Nan Whaley

Nan Whaley
Mayor of Dayton
Assumed office
January 4, 2014
Preceded by Gary Leitzell
Personal details
Born (1976-01-23) January 23, 1976
Mooresville, Indiana, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Sam Braun
Education University of Dayton (BA)
Wright State University (MPA)
Website Official website

Nannette L. Whaley (born January 23, 1976) is the mayor of Dayton, Ohio having been elected in November 2013 following two City Commission terms.[1] On May 8, 2017, Whaley announced that she was running for Governor of Ohio on a platform of job creation.[2]

Personal life and education

Whaley grew up in Indiana, but has lived in Ohio since attending the University of Dayton, where she earned her B.A. in Chemistry. Whaley also has a M.P.A. from Wright State University where she previously served as an Adjunct Professor.[1] She is a member of Corpus Christi Catholic Church and a graduate of Leadership Miami Valley.[3] In 1998 she settled in the Five Oaks neighborhood where she and her husband Sam reside today.

Career

Whaley was first elected to the Dayton City Commission in 2005, Nan was one of the youngest women ever chosen for a commission seat. Nan served on the Montgomery County Board of Elections and as a deputy to Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith.[3][4] Whaley was elected mayor of Dayton in 2013, winning 56 percent of the vote.[5] In 2017, she was unopposed for reelection, making it the first uncontested mayoral race in the city’s history since voters have elected the office separately.[6] Before her election as Mayor she served on Greater Ohio’s Community Revitalization Committee, the Learn to Earn Executive Committee for Education, the Montgomery County Planning Commission and the Dayton Access Television Board of Trustees.[3]

Early in her political career Whaley, while in college, was instrumental in reorganizing the College Democrats and later served as Ohio Chair of the College Democrats.[3] Whaley is also a four-time delegate to the Democratic National Convention, worked for John Kerry's presidential campaign, and served as a presidential elector.[1] Whaley considered a run for Congress before declaring candidacy for Ohio governor.[7]

Mayoralty

Economic development

Early in her time in office, Whaley founded the Dayton Region Manufacturing Task Force, which is "a regional effort committed to advocating for manufacturing and promoting a strong manufacturing workforce."[8] Initiatives like this and a surge of high tech and research jobs have spurred $600,000,000 in investment in the region. [9] [10] Since Whaley was sworn into office on January 4, 2014, the unemployment rate in the City of Dayton has declined from 9.3% to 5.7%. [11] In 2015, Site Selection magazine named Dayton, which has strong economic ties to the nearby Wright Patterson Air Force Base, the overall second-best mid-sized city for new business expansion projects in the nation. [12]

Addressing opioids

In response to a statewide surge in opioid-related drug overdoses, Whaley declared a citywide state of emergency and developed a needle exchange program. Dayton also began to ensure that first-responders had accessed to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone. [13] Whaley has been consistently critical of the Government of Ohio for failing to adequately fund opioid treatment and recovery programs.[14] In 2017, Dayton was the fourth city in the country to sue the pharmaceutical companies, opioid drug distributors and physicians they say are responsible for Ohio's opioid addiction and overdose crisis.[15]

City of Learners and the Preschool Promise

The City of Learners initiative was launched by Mayor Nan Whaley in early 2014 as a citywide effort to support Dayton's schools and students in achieving new levels of success and to build a stronger workforce for the future. A committee of community leaders and volunteers identified five areas of community focus: ensure all children attend a high quality school, ensure high quality preschool is offered to all children, increase business partnerships with schools, provide mentors to more children, and expand sites for afterschool and summer learning.[16]

In 2016, the City of Dayton voters passed a 0.25% income tax increase to support critical city services and to offer 1 year of affordable, quality Preschool to all Dayton families with a 4-year-old. This move institutionalized Preschool Promise in Dayton and provides sustained funding.[17]

Downtown revitalization

Whaley has placed significant emphasis on reviving the economy and culture of the Downtown Dayton area. She has done so through drawing in over $200,000,000 in downtown investments and in a refocus of the region into new ventures; she has focused especially on the Arcade Building.[9] As a result of some new renewal efforts, new businesses have begun to move into the downtown area, including a number of small businesses and startups.[18][19][20]

Accessibility

As a previous board member of the Bike Walk Dayton Committee, Whaley has taken significant steps towards making Dayton a bicycle friendly community. For instance, her administration oversaw the implementation of Dayton's first Bike Share program.[21] She is also a strong advocate for a county-wide landbank system to address the region’s housing crisis with a more regional approach and serves on the Montgomery County Landbank Board.[22]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mayor Nan Whaley". Cincinnati. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  2. ↑ Tobias, Andrew (May 8, 2017). "Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley enters 2018 Ohio governor's race". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "About Nan". Nan Whaley for Dayton Mayor. Friends of Nan Whaley. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  4. ↑ Kenney, Jerry (October 28, 2013). "Whaley and Wagner Vie For Mayor". 91.3 WYSO. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Whaley wins Dayton mayor race, Williams and Mims to commission". Dayton Daily News. November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley to run unopposed, making history". daytondailynews. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  7. ↑ Livingston, Abby (January 9, 2014). "Whither Ohio as the Ultimate House Battleground?". Roll Call. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Bizwomen - Nan Whaley". Dayton Business Journal. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  9. 1 2 "Dayton leaders look to breathe life into vacant buildings". WDTN. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  10. ↑ "GE Aviation seeks to grow electrical power business in Dayton". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Unemployment rate - Not Seasonally Adjusted". Google Public Data. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Dayton region No. 2 in country for Economic Development ranking by Site Selection". Dayton Business Journal. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Dayton mayor Whaley running for Ohio governor". Toledo Blade. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  14. ↑ "https://www.dailystandard.com/archive/2017-04-19/stories/31963/". Daily Standard. Retrieved May 8, 2017. External link in |title= (help)
  15. ↑ "Dayton, Lorain to sue opioid makers, drug distributors and doctors". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  16. ↑ "Dayton, OH". www.daytonohio.gov. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  17. ↑ "Preschool Promise". www.preschoolpromise.org. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  18. ↑ "Entrepreneur looks to bring startup downtown". Dayton Business Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Entrepreneur to open frozen treat scoop shop in downtown Dayton". Dayton Business Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Downtown Dayton salon and spa to open next week". Dayton Business Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Dayton's Bike Share Program Has Successful Start". WYSO. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Montgomery County Land Reutilization Corporation (MCLRC)". Montgomery County. Archived from the original on June 10, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
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