Despite the Montgomery County Democratic Party endorsements, which promptly saw Daryl Fairchild drop out when they endorsed Jeff Mims and Joey Williams, the Dayton Daily seems to think that there will be a bevy of candidates on the May ballot.

The race for two commission seats – one being defended by Williams and one being vacated by Whaley – could be an active one. More than a dozen Dayton residents took out petitions to run, but four have already reconsidered.

Prominent local minister Darryl Fairchild announced Thursday, after failing to win the Democratic endorsement, that he will end his campaign and support Williams and Mims instead, drawing a loud ovation from party members. But there are several notable names planning to run.

Williams is a third-term incumbent and former Dayton school board member. Mims is a state school board member who previously served on Dayton’s school board. Others running include David K. Greer, chairman of the city’s Northwest Priority Board, and David Esrati, a longtime activist and candidate who runs a local ad agency.

Attorney Mark Manovich and William Pace, who ran active races for city commission in 2011, have pulled petitions, as has Tim O’Bryant, a minister and real estate agent who ran for county recorder in November. Tim Zecchini, Donald Domineck Jr. and Willie Dion Walker also took out petitions.

Mims said he enjoyed the screening process before the Democratic Party’s executive committee.

“You get a bunch of questions, and you go in nervous as all get-out, and sorta humble, hoping that people understand what you’ve done in the past that reflects the Democratic values and valuing all people,” Mims said.

Esrati criticized the screening process, arguing the party should encourage as many Democrats to run in the primary as possible, rather than endorsing a select few.

via Democrats endorse Whaley, Williams, Mims for Dayton races | www.newstalkradiowhio.com.

In the Mayors race, there are all kinds of names circulating:

The endorsement of current City Commissioner Whaley for mayor comes as little surprise, as she’s a member of the Ohio Democratic Party’s central committee and was the only candidate to actively seek the nod.

A.J. Wagner, a former Democratic judge and county auditor also running for mayor, said he’s running as a nonpartisan candidate. Whaley and Wagner will challenge incumbent Mayor Gary Leitzell, an independent. Larry Ealy, Derek Folley, Eric Gregory and Diane Sloan also have taken out mayoral petitions to run, according to the Board of Elections.

Folley (which may be spelled Foley) and Ealy have failed with signatures before. I never “pulled petitions” from the BOE, because I have them already and never had a need to announce to party insiders of my intentions. Note, the Dayton Daily News gave Fairchild a long article when he announced- and, if Nan doesn’t get knocked out of the primary, look for the party to endorse him for Dean Lovelace’s seat when they finally call him on the charter requirements to go after missing 5 meetings in a row. They are building a wheelchair ramp to the commission dais for either Lovelace or Fairchild- take your pick.

If anyone has links to any of these other candidates sites and positions, please share them in comments. It will be interesting if any of them are willing to agree to limiting their campaign spending as the Mayor and I have already pledged to do.

As an aside, if Leitzell does get knocked out of the primary and it comes down to Nan vs AJ- I am already firmly behind AJ- just for the record.