He wants to be an aerospace engineer when he grows up and loves playing tennis, swimming, playing video games, and Legos. Former Ohio Sen. John Glenn is his role model.
“This is such an exciting opportunity. I can’t wait to get started,” 10-year-old Dashiell “Dash” Harden said after he was named kid mayor by Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz during a news conference Tuesday.
Dashiell, a fourth grader at Monac Elementary, is the first boy to be kid mayor in the four-year-old program.
“I am so excited to be the first boy to serve as kid mayor of Toledo,” Dashiell said. “I want to help make Toledo an even better place for kids. I am ready to get to work.”
A world traveler, he has an impressive list of places he’s visited. His favorite is Vietnam.
“That’s impressive for someone who is only 10,” the mayor said.
He is no stranger to city volunteerism.
“He’s been part of our snow angel program that helps shovel snow for senior citizens who may need help,” the mayor said. “He has a lot of spirit and spunk.”
Dashiell will lead the 2025 kid council, a group of students from Washington Local and Toledo Public Schools.
“We’re going to bring new ideas and show other kids we can make a difference in our city, even though we are young,” Dashiell said.
Nearly 200 fourth-grade students from both districts submitted applications for the position of kid mayor. The list was narrowed to 13 before Dashiell was picked.
The mayor called Dashiell to tell him the good news.
“He just froze,” said Sam Harden, Dashiell’s father. “He held his breath. He couldn’t breathe for about 30 seconds.”
“When we do this, we’re always looking for new and different ways to engage our young people,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said of the kid mayor program. “We want to give them positive experiences about the city, learn a little bit about city government, and show them how it works.”
The kid mayor and kid council will tour the police and fire stations, the water plant, city parks, and other departments during the year. They will also visit the wood lot with the Department of Public Services, have a scavenger hunt in downtown Toledo, and participate in community projects such as joining the Litter League to help clean up the city.
Caryn Maloney, commissioner of human relations in Toledo, started the program in 2021 as a way to get young people involved in city government.
“We get them when they’re fourth graders. The reason for that is because that is when they are introduced to social studies, and they start learning about their local government,” Ms. Maloney said.
She plans an event each month for the kids to show the variety of services provided by the city government, she said.
“Everyone thinks only of the mayor and city council as city government. But there’s so much more to city government than just elected officials,” she said.
They’ll also be spending time with the mayor and council.
“By the end of their year, they will come together on a project they have worked on and give us advice on what they would like to see happen in the city of Toledo. I think it’s a really special program,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said.
Lillian Joseph, kid mayor in 2024, said the experience was “a great opportunity.”
“I learned a lot about the city, and I loved hanging out with the other kid council members,” said Lillian, who goes to Meadowvale Elementary School.
The special project she and kid council members worked on was urging the city to take care of the parks, she said.
“We should take care of parks and clean up around the city because litter is really harming the environment,” Lillian said.
Although she wants to be a veterinarian when she’s older, she doesn’t rule out the possibility of running for office.
“My dream is to become a vet, but I might want to do some kind of public service,” she said.
First Published March 18, 2025, 9:43 p.m.
