I’m David Esrati—first-generation American, longtime Dayton resident, U.S. Army veteran, and the publisher of Esrati.com, a Dayton-focused political blog I’ve written since 2006.
I was born in Celina, Ohio, and raised in Cleveland Heights. I graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in 1980, entered the U.S. Army in 1981, and served with the 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg. I later served with the 11th Special Forces Group in Ohio as a reservist.
I earned a BSB in Marketing from Wright State University. While at Wright State I founded the Raider Hockey Club and stayed active in campus life, student organizations, and community projects.
I’ve lived in Dayton’s South Park Historic District since January 1986. My introduction to local politics wasn’t theoretical—it was personal. I learned early how difficult it can be for ordinary residents to get straight answers or meaningful help from the people who hold power. That experience pushed me into civic work: neighborhood leadership, public accountability, and pushing for reforms that make government more responsive and transparent.
Over the years I’ve run for local office, and I’ve run for the Democratic nomination for Congress three times. I’ve also dealt firsthand with the realities of elections and ballot access in Montgomery County—enough to convince me we need better systems, better transparency, and less gatekeeping.
Professionally, I run The Next Wave, an award winning small creative ad agency I started in 1988. My work has always centered on clarity, trust, and results—whether that’s helping a client communicate better, or helping the public see what’s happening behind official statements and closed doors.
Along the way, I’ve been involved in projects and leadership roles including:
- President (two terms), Historic South Park Inc.
- Founder of South Park Social Capital- Dayton’s first and only for profit development organization.
- Founder, Reconstructing Dayton (501(c)(4)) – focused on regionalism
- Founder, The Modern Policy Institute (501(c)(3))- focused on voter information systems.
- Co-founder, VOB-108, later VOBOhio (Veteran Owned Businesses in Ohio)
- Ongoing work using public records and Sunshine Law enforcement to support open government
- Citizen journalism focused on Dayton Public Schools since 2016
- Community projects focused on neighborhood quality of life, including installing hundreds of basketball nets across Dayton
I live across the street from my office, and my dog comes to work with me every day. When I’m not working, I’m usually playing ice hockey, swimming, reading, writing or doing home repair projects on my 4 properties.
If you want to know more about my citizen journalism, I suggest you start with my “Must Read” category.
I’m currently the appellant in a Quo Warranto case before the Supreme Court of Ohio to remove the current Montgomery County Clerk of Courts from office. I’m doing this pro se, and questioning if the Ohio Legislature has passed laws to follow the Ohio Constitution. As a champion of transparency, I’ve posted all the filings and updates.