User:TooSimplicious/Draft of Esrati Article
David Esrati | |
|---|---|
 A yard sign from one of Esrati's campaigns | |
| Born | September 14, 1962 Celina, Ohio |
| Citizenship | US |
| Education | Bachelor of Science, Business, Marketing Major |
| Alma mater | Wright State University |
| Employer | Self |
| Known for | publishing esrati.com, wearing a mask, running for office, teaching |
| Notable work | Renovating 100, 120 and 122 Bonner St |
| Opponent(s) | Inspector Gotcha, Petty Politicians, Urban Entropy |
| Awards | Preservation Dayton Community Preservation award in 1998, 6 Hermes awards, multiple merit and excellence awards in advertising and design by Art Center Dayton |
| Website | www.esrati.com |
David Esrati is an activist, small business owner and political candidate in south-west Ohio.
Early Years and Education
[edit]David's father clearly had a strong influence on him. He wrote a book for David challenging him to think hard about what US citizenship means and what ideals the country was founded on.[2] Quoted in DDN,
- I think it’s important to make people think. My father always stood up for what was right, and he always said if you live in a democracy, you have a responsibility to be informed and to be a participant.[3]
Military Service
[edit]Chose to be a citizen, chose to serve
Dayton Activist and Political Contender
[edit]Advocating for open, accountable government
David Esrati has been a consistent and steadily growing force in the Politics of Dayton, Ohio. Starting in 1993 he garnered just one thousand votes in the City commission election, in his latest run in 2009 he received roughly ten times that number.[4]
Esrati's expertise in communicating with the public translates into unique, cost efficient campaigns.[5]
Congressional Campaign
[edit]Esrati is running in the 2010 special election for OH-3. [6][7][8]
The Mask
[edit]Dayton v. Esrati (1997), 125 Ohio App. 3d 60 -- Disrupting a lawful meeting and other charges were properly dismissed where city could not show its actions were not directed at the communicative nature of the defendant's conduct. Defendant quietly donned a ninja mask during city council meeting to protest proposal to reduce public participation. [9] [10]
Esrati explained his motivations on his website,
- The Dayton City Commission was breaking the law when it was meeting in private to discuss ways to eliminate citizen participation at its meetings. I wasn't the reason the commissioners wanted to eliminate speakers - it was what I said at the previous meeting and how I said it.[11]
The balaclava has made other appearances at Dayton City Commission meetings, though without the previous waste of tax-payer resources or faux shock on the part of the commission.[12] He was quoted by Dayton Daily News as saying, "Any restriction on citizen participation is a mistake."[13]
Citizen Journalist and Small Business Owner
[edit]Esrati's muckracker sentimentality, establishment-outsider standing and Web2.0 marketing savy[14] make for a rapid, responsive and technology-fueled reporting style. His site has emerged as a combination of networked public engagement, free-wheeling discussion forum and public-interest watchdog group.
As a blogger Esrati has scooped the more mainstream investigatory media outlets in revealing the dirty feedback loop of corporate welfare and public office campaign financing[15] which was only latter picked up by mainstream news sources[16].
Further Reading
[edit]Dear Son, Do you really want to be an American?
References
[edit]- ^ "Alexa Site Info:Esrati.com".
- ^ "Dear Son" (PDF)., by Steven G. Esrati
- ^ "Profiles of candidates vying for 2 Dayton commission seats".
- ^ "GEMS Election Summary Report" (PDF).
- ^ "Politics as Unusual".
- ^ "Esrati to Run for Congress".
- ^ "ElectEsrati Site".
- ^ "Three candidates file for Democratic primary race against Turner".
- ^ "Office of the Ohio Public Defender: Protest Situations".
- ^ "Office of the Ohio Public Defender: Obstructing Justice and Obstructing Official Business".
- ^ "Explaining the Mask".
- ^ "Esrati describes legal proceedings".
- ^ "City Commission critic dons mask to protest speaking rules".
- ^ "Got an App for That?".
- ^ "When the DDN Editors Don't Like You".
- ^ "Former Qbase VP Sues".