“I didn’t have to wrestle her to the ground to make her understand the importance of HIV testing. She understood,” said Bill Hardy, CEO of the AIDS Resource Center Ohio. “I suspect much of the community was unaware of her deep commitment to, and support for, issues and services such as ours.”.
Mark Owens, chair of the Montgomery County Democratic Party said he would welcome McLin as a candidate, again, for any elected office.
“I do think she made a difference in people’s day-to-day lives,” he said. “She’s still a big player on the political scene. I don’t know if she will run again. She hasn’t had time to sort that out.”
As chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party, Greg Gantt has worked to find a candidate with the clout to defeat McLin. While he celebrated mayor-elect Gary Leitzell’s November victory, he didn’t belittle McLin’s service to the city.
“I have respect and appreciation for anyone who runs for and holds elected office,” he said.
McLin became Dayton’s mayor in 2002 after defeating then Mayor Mike Turner in the November 2001 election. Leitzell will be sworn in as mayor at 10 a.m. Jan. 4 at City Hall.
Courage ‘to do the right thing’
McLin, 61, held neighborhood walks each summer to stay in touch with citizens and convened a monthly Mayor’s Day to make herself available to anyone with a City Hall concern.
“She went to every event, every meeting, always getting that one-more thing done, even after a mentally challenging day,” City Commissioner Nan Whaley said. “She really felt people in town deserved a mayor they could touch, a mayor they could talk to, a mayor who would listen.”
While some criticized McLin’s business acumen after companies such as NCR announced plans to move out of Dayton, others say her leadership during a 2008 trade mission to Israel will have a lasting impact on Dayton’s economy.
Montgomery County Administrator Deborah Feldmen called McLin an “enthusiastic supporter” for reaching beyond the Miami Valley for economic development opportunities.
“(McLin) was a full participant in the Israel mission along with the county commissioners,” Feldmen said. “She provided so much energy to it and a sense of leadership.”
Four days before McLin’s Nov. 3 defeat, a group of predominantly black ministers announced they would not be endorsing either candidate for mayor. The Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance blamed the city’s economy for that decision, but also pointed a finger at McLin’s support of an antidiscrimination law adding gays and lesbians to a list of protected groups.
Leitzell won the election largely because McLin lost votes in her traditionally Democratic West Dayton. That stand may have cost McLin votes in one constituency, but it boosted her profile in another.
“If not for McLin, a lot of people who work in the city, like me, could have lost their jobs,” Vicky Hahn, board president of the Greater Dayton LGBT Center, said.
Hahn recalls watching the City Commission vote on the ordinance Nov. 21, 2007. Commissioner Dean Lovelace voted against it. Commissioner Joey Williams abstained. McLin with commissioners Matt Joseph and Whaley cast affirmative votes.
“I was thinking how totally brave it was for Rhine to take that stand. She did it without thinking of her political future,” Hahn said. “In my mind, she is a hero here in Dayton for the gay community.”
Whaley spoke with the mayor prior to that vote.
“I told Rhine I thought this would come down to three votes and asked her what we were going to do,” Whaley said. “She told me, ‘we’re going to do the right thing.’”
Hahn believes McLin set a high standard for Leitzell to follow.
“If somebody needed a champion, Rhine was there. I really believe she made Dayton a more inviting city,” Hahn said. “I hope the new mayor is as responsive not only to the gay community but all groups.”
Her personal style included volunteering
McLin’s vintage clothing, hats and unusual glasses — featuring one round lens and one square — became her signature trademarks. Some called her appearance eccentric, quirky. Kids found it fascinating, said Tish Wilson, an assistant director for youth services at the Dayton Metro Library.
Children flocked to McLin, a Summer Reading Program volunteer.
“The kids love to see her. She has been in all of our branches,” Wilson said.
In Wilson’s 25 years with the library, no other mayor has asked her to become a volunteer.
John Zimmerman, vice president of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, credits McLin’s administration for making the Human Relations Council, charged with protecting civil rights, a viable part of the city administration once again.
“She should really hang her hat on revisioning that council and having it fulfill its chartered mission,” Zimmerman said.
McLin supported opening Democratic Headquarters downtown as an overflow homeless shelter. She also saw a greater need and led an effort to hold an annual Christmas party for the homeless.
“Some in the party thought it wasn’t right to put up the homeless in our headquarters and feed them. Rhine McLin wasn’t one of them,” Dennis Lieberman, former party chairman said. “In fact, I think she shamed them.”
The mayor hosted her final Dinner for the Underserved on Tuesday, Dec. 15.
“She treats the homeless like neighbors. She asks them to tell her their stories. She helps when she can,” Lieberman said.
Bill Weprin, president of the Beerman Foundation, said the mayor was a regular volunteer at the annual Beerman Family Thanksgiving Day dinner.
“She really participated. She just wanted to be there. She didn’t do it for political reasons,” Weprin said. “She could have come, volunteered for a few minutes and left. She came for dinner and stayed all day.”
Lovelace has known McLin since she was a cheerleader at Dunbar High School.
“She has spread her love of the city around,” Lovelace said. “No one can outwork her.”
Former City Commissioner Dick Zimmer said he’d be happy to pair with McLin on any endeavor.
“I think Rhine has done a good job,” he said. “She made mistakes. Who doesn’t?”
Zimmer said he spoke with McLin after her November election loss to Leitzell.
“She indicated she thought she might be in trouble, because everyone she talked to said they wanted change,” Zimmer said. “Change, it’s something that catches up with you after a while.”
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