked as an administrative coordinator at University Hospitals of Cleveland from 1987 to 1999, according to her BallotReady profile. She then worked as a property tax associate II at Deloitte from 1999 to 2007.

She served as a senior property tax associate at Thomson Reuters from 2007 to 2012 and as a lead analyst at Ryan LLC from 2013 to 2015. She also worked in installment lending at KeyBank, formerly Ameritrust, according to Ursuline College.

On the issues

Government and fiscal management: Blackwell said on her campaign website that when she took office as mayor, Maple Heights was in fiscal emergency and on the state's fiscal watch list. She said she wrote the city's five-year turnaround plan and that it worked. The city received the Ohio Auditor's Clean Audit Award every year from 2021 to 2023 under her leadership, according to the Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association.

Endorsements

The following organizations have endorsed Blackwell, according to her BallotReady profile, which attributes each endorsement to the endorsing organization: