Justin Bibb, a nonprofit executive, will be the next mayor of Cleveland, Ohio.

Bibb defeated Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley by 26 percentage points to become the city’s second-youngest mayor.

In a very close race, Kelvin Butler defeats Gary Brumfield to win the special election for Mississippi Senate District 38.

Butler previously represented District 38 until he resigned in 2016 to run for Pike County Chancery Clerk.

Butler had also run for the seat in 2019.

However, he was defeated by Tammy Witherspoon, who resigned earlier this year leading to the vacancy which prompted this special election.

With no candidate securing a majority, the Mississippi Senate District 32 race is heading for a runoff election.

Rob Hickman and Dr. Minh Duong will face each other in the special runoff election scheduled for November 23.

In a close race which garnered national attention, Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin will be Virginia’s next governor after defeating Terry McAuliffe.

Youngkin becomes the first Republican to win a gubernatorial bid since 2009.

Connecticut Gov. Lamont announced a special election be held on December 14 for the 116th House District.

The seat became vacant when Rep. Michael DiMassa resigned following charges he stole federal COVID-19 relief funds.

The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of the two-year term set to expire in December 2022.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson set a February 8 special election date to replace Sen. Lance Eads of Springdale.

Eads resigned to take a lobbying job. Former state Rep. Jim Bob Duggar is the only announced candidate so far.

The governor’s proclamation also sets December 14 for party primaries.

A special runoff primary, if needed, is set for January 11.

Candidate filing begins at noon November 15 and ends at noon one week later.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has called a special session of the Legislature to begin November 8.

Lawmakers had announced a special session in September to begin November 8 but Burgum’s announcement means lawmakers will not be limited to the four days allotted under the constitution when the Legislature calls itself into session.

House Majority Leader Chet Pollert said they will determine whether a veto session will be necessary during the special session.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

The Tennessee General Assembly adjourned the third special session on October 30.

Lawmakers passed several bills limiting COVID-19 restrictions and mandates.

In addition to these measures, lawmakers also introduced and passed Senate Bill 9009 making school board elections partisan elections.

All of these bills now await action by Gov. Bill Lee.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has set the dates for the November Florida Legislature’s special session concerning COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Lawmakers will convene the special session on November 15 and can adjourn no later than November 19.

The Iowa Legislature adjourned sine die October 28 after a one-day session in which lawmakers passed the second redistricting plan after rejecting the first one in a special session on October 5.

The plan passed the Senate 48-1, with one senator absent, and the House 93-2.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting. 

Cincinnati City Council voted unanimously to approve two ordinances addressing corruption in city government.

Ordinance 0415-2021 prohibits City Council members from soliciting campaign contributions from developers who have an interest in any ordinance before the council.

The ordinance will be effective when council appropriates funding to establish the administrative staffing and enforcement needs imposed by the ordinance.

Emergency Ordinance 0413-2021 is effective immediately and establishes a new position of ethics and good government counselor within the Department of Law to support ethics, election, and campaign finance transparency.

The ordinance transferred $375,000 from the general reserve for weather-related events to fund the position and to buy software to implement a program to make campaign finance disclosures more transparent.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced special election dates for Senate District 33, House District 88, and House District 94.

The special primary election will be held on January 11, 2022, followed by the special general election on March 8, 2022.

The three seats became available in July when Sen. Perry Thurston and Reps. Bobby DuBose and Omari Hardy resigned to run for U.S. House District 20, a seat vacated by the late Rep. Alcee Hastings.

This announcement comes after three months of delays and a lawsuit filed two weeks ago seeking to compel DeSantis to set election dates.

The delay will result in the new lawmakers missing preparations and the start of the 2022 legislative session.

Further, if a general election is needed, the new lawmakers will miss out on most of the session, which is scheduled to end on March 11, 2022.

Speaker of the House Scott Bedke announced the Idaho Legislature will reconvene November 15 to address Federal Covid-19 rules for employers and consider an ethics complaint against Rep. Priscilla Giddings.

Normally, only Idaho’s Governor has the power to call a special session.

Instead of adjourning, the house called for an extended recess, a maneuver that allows the house to return to the regular session.

The Covid-related bill being considered would make it a misdemeanor for state or local government employees to implement President Biden’s Covid-19 rules in Idaho.

The Legislature will also consider censoring and removing Rep. Giddings from the House Commerce and Human Resources Committee.

The ethic complaint stems from Rep. Giddings sharing the name and picture of a 19-year-old legislative staffer who accused former Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger of sexual misconduct.

This does affect lobbyist reporting.

Connecticut State Rep. Michael DiMassa resigned following his indictment for stealing $636,000 in federal funds.

The governor is expected to call a special election to fill the vacant seat in the 116th Assembly District for the remainder of the term ending December 2022.