David Esrati

David Esrati was born in 1962 in Celina, Ohio, to author and journalist Stephen G. Esrati and his wife, Nina. At the time, David’s father was working as a reporter for the Celina Daily Standard. Around his first birthday, David’s family moved to Van Wert, Ohio, where his father served as editor of the Van Wert Times Bulletin. Then, in 1964, the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where his father worked as a journalist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

David graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in 1980. One year after graduation, David - following in the footsteps of his father - enlisted in the US Army’s Special Forces. In his years with the Army, David served with the 7th Special Forces Group, Airborne, at Fort Bragg, from 1981 to 1983. He was placed on the Temporary Disabled Retirement list from an injury sustained on active duty, and then returned to serve with the 11th Special Forces Group, Airborne, Reserve, in Jamestown, Ohio, from 1985 to 1988.

While recovering, David enrolled in Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, to be near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. David went into the Business Program and majored in marketing. He graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business. While at Wright State, David was active in Student Government and the Interclub Council. While only a freshman, David also founded the WSU Raider Hockey Club.

Within two years of graduating, David founded "The Next Wave", a full service advertising agency. The agency has won numerous awards for excellence in advertising and design, including six coveted Hermes Awards from the Greater Dayton Advertising Association. Building on his success with “The Next Wave,” David began , a seminar designed to teach businesses how to capitalize on technologies.

While building his businesses, David also found the time to buy and renovate five properties in the South Park Historic District of Dayton. His work in renovating and preserving historic properties earned David a number of beautification awards, including the Preservation Dayton Community Preservation Award in 1988. In addition, David was twice elected to serve as President of Historic South Park, Inc..

David’s devotion to the South Park area continued when he founded South Park Social Capital, Dayton’s first for-profit development corporation, in 1998. The purpose of South Park Social Capital was to buy and develop dilapidated or vacant properties in the South Park area and turn them into community assets. The group was successful - it bought the old bar known as “Skinners” at 1301 Wayne Avenue in Dayton, Ohio, which today serves as a community gathering place known as [http://southparktavern.com "South Park Tavern & Pizza”].

In 2006, David’s concern for his fellow veteran business owners who were pursuing government contracting opportunities led him to create . VOB108 is a support, peer-networking group of Veteran Business Owners in Dayton, Ohio who work together to win government contracts. The group is currently twenty plus members strong and continues to grow. David not only found this group, but also continues to serve as its Executive Officer.

David first became involved in politics in Dayton, Ohio, when he ran for Mayor of Dayton in 1993, facing off against incumbent Richard Clay Dixon and four other candidates including eventual winner, Michael R. Turner. David also ran for City Commissioner in 1993 and 1999. David is probably best known in Dayton’s political circles for what the Dayton Daily News dubbed “The Great Ninja Caper.” Extensively covered by the media, the incident began when David donned a ninja hood a 1996 Dayton City Commission meeting to protest the Commission’s efforts to strictly limit citizen participation at the Commission’s meetings. Though David never spoke a word - he was simply sitting in the audience in a mask - the Mayor had David arrested, and four days later the City pressed criminal charges for criminal trespassing and disrupting a public meeting.

The case went to Dayton Municipal Court, and Municipal Judge Daniel G. Gehres - in a 17 page decision - ruled that David’s actions were covered (or protected) by the First Amendment. The Judge wrote that because David was doing nothing more than exercising his First Amendment right to free speech, his prosecution was unconstitutional. All charges were dismissed. The City, in a bout of insanity, appealed the Judge’s decision. Untold amounts were spent by the City of Dayton as it lost appeal after appeal, and was finally refused a hearing by the Ohio State Supreme Court.

David Esrati has once again thrown his hat into the political ring, and is currently running for the Democratic nomination for Representative in Ohio’s Third Congressional District. The winner of the Democratic nomination will face off against incumbent Republican Michael R. Turner.

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