Compared with Ohio’s five other largest cities, Toledo is truly governed by a council of elders, with only three members of the city’s governing board younger than 50.

A comparison of the ages of council members in Ohio’s six largest cities shows that Toledo’s 12-member council is the oldest, with members on average just over 57 years old.

That compares with average councilman ages of 50 in Cleveland, 48 in Cincinnati, and 43 in Columbus. Toledo’s council is closer in age to the next two smallest cities, Akron, where the average age is 56, and Dayton, with an average age of 54.

The city came close to seeing its average council-member age jump up to 60 if Harvey Savage had been able to repeat his top-six showing in the primary election and finish in the top six in the general election.

Instead, Mr. Savage, a retired corporate manager who runs a central city soup kitchen, was edged out of the top six by someone younger than 40, Nick Komives.

“It’s important to have age groups represented across the board. Every generation brings something to the table,” said Mr. Komives, who at 33 will be council’s youngest member when he is sworn in on Jan. 2.

“I think we lag behind in those amenities that younger people are looking for when they decide where to move and get a job after college or high school,” he said.

Mr. Komives’ election on Nov. 7, along with that of 63-year-old newcomer Gary Johnson, reduces the average age of council slightly. They replace 49-year-old Kurt Young who lost the election and 55-year-old Steve Steel who is termed-out.

Age was an undercurrent of the campaign, especially from candidate Sam Melden, who finished eighth in the race for six council seats in November.

Mr. Melden, 33, literally ran through neighborhoods to demonstrate his youth and energy, compared with some of his opponents.

“I’m not convinced that my competitors in this race have the energy to really push for the kind of change and innovative leadership that our city needs,” Mr. Melden said in one campaign statement before the election.

Mr. Melden said Toledo needs a range of ages for diversity.

“To be truly representative of Toledoans it’s nice to have people who think and understand technology in different ways, who understand the demands of raising small children while working full time. It’s just basic representation. It’s not about better or worse or more capable,” Mr. Melden said.

He said the controversy from a couple years ago about allowing food trucks downtown is one that left young people scratching their heads because food trucks are a staple in other large cities.

“Sometimes it can feel to young entrepreneurs like this is a group of people that is completely out of touch,” Mr. Melden said. “Sorry, I do think that younger people are more in touch with emerging trends than older folks are.”

Mr. Melden said it’s going to take structural change to make council more representative of the age of Toledo’s population. He said the part-time salary paid to Toledo council members, $27,500, discourages candidates with full-time jobs and makes it easier for retired people, or people who own businesses that can spare their attention, to be on council.

By contrast, the city councils of Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus pay a wage that a person can live on without needing a full-time job, Mr. Melden said. Salaries for members of council in other cities are $80,133 in Cleveland, $60,646 in Cincinnati, and $55,5127 in Columbus.

Mr. Savage said last week that he thought he lost not because of his age but because he wasn’t endorsed by the Democratic Party, while the two elected newcomers, Mr. Komives and Mr. Johnson, were endorsed. He also said they had money to send direct mail and advertise more heavily than he did, but he also acknowledged that Mr. Komives knocked on doors to a greater extent than he did.

Mr. Savage considers himself a progressive. He said part of the reason he finished fifth in the September primary was because of his support for a more aggressive approach to cleaning up Lake Erie through a federal “impairment” designation, which won him the backing of voters in Point Place.

He said council’s problem is not old age but poor circulation.

“We in Toledo have been okay in accepting people that have been on council. After 12 years you get a little age on you,” Mr. Savage said, referring to the time limit that council members may serve.

He also said voters have to show more interest, especially younger voters.

“Young people need to come out if they really and truly want to be a part of what’s happening in Toledo,” he said.

Mr. Komives said he was not surprised that Toledo’s council is slightly longer in the tooth than other big Ohio city municipal legislative bodies.

He said he is quitting his job as director of Equality Toledo and plans to live on council’s $27,500 salary.

“For younger people that live in Toledo, they go to Cleveland, Columbus, or Detroit, and they see public transportation coming back or bike rentals as a way to get around,” he said. “We’ve got to pick up the pace.”

Larry Sykes, council’s oldest member at 68, said a person has to have some experience to be on council, which involves running a city with a budget of more than $600 million a  year.

“When you’re talking about running a city you have so many moving components that you want somebody that has some sense, some knowledge,” he said.

He didn’t agree that age diversity is analogous to racial diversity, and questioned whether the age of councilmen has been a positive factor in the past.

“The reason there should be diversity and inclusion in race is because you can show historically how African-Americans and Hispanics have been treated because of their race,” Mr. Sykes said.

He said his own record shows his ability to legislate on behalf of youth, claiming leadership in the drive to end the lead threat in old rental homes.

The youngest sitting councilman in all of Ohio’s six largest cities is Cleveland Councilman Kerry McCormack, who turns 30 next March.

The oldest city councilman in Ohio’s six largest cities is 78-year-old David Mann of Cincinnati.

P.G. Sittenfeld, a 33-year-old councilman in Cincinnati, was 26 when he was first elected. He ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. Senate seat at age 26. He said getting elected requires enough seasoning to convince enough people to support you.

“I was saying, ‘Hand over the keys of a billion-dollar operation.’ There needs to be a maturity and gravitas to get people to say yes to that,” he said.

“I don’t think there’s anything better or superior about younger versus seasoned. It’s good to have both at the table.”

He said he and Ohio’s oldest councilman, Mr. Mann, get along great.

“David and I are really close friends, and we love teaming up on stuff,” he said.

Toledo is somewhat more youthful at the mayoral level. Incoming Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, at 45, is younger than two mayors and similar in age to three other mayors. Cleveland’s Frank Jackson is 70. Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan is 54. Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley is 43. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther is 42. Dayton Mayor Nannette “Nan” Whaley is 41.

Contact Tom Troy at tomtroy@theblade.com, 419-724-6058, or on Twitter @TomFTroy.

First Published December 1, 2017, 6:41 p.m.