March 16, 2023
Dayton Mayor Jeffrey J. Mims Jr. declared March 16, 2023 to be “Karl Keith Day” in the City of Dayton to commemorate Keith’s swearing-in to a historic seventh term as Montgomery County Auditor.
“I am honored and grateful to be able to continue to serve the community in this role,” Keith said. “It is humbling to have received the support of the voters to continue this important work, and I am excited about what my staff and I can accomplish together these next four years.”
Keith was re-elected in November with 53.5% of the vote. He says his priority for his new 4-year term is to continue to make Auditor’s Office services more accessible to the public, such as by making it easier for property owners to schedule and participate in informal appeals during the 2023 property value update. Keith also said he will continue working to ensure consumers get a fair deal at the pump and at the register.
Keith’s oath of office was administered by former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley. Addressing the crowd of community leaders and Auditor’s Office employees gathered at the Sinclair Conference Center, Whaley reflected on her own experience working for Keith as a deputy auditor early in her career.
“Karl has never stopped teaching us. He has taught us what integrity is about in public service,” she said.
State Representative Willis Blackshear Jr., another former Auditor’s Office employee, marked the occasion with a proclamation commemorating Keith’s service to the public. He noted that he and other members of Keith’s staff “have had the privilege of learning from him and developing under his tutelage.”
In his remarks, Mims recognized Keith’s “commitment to innovation, transparency and accessibility” during his tenure as county auditor.
First sworn-in to fill an unexpired term in 2000 and re-elected six times since, Keith is the second-longest serving auditor in Montgomery County history. The longest-serving auditor was Jesse Haines who served for nearly 28 years, and who is also immortalized in the National Baseball Hall of Fame for his career as a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Other photos of Thursday’s ceremony can be found in this Google Drive folder.