Nan Whaley

Hi Everyone!

Our first TV commercial starts airing today and I wanted to give you a chance to see it first!  Check it out!

Nan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 24, 2013

Commissioner Nan Whaley Announces a Vision for an Open, Vibrant Dayton

Whaley unveils final part of her Road Map for Dayton’s Future.

Dayton, OH – Commissioner Nan Whaley today, at the site of the newly installed Fluid Dynamics sculpture, unveiled the final part of her Roadmap for Dayton; A Vision for an Open, Vibrant Dayton.

Building on the principle that a vibrant city is one that supports the active lifestyles of its residents, its youth and its out of town guests, Nan Whaley rolled out a plan that helps Dayton support active lifestyles, welcome diversity, and promotes entertainment and the arts.

Whaley stated, “This spirit of warmth and openness moved me to make Dayton my home, and it is one of the reasons I love this city and want to serve Dayton as its next Mayor.  The people of Dayton’s zeal for acceptance and tolerance can provide the foundation for fostering a more open, vibrant community in the future.”

Whaley concluded, “Friends, I am proud of this Road Map for Dayton’s future.  Should we choose to use it, I think our generation in Dayton may perform something worthy to be remembered.”

Commissioner Whaley has posted her Vision for an Open, Vibrant Dayton on her website, www.NanWhaley.com, and continues her strong run for Mayor of Dayton.  Whaley currently faces two competitors; twenty-seven year politician A.J. Wagner and current Mayor Gary Leitzell.

# # #

As I have mentioned before, this election for mayor is about the turning of a page, a new vision for Dayton’s future. And in order for us to turn this page, we must create a new one:  a map for growing the New Dayton.  As I mentioned when we unveiled the first part of this road map in January it must be achieved through smart leadership that adheres to three principles:

• The ideas must be rational and realistic; they have to be doable and achievable.
• The ideas must leverage our resources; they have to use Dayton’s assets.
• The ideas must support collaboration; they must have willing, engaged and enthusiastic partners that share a common vision.

At the end of January we unveiled the first part of the Road Map for Dayton’s future by offering a vision for job creation that built on Dayton’s assets.   Today, we add another layer to the Map by sharing a vision for the future of Dayton’s neighborhoods.

Dayton’s strength is in its diversity.  This is also true in our neighborhoods.  From McPhersontown to Westwood, Belmont to Madden Hills, Dayton has always had a wide variety of housing stock and neighborhoods with very different personalities. Dayton has always been a mosaic of unique neighborhoods differing in character, assets and challenges.  There are 65 neighborhoods within Dayton’s boundaries. Recognizing the differences in each of these neighborhoods, building upon them and focusing on quality of life issues is the key to fostering a healthy, thriving city where its residents can raise their children and nurture their families, develop meaningful relationships and can be proud to call Dayton their home.

This plan, which can be found on my website nanwhaley.com, builds on five priorities that are key to bolstering our neighborhoods into the next generation.

First, we must provide excellent city services.  My first priority as mayor will be maintaining strong city services for every neighborhood while increasing our investment in the public infrastructure. Excellent city services and an attractive public infrastructure is the basic foundation for any city renaissance.

We must be relentless in expecting the very best in the delivery of our city services and demand nothing less than excellence.  This means, for example changing to monthly billing for water service and investing in our residential streets and alleyways.

Next, our neighborhoods must be safe.  Our neighborhoods will not be healthy, thriving places if their residents do not feel protected in their homes or safe to walk around the block, to talk to their neighbors or to allow their children to go outside and play.   As mayor, I will work to increase the number of police officers in our neighborhoods and ensure there is solid fire protection across the city.  Also, as mayor I will be committed to doing whatever it takes to protect our community from gun violence.  I will be an active participant in Mayor’s Against Illegal Guns, and support initiatives to require background checks on every gun purchase and limit access to guns by criminals.

As mayor, I will continue to make fighting property abandonment and blight a priority.  As commissioner I have fought for funding to remove abandoned, empty and dilapidated properties in Dayton.  Removing these properties will improve the appearance and landscape of our neighborhoods.  I also recognize that taking blighted properties off the landscape will give us new opportunities for reuse.  As mayor, I will continue to support the mission of the County Land Bank and will serve on its board as mayor.

I chose to unveil this neighborhood plan here on W. 2nd Street to illustrate the potential of fighting property abandonment and blight.  Just two years ago this area was plagued with vacant properties.  Today we see new housing that will be ideal for families.  Without the aggressive policy direction of the City Commission on demolition and without the tools of the landbank, this redevelopment would have never happened.

Still, we must recognize that each neighborhood in our city is unique and needs different tools to promote sustainability and growth.  Neighborhoods must be encouraged by the city to be self- governed and to create a system that leverages and multiplies the talents and assets of each neighborhood.   The city must create housing protocols for each neighborhood that are assessed over time to provide neighborhoods with the correct tools for improvement.   As mayor I would allow neighborhoods to customize services that go beyond Dayton’s basic city services.  We need to redefine the role of housing inspectors to program managers that provide support to neighborhood volunteers and activists.  We must strengthen our neighborhood leadership by creating legitimate programming that creates leaders that are stronger advocates for their neighborhood and Dayton.  And finally we must leverage each neighborhood’s unique assets. From schools to churches, each neighborhood should be incentivized to create strong partnerships with these potential assets.

Finally we must work to connect our neighborhoods.  In 1961, the great thinker Jane Jacobs wrote in the Life and Death of Great American Cities, “a city center needs an intricately woven diversity of uses that reinforce each other economically and socially if it is to be successful.”  Our neighborhoods need to be well defined by space, but they also need to be connected to one another.   As mayor I would support defined neighborhood boundaries, promote commercial nodes that connect neighborhoods to each other and establish neighborhood entryways with avenues of green space along our corridors.

Our neighborhoods offer so much potential for Dayton’s future.  But, as I mentioned before, a mayor is needed to champion these efforts and to communicate and connect these possibilities and opportunities.  After all, we are creating a road map for Dayton—that connects and leverages the assets and hard work that has already begun for our city.

Hi Everyone.  More good news on the campaign trail!  I am honored to have received the endorsement of the workers at AFSCME.  Check out the Press release that just went out!

Nan

—

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 27, 2013 

AFSCME Local 101 Endorses Nan Whaley For Mayor

Local 101, a part of the Area PEOPLE Committee, believes Whaley best opportunity to move Dayton forward

Dayton OH – AFSCME Local 101, a part of the area PEOPLE Committee, representing nearly 800 City of Dayton workers in blue collar and clerical positions, have thrown their full support behind City Commissioner Nan Whaley’s campaign for Mayor.  This key endorsement comes from an organization that has seen a drop in City jobs due to the rough economic times and restructuring efforts to build a strong workforce to fit today’s needs.

“We know in Nan Whaley we have a leader who fights for our members and all the working families of Dayton.  Nan works hard every day to move our city forward,” said Marcia Knox, Regional Director for AFSCME.  She added, “She fought with us against Senate Bill 5 when the working families of Ohio were under attack and helped re-elect Senator Sherrod Brown last year so he could fight for us in Washington.  We may not agree on every issue that comes forward, but we know Nan will take the time to sit down with us, listen to what our needs are, and help come up with a solution. “

“We’ve been through some tough times in Dayton, but we’ve worked collaboratively with Marcia and our local AFSCME unit to strengthen our workforce and make sure we’re getting the best value possible for our citizens,” said Commissioner Whaley.   “I’m extremely proud of the men and women of this union who are out providing the quality services that our residents have come to depend on.  I am honored to receive their endorsement and will continue to work collaboratively with them to move Dayton forward. ” she added.

###

The University of Dayton has made February I Love UD month, so to do my part as an alumni of our great university, I made a short video. Check it out!

From UD’s website:

I Love UD month is an opportunity for students, alumni, staff and friends to show their love for the University. Throughout the month of February, there will be events, contests, and opportunities to give back. We have a goal of 2800 donations, and any amount helps. So join in the fun and show your Flyer spirit.

Hi everyone!  I wanted to share a press release that just went out.  I am honored to be endorsed by Dayton Firefighters Local #136, and I wanted to share it with all of you!

Sincerely Honored,

Nan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 7, 2013

Dayton Firefighters Endorse Nan Whaley For Mayor

Local 136 see strong ally in Whaley.

Dayton, OH – Commissioner Nan Whaley in a letter from President Gaye Jordan, received the endorsement of Firefighters Local # 136.

Addressing Commissioner Whaley, the letter states, “Through your dedicated work as a City Commissioner, you have tirelessly worked to do the right thing as it relates to the City organization and public safety.  You distinguish yourself through your commitment to public service, civic involvement, and vast understanding of local government and the challenges faced.”

They also state, “You have a unique ability to build coalitions to address issues.  Your work as a City Commissioner demonstrates your expertise in identifying problems, working with groups to find solutions, and making progress.”

In response, Commissioner Whaley issued the following statement, “I am honored to have the endorsement of the Dayton Firefighters.  The men and women that make up our safety forces deserve our utmost respect, so to know that I have their backing and that they look forward to continuing to work with me is quite humbling.  I will continue to stand with our firefighters, both in the city of Dayton and beyond.”

Whaley currently faces two competitors in the May 7^th primary; twenty-seven year politician A.J. Wagner and current Mayor Gary Leitzell.

# # #

Dayton has a choice. We could primarily manage decline, contraction and loss and continue to get smaller and smaller. Or we could leverage a substantial bounty of assets to encourage smart growth through leadership and vision.

The Dayton of today is incrementally and steadily re-positioning itself for a new generation of economic vibrancy. We have significant assets that are providing stability and growth as well as providing an opportunity to re-image and grow a healthier and greener city for the future.

I believe to do this we must have a common vision. On January 29th I will be releasing a Jobs Plan for Dayton. Just as the City is not one person, this plan cannot work without input from the citizens and stakeholders. I am asking for your input.

• What rational and realistic ideas do you have to create jobs?
• How can we leverage our current assets?
• How can we support creative collaboration within our city?

Please send your thoughts and constructive criticism to me at friendsofnanwhaley@gmail.com by January 25th. I have always believed in the character of the people of Dayton, their capacity to rise to the occasion, to confront adversity head-on, and to rebuild their city.

I look forward to reading your ideas, and would like to close with a quote by American statesman Daniel Webster that I used when I announced my intention to run for Mayor.

“Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests and see whether we also, in our day and generation, may not perform something worthy to be remembered.”