Sam Melden

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Sam Melden

Nonpartisan

Toledo City Council District 5

Tenure

2020 - Present

Term ends

2028

Years in position

5

Predecessor

Tom Waniewski

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 7, 2023

Education

Bachelor's

University of Toledo

Graduate

University of Toledo

Personal

Birthplace

Chattanooga, Tenn.

Religion

Christian: Episcopalian

Profession

Director of growth, Leadership Toledo

Contact

Official website

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Sam Melden is a member of the Toledo City Council in Ohio, representing District 5. He assumed office on January 2, 2020. His current term ends on January 3, 2028.

Melden ran for re-election to the Toledo City Council to represent District 5 in Ohio. He won in the general election on November 7, 2023.

Though Toledo elections are officially nonpartisan, Melden has been affiliated with the Democratic Party.

Biography

Sam Melden was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Toledo in 2019, before attending graduate school at the University of Toledo with an expected graduation date of December 2020. Melden's professional experience includes being the director of growth and management at Leadership Toledo and the executive director for The Center for Servant Leadership.

Elections

2023

See also: City elections in Toledo, Ohio (2023)

General election

General election for Toledo City Council District 5

Incumbent Sam Melden defeated Tom Names in the general election for Toledo City Council District 5 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sam Melden (Nonpartisan)	67.3	7,389
		Tom Names (Nonpartisan)	31.9	3,500
		Other/Write-in votes	0.9	94

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,983
= 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.
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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Sam Melden and Tom Names advanced from the primary for Toledo City Council District 5.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Melden in this election.

2019

See also: City elections in Toledo, Ohio (2019)

General election

General election for Toledo City Council District 5

Sam Melden defeated Tom Names in the general election for Toledo City Council District 5 on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sam Melden (Nonpartisan)	62.4	4,613
		Tom Names (Nonpartisan)	37.6	2,776

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,389
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Toledo City Council District 5

Sam Melden and Tom Names defeated Connor Kelley in the primary for Toledo City Council District 5 on September 10, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sam Melden (Nonpartisan)	63.7	1,377
✔		Tom Names (Nonpartisan)	22.7	492
	Submit photo	Connor Kelley (Nonpartisan)	13.6	294

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,163
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Shane Logan (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

To see a list of endorsements for Sam Melden, click here.

2017

See also: Municipal elections in Toledo, Ohio (2017)

The city of Toledo, Ohio, held elections for mayor and six seats on the city council on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on September 12, 2017. The filing deadline for this election was July 14, 2017. The following candidates ran in the general election for six at-large seats on the Toledo City Council.

Toledo City Council, At-large General Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Sandy Spang Incumbent	12.12%	27,459
Rob Ludeman Incumbent	11.04%	25,004
Cecelia Adams Incumbent	9.72%	22,030
Gary Johnson	9.40%	21,296
Nick Komives	9.13%	20,689
Larry Sykes Incumbent	8.94%	20,246
Harvey Savage Jr.	8.23%	18,656
Sam Melden	8.13%	18,410
Kurt Young Incumbent	6.90%	15,637
Patricia Robinson	6.55%	14,847
Alfonso Narvaez	5.99%	13,566
Clyde Phillips Jr.	3.85%	8,722
Total Votes		226,562
Source: Lucas County, Ohio, "November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed November 7, 2017

The following candidates ran in the primary election for six at-large seats on the Toledo City Council.

Toledo City Council, At-large Primary Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Sandy Spang Incumbent	12.16%	12,679
Rob Ludeman Incumbent	10.75%	11,205
Larry Sykes Incumbent	10.55%	11,004
Cecelia Adams Incumbent	10.27%	10,704
Harvey Savage Jr.	8.81%	9,186
Gary Johnson	8.39%	8,745
Nick Komives	8.24%	8,595
Sam Melden	7.33%	7,646
Kurt Young Incumbent	6.30%	6,570
Patricia Robinson	5.75%	5,994
Alfonso Narvaez	5.03%	5,243
Clyde Phillips Jr.	3.60%	3,754
Thomas Names	2.83%	2,949
Total Votes		104,274
Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Board of Elections," accessed September 12, 2017

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Sam Melden did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2019

Sam Melden completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Melden's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Sam Melden, 35, lives in West Toledo with his wife Lindsey and their three daughters. He currently serves as the Director of Strategic Engagement for The Ability Center of Toledo. Sam is an Endorsed Democrat, and his vision for District 5 is centered around building neighborhoods that are safe, strong and sustainable. Sam believes in hard work and servant leadership as two values to live by. He's inspired by his daughters to do everything he can to build a community that will bring opportunities for the next generation to thrive.

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?

• Safe, Strong, Sustainable Neighborhoods
• Forward thinking, common sense policy ideas
• Fast response to all constituent concerns

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Neighborhood Development and Planning

Environmental Stewardship and Conservation

Accessibility and Universal Design

Common Sense Gun Reform and Gun Safety

Protecting Workers Rights

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to anyone who lives their life in the service of others, for the long haul. Folks who have exhibited a dedication to working for the common good of their community, and who continue to fight to improve the world for others. There are many people in my life I can point to that have carried themselves this way, but politically speaking, Senator Sherrod Brown and House Representative Marcy Kaptur come to mind.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I try to listen to every side of an issue before acting. I always try to involve everyone that may be affected by an issue in crafting a way forward. I think I am a consensus builder, and can work with a wide cross section of folks to accomplish a goal.

What legacy would you like to leave?

My hope, would be to work, and live in such a way to leave a legacy of love, and service to all people. The truth is, I am running for office to improve my community, and my hope is to have my hand to the plow in this community for decades.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Certainly not the first, but two that have always stood out to me as I think about my upbringing happened while I was in high school. First, was the shooting at Columbine High School. That had such a dramatic effect on the shape of our country in the past 20 years, and truly altered the way we think about our schools. Then of course, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 happened during my senior year of high school.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was a caddy at a nearby golf course. I worked there for about 6 years, basically in Jr. High and High School.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I think like many people who grew up without a father figure for several years, early in life, it can be a significant struggle but also a source of great resilience, perspective and character. That has certainly been true for me as well.

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.

2017

See also: Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey

Melden participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

“	My approach to this office will be to serve our community by implementing best practices that keep all people in Toledo in mind including those who come after us. We must be forward thinking in all policy decisions. The top issues in our community are water, safe & family friendly neighborhoods, and making local government more responsive to the concerns of the people.	”
—Sam Melden (August 25, 2017)

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue	Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	Civil rights	7	Homelessness
2	Environment	8	Crime reduction/prevention
3	Transportation	9	Government transparency
4	Housing	10	Recreational opportunities
5	K-12 education	11	City services
6	Unemployment	12	Public pensions/retirement funds

Nationwide municipal issues

The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.

Question	Response
Is it important for the city’s budget to be balanced?Answer options: Not important; Not important, but required by state law; A little important; A little important, but required by state law; Important; Very important	Very important
Which level of government do you feel should set a minimum wage?Answer options: None, Local, State, Federal	Federal
What do you think is the best way to improve a city’s public safety? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Increased economic opportunities, Increased police presence/activity, Harsher penalties for offenders, Public outreach/education programs	Public outreach/education programs
How do you think your city should emphasize economic development? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Changing zoning restrictions, Create a more competitive business climate, Focusing on small business development, Instituting a citywide minimum wage, Recruiting new businesses to your city, Regulatory and licensing reforms, and tax reform	Focusing on small business development
What is the one thing you’re most proud of about your city?	Our history. Toledo has a rich heritage as a progressive, open-minded, inclusive place where hard working, innovative and passionate people have raised their families and lived full lives.
What is the one thing you’d most like to change about your city?	Our relationship with our water. Water for drinking, for recreation, and for tourism. Every opportunity we have to better appreciate, and leverage our proximity to Lake Erie should be taken. Our river front should be the main artery in the next several years of economic development conversations. The quality of our drinking water needs to reflect our deep respect and appreciation for Lake Erie and our advocacy to protect it.

Endorsements

2017

Melden listed the following endorsements on his 2017 candidate survey:

• Launch Progress PAC
• Lucas County Democratic Party
• Laborers’ Local 500
• Sheet Metal Workers, Local 33
• AFSCME - Local 8
• Advocates for a Clean Lake Erie
• CWA - Local 4319
• Toledo Port Council

See also

2023 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

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External links

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Officeholder

Toledo City Council District 5

Website

Personal

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Tom Waniewski	Toledo City Council District 5 2020-Present	Succeeded by -