DAYTON, Ohio — After eight years in office, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley confirmed Wednesday morning she won't be running for re-election.

"Today, I'm announcing that I will not be running for re-election. I believe we have turned a corner in Dayton. This is the best job I have ever had, but I believe our city can only continue to grow if we give space and opportunity to new leaders and new ideas. I’ll have more news soon about what is next for me, but I am looking forward to finishing out my term strong," Whaley wrote in a statement. 

Whaley first started out on the City Dayton Commission in 2005, and then in 2013, she won the mayor's race. She was re-elected in 2017. Besides running a city, Whaley has made strides in her career. She's the co-founder of the Ohio Mayors Alliance, which is a bipartisan coalition of mayors across the 30 largest cities in the state. She's also a four-time delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Whaley is still serving in her current term until January 2022, and she said there is still much work left to do.

"I’m incredibly proud of our ongoing police reform tables that have engaged the largest, most diverse group of community members I have ever worked with in a policy process. This group gives me so much hope for Dayton’s future. In the coming months, the long empty Arcade will finally reopen and a new community-owned grocery store will be open in Northwest Dayton. And we are now at the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 crisis," Whaley wrote.

Whaley has witnessed much tragedy and triumph during her time as mayor, from the opioid crisis, to tornadoes, and the 2019 Oregon District mass shooting. She has helped decrease drug overdose deaths by increasing treatment options across the city, worked with other officials like Gov. Mike DeWine to receive aid to help build communities back to normal after a storm of tornadoes, and mourned with residents after the loss of nine lives. 

"We have faced our share of challenges. But each and every time, the people of this community came together. We are gritty and resilient. When things get tough, Dayton does what Dayton does best: we take care of each other," Whaley wrote. 

Most recently, Whaley was one of the lawmakers to push back against DeWine's signing of the controversial Senate Bill 175, otherwise known as the "stand your ground" bill. The bill gets rid of the "duty of retreat" principle, meaning legal gun owners no longer have to retreat — like walking away — before firing their weapon in self-defense. 

Shortly after the 2019 mass shooting, DeWine hinted he'd veto the bill if lawmakers didn't pass his STRONG Ohio bill, which aimed to strengthen gun reform like improving the background check system. After the STRONG Ohio bill was voted down, he put the stand your ground bill on the back burner. 

"Gov. DeWine came to our city and stood on stage for a vigil for our murdered friends and neighbors and then told us he stood with our community in our fight against gun violence. Now it seems he does not. Gov. DeWine has made clear he opposes this dangerous policy, but he once again folded to the extreme elements of his own party,” Whaley wrote in a statement on Twitter.

DeWine wrote a statement in defense of his decision, saying there were parts he didn't like about the bill. 

"I am very disappointed, however, that the legislature did not include in this bill the essential provisions that I proposed to make it harder for dangerous criminals to illegally possess and use guns,” DeWine wrote.

Whaley plans to continue to work with residents to make the city a better, safer place to live. But she didn't say what's next in her career once her term is over. It's possible she may run for a higher office in the future like she has in the past. She ran in the Democratic primary for the governor seat in 2017, but then dropped out in January. 

"Eight years ago when I announced my campaign I said that, 'the mayor of Dayton should matter.' I hope I have lived up to that charge. I will always be your neighbor and biggest advocate, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for our city," Whaley wrote. 

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