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Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley is believed to be the first on the Democratic side to announce endorsements by local public officials, although a number of unions have weighed in.
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Governor candidate Nan Whaley garners local endorsements

The Blade/Lori King

Governor candidate Nan Whaley garners local endorsements

Ohio Democratic governor candidate Nan Whaley has gained the backing of local Democrats Councilman Lindsay Webb of Toledo and Auditor Larry Hartlaub of Ottawa County.

The Whaley campaign on Friday announced endorsements from 27 elected city and county officials around the state. About half are from Ms. Whaley’s home city of Dayton or home county of Montgomery.

Ms. Whaley, 41, is believed to be the first on the Democratic side to announce endorsements by local public officials, although a number of unions have weighed in. Lucas County Democratic Chairman Joshua Hughes said the primary election is months away and people are waiting to see who the final candidates are. He said none of the four candidates who have announced so far on the Democratic side has high statewide name recognition.

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“Personally I am waiting until things get a little closer,” Mr. Hughes said.

Ms. Webb, also a Democrat, said she has a longstanding relationship with Ms. Whaley, the mayor of Dayton. She said Ms. Whaley has “invested” in her, helping her get training and acting as a mentor.

“I like her brand of politics. She is an innovative thinker and a practical doer, and I think that would really go a long way in the governor’s spot. She’s done a lot in Dayton, so much so she’s not even facing opposition in her Dayton mayoral re-election bid,” Ms. Webb said.

She said Ms. Whaley has already pushed through a universal pre-kindergarten plan for Dayton. The issue surfaced this week in Toledo when mayoral candidate Wade Kapszukiewicz proposed that as a goal here if he is elected.

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She said Ms. Whaley is the only candidate with executive experience and called her “super down-to-earth.”

A spokesman for Whaley opponent Betty Sutton, a former U.S. representative from the Akron area, said that after she left Congress, Ms. Sutton served as an executive in the Obama administration as the administrator of the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

Ms. Whaley is one of four declared Democratic candidates for the Democratic nomination to replace Republican Gov. John Kasich in the 2018 election. Also running are state Sen. Joe Schiavoni of the Youngstown area, former three-term Congressman Sutton, and former state Rep. Connie Pillich of Cincinnati.

Believed to be considering a run is Richard Cordray, a former state treasurer and attorney general who is now director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Another possibility is a Democratic ticket with Mr. Cordray for governor and Ms. Whaley for lieutenant governor.

The first woman elected to the Dayton city commission in 2005, Ms. Whaley was elected mayor in 2013. She also served on the Montgomery County Board of Elections and as a county deputy auditor. She has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from University of Dayton and a master’s in public administration from Wright State University where she once was an adjunct professor.

Contact Tom Troy at tomtroy@theblade.com419-724-6058 or on Twitter @TomFTroy.

First Published August 18, 2017, 7:37 p.m.

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Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley is believed to be the first on the Democratic side to announce endorsements by local public officials, although a number of unions have weighed in.  (The Blade/Lori King)  Buy Image
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