LIMA — Former Dayton Mayor and current Ohio gubernatorial Democratic candidate Nan Whaley, who is trying to become the state’s first female governor, stopped in Lima just three days before the state’s primary election.
Whaley was joined by Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith, who in 2021 became the first female mayor of Lima in the city’s history.
Whaley argued that her leadership style is about bringing people together to work out solutions rather than handing out decisions. She says she is also the only candidate in the race for governor from either party who is not a millionaire; she is from a working class family.
“I want your pay to go up, your bills to go down, and your government to work for you. We live in a place that has the best workers in the world. One good job should be enough no matter what you do. But too often I see people working two low-wage jobs, still having to go to the Food Bank, as we work to provide for our families,” said Whaley. “I want to raise the wages for all Ohioans, including raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.”
“Small businesses are the backbone of our community,” Whaley said. The solution she believes that will allow for small businesses to afford those increases is for the state to invest in small business development.
She supports Ohio becoming a leader in solar and wind energy training programs, and for Ohio to be an emerging leader in green energy production. “New vehicles are going to be running on batteries. We need to be sure we are building that right here in Ohio being a leader, just like we led the last revolution,” Whaley said.
Whaley said that 2 million women opted out of the workforce due to childcare costs last year. To keep the economy going with their help, Ohio needs to invest in affordable childcare, as was done in Dayton.
Keeping prescription prices affordable is also important to protect seniors from having to make “tough decisions about being able to pay for life-saving medicine or food on their table,” Whaley emphasized.
On Ohio’s HB6 scandal, Whaley said, “The FBI has called the Ohio statehouse the most corrupt in the country.”
“First Energy bankrolled DeWine’s campaign in 2018. In exchange, they gave First Energy everything they wanted, including a billion dollar bailout, that we’re paying for every single month on our utility bill,” through what she called “a corruption tax.”
Her career-long pro-choice stance has been dedicated to blocking legislation to overturn Roe v. Wade. “As governor, I’ll veto any bill that limits women’s healthcare access,” Whaley promised. She said she will also appoint a pro-choice women’s pubic health director.
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