Republican Mayor of Trenton Says He "Loves" a City Manager

Ryan Perry, Mayor of Trenton, Ohio, Speaks at The Murphy Theatre

"Our city manager [has] more than paid for himself," stated Ryan Perry (R), Mayor of the City of Trenton, Ohio. On August 19, 2025, Perry, spoke at the 'Wilmington Charter City Steering Committee' public meeting at the Murphy Theatre, sharing his background and insight on Trenton's charter. He mentioned his introduction to politics, sharing that he worked with Speaker John Boehner (R). Upon serving on Trenton City Council for several years, he was asked to be the vice mayor and then mayor.

Trenton has seven elected council members and appoints the mayor and vice mayor from those elected seven. The seven members then appoint a city manager. When speaking about their city manager and strategic growth, Perry stated, "What it does is it plans a vision for the future that isn't changing every few years... We've had our city manager for eight years and you can really see the vision take shape once you've had that spot permanently [filled] for a long run." Perry emphasized the city manager's economic development background, sharing a story in which the full-time city manager saved over 400 jobs that in turn created 400 additional jobs. Perry stated, "The good thing about having a city manager is [they're] professionals... He's trained to run the city... I actually think it's great that you're letting professionals actually run [the city], but you still have the oversight of council."

When asked how Trenton is handling housing and homelessness, Perry stated, "We're trying to put in some low cost homes... For us to continue to tackle [housing], you have to offer homes at all different prices and by doing that, you get a large number of people that are owning their homes, which is much better for a community than renting."

In addition to Perry's question and answer session, attendees began drafting Wilmington's potential charter document, working on sections like the Preamble and Article titles. Residents in attendance shared that they liked phrases such as, "for ourselves and our children" in the Preamble, emphasizing that the charter is both "present and future focused."

To learn more or watch recordings of previous meetings, visit wilmingtoncharter.com.