Today on Voices: Dayton Online

Voices: Dayton presents The Road to City Hall, featuring two exclusive sit-down interviews with Dayton mayoral candidates, A.J. Wagner & Nan Whaley. Learn more about the voices behind the yard signs and debates. Election Day is November 5^th.

Watch Voices: Dayton – A.J. Wagner

Watch Voices: Dayton – Nan Whaley

– Hal-David Roberts

Hal David Roberts is the creator, host, writer, and producer of Voices: Dayton, he is a graduating senior at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism (Dec ’13) at Ohio University in Athens, OH.

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Voices: Dayton presents The Road to City Hall with Nan Whaley

Exclusive sit-down interview with Dayton city commissioner and mayoral candidate, Nan Whaley. Learn how she ended up in Dayton, what sets Dayton apart from many other cities and her plans for its future.

Voices: Dayton presents The Road to City Hall with A.J. Wagner

Exclusive sit-down interview with Dayton mayoral candidate, A.J. Wagner. Learn more about how he plans to create a closer connection among city leaders, community leaders, and citizens.

The Conversation Continues: Nan Whaley

In the 1990s, Nan Whaley was studying chemistry at the University of Dayton. Following graduation, she decided to stay in Dayton and make it her permanent home.

Although Whaley spent a generous amount of time in science labs, she was also very active in politics on campus.

The sit-down interview premieres Oct. 22

“I think it was a passion of mine – when I was in college, I started the College Democrats and really was active in getting people involved in the political process,” added Whaley.

Even today, she tells people that the University of Dayton “may have brought me here, but it’s the city that kept me.” She attributes two qualities of Dayton that are both reasons she decided to stay in Dayton. “It’s very opening and very welcoming, not all cities are like that.”

Whaley hails from the southwest side of Indianapolis.

Whaley has been proud of the recent recognition Dayton has received for being so welcoming. Initiatives like ‘Welcome Dayton’ continue to push Dayton into the spotlight. It was featured in The New York Times and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Top Enterprising Cities List.

Most recently Dayton city manager, Tim Riordan, appeared on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to discuss Dayton’s immigrant-friendly initiatives.

Nan Whaley

Whaley feels that being accepting of all people is key to Dayton’s growth. She mentions that many cities that have tried to close out their communities to different groups of people such as the LGBT community, but in Dayton, the story is different, “We’re saying everyone is welcome here, regardless,” added Whaley.

Her Road Map for Dayton hits on three points: being an open vibrant community, improving our neighborhoods, and creating jobs using resources we already have such as water, manufacturing, as well as Dayton’s education and health campuses.

“I think there’s a lot of people that want to stay in the city but can’t find a quality job, so we have to work to make sure we have more jobs created here,” said Nan Whaley.

She also believes it’s time that a mayor stands up for all of Dayton’s children.

“We have to work really hard and recognize we need everyone to work on this, it’s not just [what are we doing with] the schools? – It’s what is everyone doing to make sure that our kids can read by 3^rd grade, are kindergarten ready, are ready for the 9^th grade and ready to graduate high school,” said Whaley.

For more information on Nan Whaley, head over to her Facebook page or her official website. 

Election day is November 5^th.

Related articles

• The Road to City Hall (voicesdayton.wordpress.com)

The Conversation Continues: A.J. Wagner

It is love for the people in his community that keeps A.J. Wagner going.

“There’s something about helping your local community that, at least, gives my life a purpose,” said Wagner.

A.J. Wagner has lived in Dayton since 1974, along with his wife Joan, when he started attending law school at the University of Dayton.

The sit-down interview premieres Oct. 22

He has worked many different jobs over the years including ten years as Montgomery County Auditor and ten years as the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge. Wagner feels his variety of experiences will contribute to the type of leadership that the city of Dayton needs.

“That experience that I have over my 61 years of life and with that résumé will provide the city with the kind of leadership that understands a lot of different problems, a lot of different issues, a lot of different situations,” added Wagner.

While addressing a group of concerned citizens at the Greater Love Church on Lakeview, he openly discussed different issues ranging from more after school programs to implementing city ordinances that would make it easier for convicted felons to obtain work if substantial time had passed since their last criminal offense.

A.J. Wagner

If elected, he hopes to bring his experience and knowledge to the tasks of creating new jobs, improving area schools and revitalizing Dayton neighborhoods. But keeping an open ear and actively engaging with community leaders and citizens are his top priorities.

“The most important thing I can do is open the doors to listening,” said Wagner.

If elected as Mayor, he plans to hold monthly meetings with ministers across the city, as he viewed churches as the ‘anchors’ of communities. He also hopes to have weekly breakfasts or lunches with neighborhood leaders.

“Hopefully they’ll inspire each other to do more within their own communities and we’ll learn where we can help them. And then hopefully we’ll be able to help them get the tools they need to help their neighborhoods succeed.”

For more information on AJ Wagner, check out his official website and his Facebook page.

Election day is November 5th.

– Hal David Roberts

The Road to City Hall

Voices: Dayton presents The Road to City Hall, two exclusive sit-down interviews with both Dayton mayoral candidates, A.J. Wagner & Nan Whaley. Learn more about the voices behind the yard signs, candidate debates, and rallies. Premiering online Tuesday, October 22nd, which is also exactly two weeks from Election Day on November 5th.

– HDR

Dayton on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show

First, the New York Times, now The Daily Show with Jon Stewart?

The Daily Show’s Aasif Mandvi and Dayton city manager, Tim Riordan in front of Dayton City Hall.

Dayton’s immigration-friendly initiatives gained the city more time in the spotlight last night on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. City manager, Tim Riordan and our city hall both make an appearance.

Dayton City Manager, Tim Riordan appearing on The Daily Show. Credit: Comedy Central

“The influx of immigrants into Dayton has been a good thing,” said Riordan in the segment hosted by Aasif Mandvi.

This comedic piece contrasts the negative attitudes regarding illegal immigrants against the often overlooked positives including the billions of dollars in benefits that they provide stemming from taxes, starting new businesses, and creating jobs.

The ‘Welcome to Dayton’ plan, launched in 2011, also recently gained Dayton a spot on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s list of top enterprising cities.

It is the only city in the midwest to make the list and shared the spotlight with major cities like Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Memphis, and San Antonio.

Where will Dayton appear next?

Watch the video here! (via thedailyshow.com)

Voices: Dayton – The Road to City Hall

Exclusive interviews with city of Dayton mayoral candidates, Nan Whaley & A.J. Wagner coming Wednesday, October 16th.
Watch an interview with city commissioner candidate, Jeffrey J. Mims Jr. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWJp_rXCfcs

Fact & Opinion: Dayton Daily News Building

Growing up, I spent a lot of time in my family’s funeral home on Dayton’s West side, H. H. Roberts Funeral Home, doing normal things like watching Arthur and opening a pop that I could never finish.

Former Dayton Daily News Building. Credit: DDN

Nearly ever other day, after getting picked up from my school, then located in the Oregon District, we would head over to the Dayton Daily News building on the corner of Fourth and Ludlow Streets in downtown.

Reflecting a simpler, less technology-centered time period in our lives, Each and every single obituary and photo of the deceased had to be taken downtown to the building and handed to the obituary staff.

Now it’s done by simply via e-mail. I feel old, quite old.

The original building was constructed between 1908 and 1910.

The building saw expansions in the 1920s, 1950s and the 1970s. It was then given a facelift in the late 1980s, after being added to the National Register of Historic places in the 1970s.

In 2007, newspaper staff relocated to the current Cox Media Group Ohio headquarters, a former NCR building on South Main Street.

Only two months ago, the Schwind Building, completed in 1913, the year of Dayton’s Great flood, was demolished. 

A piece of Dayton and it’s news media’s history, and an integral part of the Dayton Daily News’ history is opening the gates for Dayton and its downtown’s future.

A five-story building with 200 student apartments will sit in this historic space, which will now provide housing for Sinclair Community College’s students.

Local downtown business owners and residents speculate that this will spark more revitalization in the downtown core.

The demolition on August 17^th marked the first time explosives were used to demolish a building since the Lazarus Building was imploded to create space for the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center in 1999.

The original Dayton Daily News building will remain standing alongside the new construction of 200-apartments for students.

The original Dayton Daily News building, modeled after the Knickerbocker Trust building in New York will remain standing even once the apartments are constructed.

Who says we can’t keep a piece of history?

Opinion

It’s oftentimes saddening to see something so historic disappear from the downtown scenery. However, it is heartwarming, exciting, and a beautiful thing to see the great progress in the Gem City. Housing for students could prompt other businesses including stores and restaurant to move downtown as a new market is created. So many voices were heard in the walls of the Schwind Building and even more voices were heard in the newspaper hundreds of employees worked to produce each and every day before the time of the Internet, smartphones, and Facebook. It’s inspiring to know how many journalists felt the same thrills that I did in this building during a completely time in media’s history. Here’s to the future.

– Hal David Roberts 

Hal David Roberts is the creator, host, writer and producer of VOICES, he is a student at the E.W. Scripps Journalism School in Athens, OH, a former WHIO-TV intern, a former ESPN intern and TV host with more than 3 years of experience. I will be graduating from Ohio University in December 2013 with a B.S. in Broadcast Journalism with a specialization in English and Sociology. 

WHIO-TV’s Yuna Lee & I

Such an inspiration! I had the privilege to learn so much from this woman and I love being able to watch her grow right here in Dayton!