Karl Keith

Why we endorsed Karl

Karl Keith has led the Montgomery County Auditor's Office for 25 years, and he has used that office to prove that fairness is good government. His equal employment policy prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. He invited the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center to conduct an in-depth review of his office's appraisal practices, the only county auditor in Ohio known to have requested one, and the review found his office values property fairly and without bias. The Dayton Realtors honored that work with their Fair Housing Award, which Keith calls one of the greatest honors of his career.

His support for our community is public and personal. Keith marches in the Dayton Pride Parade every year alongside members of his staff, and his office has hosted a resource table at the festival for the past two years. He is vocal about his support for LGBTQ+ residents in public and online, he backs the Ohio Equal Rights Amendment, and he wants every LGBTQ+ resident to know they are welcome doing business with the county, whether transferring property, appealing a valuation, or filing a consumer complaint.

Keith is also simply one of the most respected auditors in the state. His office has earned the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting every year he has served, and his consumer protection work on gas pump skimmers and misleading retail pricing has drawn statewide attention. Montgomery County voters will decide in November whether to keep that record of fair, transparent, and welcoming service. We believe the choice is clear.