Ohio mayor reflects on turbulent year of shooting, tornadoes
“I think about how
In a space of 10 weeks beginning
“And so these things will continue to happen to other communities,” she said, as she reflected on the searing images of the past year and what's ahead for
“WHAT IS UP WITH 2019?”
With a coffee mug bearing her name and the city's seal in hand, Whaley smiled and said people around town ask: “Like, what is up with 2019?”
She recounted the anxiety of seeing dozens of protesters toting assault-style rifles — allowed under
It was short lived.
Within three days, she would be surveying the
“VERY FAMILIAR, BUT VERY FOREIGN”
The night of
Whaley's first instinct, she said, was to throw on a pair of yoga pants and race to the scene, but her husband
She would be in the
“It was like something that was very familiar, but very foreign at the same time,” she said. “I'm in the district, but it's 6 in the morning and there are these things left, like meat on the taco truck, and the piles of shoes. There was this one car, police were just pulling it apart. It was the shooter's car.”
In a return visit later in the day, she was struck by the smell of bleach, used to clean up bloodstains.
That night, looking out from a stage at the mass of people who came for a vigil, she cried.
“A YEAR AROUND HEALING AND TRANSFORMATION”
In 2020, Whaley plans to continue to push for the gun-control measures that Republican Gov.
“And there's a lot of discussion about a year around healing and transformation,” she said. “We know we've been through a lot in 2019. People are just beginning to unpack it; I'm just unpacking it.” While looking ahead to better days, she appreciates the resilient spirit shown by many in a city that has struggled economically over recent decades.
“So to see
“WE'LL DECIDE WHAT TO DO NEXT”
Whaley dropped a bid for the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, after being re-elected mayor unopposed in 2017, but has been dipping her toe into national politics. She helped lead a campaign to propel
Whaley shrugged off as more surprising than likely speculation in a recent
Her 2020 political goal is to help the eventual nominee win back
“This year has been so painful, my husband and I have made the decision that we’re just going to get through this year and then I’m going to focus really hard on the presidential race,” she said. “And we'll decide what to do next at the end of next year.”
This story has been corrected to show that it was
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