EDITOR NOTE: The information and views outlined below are not an endorsement from WHIO-TV. The information was provided by Nan Whaley’s campaign.
Nan grew up in a small town in Indiana. She learned the values of hard work, strength, and resilience from her dad, a union autoworker who lost his job but never lost his dignity, and her mom, who went to work at the laundromat behind their house to help make ends meet.
Back then, Ohio was where people went for opportunity, so she attended the University of Dayton, becoming the first person in her family to graduate from college. She met her husband, Sam, and fell in love with her adopted hometown, eventually running for City Commission and mayor.
When Nan was first elected Mayor in 2013, Dayton was at a low point. The factories had moved out and the opioids had moved in. But in Dayton, folks don’t run away from their problems.
Under her leadership, Dayton has turned a corner. She brought folks together to take on the community’s toughest challenges, including tackling the opioid crisis, cutting overdose deaths by half and saving hundreds of lives. She led the fight to take on a broken education system and provide quality pre-k to every three- and four-year-old in the city. Dayton has become vibrant again as new people and businesses move into the city.
When you’re the mayor, you don’t have the luxury of saying, “that’s not my problem.” Over the last two years, Dayton has been tested again and again with crises like a KKK rally, a series of devastating tornadoes, and a senseless mass shooting that left 9 people dead. Each time, Nan stepped up and led her city through its hardest moments.
Now, Nan is running for governor because she knows our state is fundamentally broken and Ohioans deserve better. The same special interests and corrupt politicians have been in charge for 30 years as our state has fallen further behind. Rich campaign donors get rewarded while the rest of us fall further behind. The only answer is a total overhaul.
Nan knows we can build a better Ohio. An Ohio where one job is enough to provide for your family. An Ohio where your kids have real opportunities. An Ohio where everyone — no matter your zip code — can thrive.