Aaron Harder (Mayor of Perrysburg, Ohio, candidate 2025)

Aaron Harder

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Mayor of Perrysburg

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 6, 2025

Education

High school

Clay High School

Bachelor's

University of Toledo, 2020

Personal

Birthplace

Oregon, Ohio

Profession

Analyst

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Aaron Harder is running for election to the Mayor of Perrysburg in Ohio. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.^[source] He was on the ballot in the primary on May 6, 2025.^[source]

Harder completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Aaron Harder provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on September 23, 2025:

• Birth place: Oregon, Ohio
• High school: Clay High School
• Bachelor's: University of Toledo, 2020
• Gender: Male
• Profession: Analyst
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign slogan: Opportunity for all!
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook

Elections

General election

General election for Mayor of Perrysburg

Aaron Harder and Mark A. Weber are running in the general election for Mayor of Perrysburg on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Aaron Harder (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Mark A. Weber (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Perrysburg

Deborah L. Born, Aaron Harder, and Mark A. Weber ran in the primary for Mayor of Perrysburg on May 6, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Deborah L. Born (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Aaron Harder (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Mark A. Weber (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Aaron Harder completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Harder's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a native of Northwest Ohio. I spent my childhood in Bono in Lucas County -- a hamlet crossed longwise by three streets, home to about sixty residents, a church, and a bar. We weren't particularly wealthy then, and three generations lived in a small house purchased with money from the GI Bill after the Second World War. The 2008 financial crisis hit my family hard, my father working in the automotive industry and sole provider for my disabled mother and I -- my grandparents had passed the year prior. Like many in my generation, this experience taught me how fragile a family's finances can be. I attended Clay High School in Oregon, Ohio. Later, I enrolled at the University of Toledo, where I got a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. During my college years, I volunteered with various campaigns: Toledo Move to Amend, which was part of a national effort to reverse the impact of Citizens United, the Supreme Court ruling that allowed massive amounts of corporate money into politics; the Bernie Sanders 2016 Campaign; the Hillary Clinton 2016 Campaign, following the Democratic primary; and NextGen Climate, a organization attempting to raise awareness of Climate Change and Green Energy. I met my wife in college, and we later moved to Perrysburg. I have come to love this community, and I want to ensure the continue prosperity, success, and betterment of the place I now call home.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Opportunity for everyone. Every resident in our community deserves a fair deal: a good education, a comfortable home, and financial security. This means promoting the funding of our school system and taking measures to ensure its sustainability. This also means promoting affordable housing by making it easier and more attractive to build starter homes and multi-use buildings, removing unnecessary barriers to housing development, while still ensuring quality and safety. And opportunity means making good use of our land, promoting the development of industry and commerce where possible and appropriate. Our community has been blessed with a rich history, and that history is best served by making possible the creation of new histories today.
• A responsible community. Our city must continue to fulfill the basic functions of government: maintain the roads, provide emergency services, and keep the lights on. City government should be responsible with each tax dollar, investing it where it will be most effective. Government should also take a long term view of responsibility. Investing in green energy, such a solar panels, to power municipal buildings, could cut costs while demonstrating a commitment to fighting climate change and promoting local industry. The city should also take measures to prepare for hotter summers and poor air quality days, caused by distant forest fires, which will pose risks to public health. The city should prioritize the long-term prosperity of residents.
• A fair deal. Tying all this together is the idea that people should be able to expect government to stand up for them -- their rights, their prosperity, and their future. Expanding on this, government should be accessible, modern, and navigable. The city should continue to invest in updating its computer systems and simplifying the places people interact with government; improved online tax fling, guided form submission, and straightforward record requests all come to mind. Competence is a form of kindness. Government should work as quickly and efficiently as reasonably possible. Government should work to make people's lives better, as I know many civil servants are passionate about putting in the work to achieve.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education is a key passion for me. I think one of the greatest gifts a community can give to its children is a good education. Personally, I love to learn, and I cherished the opportunity to learn at university; I wish for that opportunity for everyone who wants it. Another area is economics. I want to see a fair deal for everyone in our community; life is too short to be spent on needless poverty or preventable suffering. And related to that, I am interested in promoting fundamental rights. I believe every person has a right to determine their own course through life, to express themselves as they see fit, and to find their place in their community. I think government should promote individual and community freedoms as much as possible.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Leadership is about promoting our better angels and directing government in such a way as to express our deeper hopes. It is a commitment to look towards the horizon of progress and remember that greater days are ahead of us, because the potential of creation has always, and will always, reside within us. True leadership is not cynical; it does not suggest that today is the best that history can produce; it neither resigns itself to pessimism nor devotes itself towards selfish ends--it does not sow division. Leadership strives to be effective, and it recognizes that competency is itself a form of kindness--it strives to make optimism synonymous with realism.

When I think on the highlights of our nation's shared history, I see that the most profound leaders were those who defined what opportunity meant for the moment. They charted courses, even in times of trouble, towards the aspirations that sit at the heart of the American project: a better, more prosperous life for our children; safety and security throughout life, in youth and old age; liberty and the pursuit of happiness which only that can allow.

A good leader will have integrity, will be responsible and forthright, and will work to effectively meet the needs of the community they serve. All these are important. But that secret ingredient that makes for something wonderful, I believe, is the desire to see opportunity made to meet the moment. I believe a leader should channel the aspirations of the people they serve. I believe that's what makes leadership special.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy of hope. Not many people get the opportunity to reshape the world, and I don't presume that I will, but everyone has the opportunity to make meaningful change in their community, in the lives of their friends and family, and in their own lives. I am confident that a better tomorrow is always possible, because the ability to create that better tomorrow has always, and will always, reside within us. I hope that the legacy I leave is proof of this hope, that I leave this world a little better for the efforts I will have made.

I desire a politics that believes in hope and strives to make it effective. I want to see leadership that is bold in the face of challenge, that is constrained by good finance and sound reason, but is dedicated to the dream of a society that is free of poverty, preventable illness, and needless suffering; leadership should be in the business of hope and defining opportunity for the moment. I believe a lot of people also desire such a new politics, and we all have a part to play in building it--I would like to do my part.

What do you love most about your city?

I love our sense of community. Residents, the city government, and civil organizations regularly engage in making events happen that bring people together. From the July 4th fireworks show at Fort Meigs to Perrysburg Hearts the Arts on Louisiana Avenue, Perrysburg regularly demonstrates a commitment to making our city a lively, engaging, and welcoming place to live; that's beautiful. And this sense of community extends to a deep recognition of our history, kept alive by many volunteers who clearly cherish our city's storied past. I think any administration should make it a priority to maintain this spirit of community.

What do you perceive to be your city's greatest challenges over the next decade?

The risks posed by growing demands on individual, family, and government coffers. When I talk to members of my community, many of them note the increasing cost of living, the unaffordability of housing for their adult children, and the general economic uncertainty embodied by inflation. When discussing taxes, they generally agree that there are key services that local governments should provide, such as appropriately funded schools, but they worry about what strain increased taxes might put on their families -- will they be able to afford their current quality of life in spite of everything? It became clear to me that many people feel stuck between a rock and hard place.

Perrysburg has been relatively fortunate in its economic positioning; the city budget is balanced and most people enjoy a high standard of living. But looking towards the future, we can anticipate some possible challenges. Inflation will likely continue to drive prices higher, which will mean tighter budgets for individuals. Aging city infrastructure, as all cities face, will demand more government funding to keep up an acceptable quality. Climate change will likely stress systems not designed for more sudden precipitation and abrupt cold snaps. Forest fires will pose health risks for residents with asthma and other respiratory ailments. All these foreseeable issues and more will likely demand more of city government, at a time when state and federal government seem to be withdrawing their support.

Addressing these challenges will require growing our economic base, allowing our community more flexibility and resilience. Part of that will be responsible development of our land, as Perrysburg has already grown into much of the area within its municipal boundaries. We will need to be forward thinking in our approach, but I believe these challenges can be overcome.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Wood County Democratic Party; United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW)

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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