Annette Blackwell

Mayor of Maple Heights (Cuyahoga County) and the Democratic nominee for Auditor of State in the Ohio 2026 State Auditor Race.

Key facts

• Sworn in January 2016 as Maple Heights' 16th mayor — the first woman and first African-American mayor in the city's 100-year history; now in her third term, also serving as the city's Director of Safety. Relocated to Ohio from Selma, Alabama at age 2.
• Pre-office career: KeyBank, University Hospitals, and ~16 years at Deloitte and Ryan working on property-tax matters. Educated at Ursuline College, Indiana Wesleyan, Cleveland State, and Ohio State's John Glenn College.
• Signature record: inherited a city in state-declared fiscal emergency, wrote a five-year recovery plan, and exited emergency in four years; Maple Heights won the State Auditor's Clean Audit Award 2021–2023. Briefly ran for Cuyahoga County Executive (Dec 2021), then suspended to finish her mayoral term.
• Unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary. Runs on fighting corruption, "holding bad actors accountable," and ending the "endless raid of local government funds by Statehouse politicians."

Relationships

• Faces Republican Frank LaRose for the open Auditor seat (Keith Faber term-limited).
• Part of the Ohio 2026 Elections slate.