Ohio has 88 counties. Eighty-six of them have three-member county commissions, while two have 11 member councils. All 88 counties also elect five other officers: county executive, fiscal officer, treasurer, prosecutor, and sheriff.
In 2024, 18.6% of county council and commission members were women.
This research was conducted by Lilly Engelhart, one of the 2023-24 CWPO Undergraduate Research Fellows, in March of 2024.
Cuyahoga County, where BW is located and includes Cleveland, is one of two the counties in Ohio that have a county council with 11 members. Four of these council members (36.4%) are women.
Among the five other elected offices, none are held by women.
Summit County, which includes Akron, is the other county with an 11 member council. Six of these council members (54.5%) are women.
Among the five other elected offices, three are held by women: the County Executive, Fiscal Officer, and Sheriff are women. Sheriff Kandy Fatheree is the first female sheriff in Summit County history, and only one of three in the entire state.
Franklin County, which includes the city of Columbus, has the three member county commission. One of these commissioners is a woman.
Among the five other elected offices, the Treasurer is a women. Cheryl Brooks Sullivan is the first Black to serve as Treasurer and the first African American woman to serve in any Franklin County office.
Hamilton County, which includes the city of Cincinnati, has the three member county commission. All three of these commissioners are women! Alicia Reese, the president of the commision, made history as the first woman and first Black to win city, state, and county races in Hamilton County.
Among the five other elected offices, three are women, Treasurer Jill Schiller, Prosecutor Melissa Powers, and Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey. Sheriff McGuffey is one of only three female sheriffs in Ohio.
Portage County, where Kent State University is located, has the three member county commission. One of these commissioners is a woman.
Among the five other elected offices, none are held by women.
