Hi there,

My name is Nan Whaley, and I am the Mayor of Dayton, Ohio. I love my job. I love waking up and working for my community every single day. What I’m able to do in my day-to-day job -- connecting with my neighbors from all walks of life to make our city work for us, for our children, and for future generations -- is one of my favorite parts of being a mayor.

But one of the hardest parts? Waiting for federal assistance to come in to help our cities with critical infrastructure projects. We need to improve partnerships between local, state, and federal government so that our cities can function safely and efficiently. Plain and simple, infrastructure is essential to our daily lives and enables our communities to thrive.

Yet under the current administration, politicians in Washington have talked about infrastructure but failed to deliver for the American people. Meanwhile, our roads and bridges crumble, our schools fall into disrepair, our water systems poison our children, and our flood protection systems fail as climate change accelerates. When our infrastructure works well, we hardly notice. These days, we notice our infrastructure a lot.

This is why I am so excited about Pete’s infrastructure plan. As a former Mayor, Pete understands the uphill battles that cities face with the gridlock of Washington and securing federal funding for everyday challenges -- like paving the roads that parents take when driving their kids to soccer practice.

We are living in the 21st century, and we need solutions to make sure everyone has safe drinking water and breathes clean air. With Pete’s plan, cities and towns will be empowered to invest in the parks, school buildings, and streets that support well-paying, local jobs and help businesses flourish. State-of-the-art airports, public transit, highways, waterways, and railways will enable people to travel safely and ensure that goods to get to market. And high-speed Internet for all will support new industries and connect friends and family across the world.

Pete’s plan will invest over $1 trillion to build the sustainable infrastructure of the 21st century. This will:

• Create six million well-paying jobs with strong labor protections, especially in underrepresented communities.
• Ensure that every American has access to clean drinking water.
• Lower water bills nationwide, slashing the average bill by 50 percent–the equivalent of over $600–for 10 million families.
• Protect millions of families from lead in paint and water through a $100 billion investment.
• Update and fix at least half of our roads and bridges in poor condition by 2030.
• Invest in sustainable infrastructure that enables 50 percent of U.S. counties to grow over the next 10 years, as measured by an increase in jobs, businesses, or population.

We can’t afford to have another four years of infighting in Washington that leaves cities in America behind.

I couldn’t be more proud of my friend Pete’s infrastructure plan. To take a closer look at Pete’s infrastructure plan -- Building for the 21st Century -- click here!

Let’s win the era and create a brighter future for the next generation.

Mayor Nan Whaley