More about the Mayor

Mayor Dennis Hanwell
Elected 2010 - Present

Dennis Hanwell is the Mayor/Safety Director for the City of Medina. Prior to becoming Mayor, he had been the Chief of Police for the City of Medina for nearly thirteen years. He has ~42 years of service with the City of Medina, and over 44 years of law enforcement experience. Dennis has an Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Akron, and a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Tiffin University. He served as the President of the Medina County Police Chiefs' Association for eleven years. Under his tenure, the City of Medina Police Department has received both state and national recognition for various community policing initiatives. Those initiatives have now been implemented city wide under a Community Oriented Government model. He has had articles published in national criminal justice periodicals and has been a speaker at previous Ohio Attorney General Conferences, Safe Community Conferences, and Public Safety Director's Conferences.

Dennis has been Mayor since January 1, 2010 and was elected in November, 2021 for an unprecedented fourth term as Mayor for the City of Medina. Dennis and wife, Christine, celebrate their 47th anniversary in August. They have two adult children, Jonathan and Nicole, and two precious grandchildren, Madison and Aiden.