Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jane Campbell defeated former Clinton administration appointee Raymond Pierce on Tuesday to become Cleveland's first female mayor.

        In complete but unofficial returns, Ms. Campbell had 58,183 votes, or 54 percent, to 48,941, or 46 percent, for Mr. Pierce.

        Ms. Campbell, her voice reduced to a rasp by the last days of the campaign, told her supporters, “I am proud to stand here ready to serve as the first woman mayor.”

        She said the city can improve its schools, make its streets safer and rebuild its manufacturing base “by working together, by build ing relationships based on trust, based on respect.”

        In Toledo, state Rep. Jack Ford was elected the city's first black mayor after maintaining a healthy lead over his opponent throughout the night Tuesday.

        With 92 percent of precincts reporting unofficial results, Mr. Ford had 45,623 votes, or 61 percent, compared with 29,539, or 39 percent, for Ray Kest, treasurer of Lucas County.

        Both Democrats were seeking to succeed two-term Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, also a Democrat.

        In Cleveland, Ms. Campbell, 48, has held elective office for 17 years. She was a state representative from 1984-96 and since then has been one of three commissioners in Ohio's most populous county.

        Early in the day, the board of elections predicted voter turnout would be about 35 percent, but more than 50 percent of the city's registered voters ultimately turned out.

        In 1989, 38 percent of Cleveland voters turned out to choose the successor to Mayor George Voinovich. Michael White beat George Forbes in that election.

        This year, Mr. White, the city's longest-serving mayor, decided not to seek a fourth four-year term.

        During the campaign, Ms. Campbell, who is white, said her ability to negotiate and bring parties together would be a valuable trait in the mayor's office.

        Mr. Pierce, 42, began the campaign as an underdog, having never run for public office. He served as deputy assistant secretary of education in the Clinton administration, and had been a corporate attorney before that.

        In a concession speech, he congratulated Ms. Campbell, saying, “It is the duty of all the people of this city, if you love this town, to support her.”

        In Toledo, Mr. Ford, who was endorsed by the Democratic Party, is a former City Council president who decided to enter the race just weeks before the July filing deadline.

        A five-term treasurer, Mr. Kest, 51, had nearly a one-year head start on Mr. Ford and used that time to build a long list of endorsements and more money. Among those endorsing Mr. Kest were the city's police and fire unions, and a number of building trades.

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