Nan Whaley
Nannette L. Whaley is an American politician who served as the 56th mayor of Dayton, Ohio, from 2014 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, she was first elected to the mayorship in November 2013, after serving on the city commission for two terms. Whaley presided over the United States Conference of Mayors from 2021 to 2022. She was the Democratic nominee in the 2022 Ohio gubernatorial election, losing to incumbent Mike DeWine.
Early life and education
Whaley grew up in Indiana, but she has lived in Ohio since attending the University of Dayton from 1994 to 1998, where she earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry. In college, Whaley was the Ohio chair of the College Democrats of America. 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. Whaley later earned a Master of Public Administration in urban studies from Wright State University.During the 2000 presidential election, Whaley was an Ohio state co-chair of GoreNet. GoreNet was a group that supported the Al Gore campaign with a focus on grassroots and online organizing as well as hosting small dollar donor events.
Career
Whaley was first elected to the Dayton City Commission in 2005. She was one of the youngest women chosen for a commission seat. Whaley served on the Montgomery County Board of Elections and as a deputy to Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith. Whaley was elected mayor of Dayton in 2013, winning 56 percent of the vote. 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. 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.Mayor of Dayton
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." Initiatives like this and a surge of high tech and research jobs have spurred $600,000,000 in investment in the region. During Whaley's term, the unemployment rate in the City of Dayton declined from 9.3% to 5.5%. 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.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 access to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone. Whaley has been consistently critical of the Government of Ohio for failing to adequately fund opioid treatment and recovery programs. 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.City of Learners and the Preschool Promise
The City of Learners initiative was launched by Whaley in early 2014 as a citywide effort to support Dayton's schools and students. 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 after school and summer learning.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.