"The black community was just not monolithic for Tony Capizzi," said Jeff Jacobson, Montgomery County GOP chairman.
Added Democratic Party Chairman Dennis Lieberman, "The fault lies in many places, including me, but perhaps Tony was too much of a one-man show. We never did have a solid organization."
Unofficial election results show Dayton remains a politically divided community: Capizzi and fellow Democrats, City Commission candidates Lloyd Lewis Jr. and Mary Wiseman, all fared better in West Dayton; Republicans, Mayor Mike Turner, Abner Orick and Mike Osgood, got their support from East Dayton.
Lewis and Wiseman finished ahead of Orick and Osgood to win spots on the commission. Turner won the mayor's race.
Despite trouncing Turner in West Dayton, Capizzi did not draw nearly as many votes there as Democratic Mayor Richard Clay Dixon did four years ago in Dixon's 397-vote loss to Turner.
For example, in Westwood, Residence Park and northwest and southwest Dayton, Capizzi received 2,828 fewer votes than Dixon, unofficial results show. Capizzi lost to Turner by 2,617 votes overall.
Democrats had feared that black West Dayton voters would not turn out for Capizzi, who supported a landfill in southwest Dayton, as they did for Dixon, who also supported the landfill, but is black.
Turner, meanwhile, again dominated in largely white East Dayton and in swing areas such as Dayton View and Riverdale, unofficial results revealed. Democrats had hoped Capizzi would cut into Turner's strength on the east side and in swing neighborhoods while sweeping the west side.
"In Dayton, the black electorate has the ability to elect anybody - they are strong and unified," Jacobson said. "Tony Capizzi is just the one candidate where white voters were more unified and black voters were more split."
Democrats disagreed, saying that more than lack of West Dayton support, the controversial minor league baseball issue crippled Capizzi, a longtime baseball advocate.
"Too many people looked at it as corporate welfare," said Lieberman, explaining that party polling showed Daytonians "are unequivocally opposed to public funding of a baseball stadium."
Though the party chairmen may disagree on details behind the results, one aspect is certain: Fewer people were inclined to vote for either candidate than four years ago.
Turner unofficially received 2,631 fewer votes than in 1993, when he garnered 22,386 votes. Overall, 7,482 fewer votes were cast in this mayor's race than four years ago, when 44,375 votes were tallied.
Meanwhile, Wiseman - a first-time candidate - appeared to be the only candidate who generated support throughout the city, though she did better in Democratic areas and historic neighborhoods. Democrats attributed her good showing to an organized campaign, a well-versed message and hard work by an intelligent candidate.
"Every once in a while the voters make a discerning choice," said Montgomery County Treasurer Hugh Quill, a Dayton resident who sits on the Democrats' Executive Committee. "It shows the voters pay attention. I'm heartened."
* CONTACT David Mendell at 225-2262 or e-mail him at david_mendell@coxohio.com