David Esrati

Free speech precedent

The successful appeal of his prosecution for disrupting a public meeting by wearing a ninja mask has been characterized by the Ohio Public Defender's Office and recognized Dayton v. Esrati as a precedent setting case with respect to public comment in limited public forums. In particular, this case has gained notice from legal scholars making recommendation on setting public comment policy. and by the First Amendment Center Dayton also played host to another precedent setting case identified by the Ohio Public Defender's Office which illustrated the importance of narrowly construed and un-content focused nature of rules for limited public forums that are necessary to respect the free speech rights of citizens while at the same time ensuring efficient execution of a public office holder's duties. A second balaclava-wearing by Esrati at a commission meeting in protest of proposed changes to citizen participation rules did not result in any legal action.

Through the course of the legal proceeding leading to Esrati's eventual victory he won against the City of Dayton and then Mayor Mike Turner in five courts. This expensive and futile effort by the City was highlighted in Wired magazine for setting precedent in free-speech at limited public forums, and for the foolishness of efforts to litigate against speakers unless they are being unruly.

Dayton City Commission campaigns

Esrati's campaign style is based on Web 2.0 technology which results in competitive turnouts for significantly less spending than traditional campaigners. Esrati has run unsuccessfully for City Commission six times (beginning in the early 1990s), from which he said he's "learned a lot".

Esrati first sought a nomination in the Dayton Mayoral race of 1993, which Mike Turner, his prospective congressional opponent in 2010, won over Clay Dixon. This election was notable because of the physical confrontation between Esrati and Dixon which some say marked the end of Dixon's political career.

He received 21% of the vote in the 2009 race for City Commission.

He came in fourth out of five candidates in the May 7, 2013 Dayton, Ohio primary for Dayton City Commission to move forward to the Nov 7, 2013 general election.

Esrati's campaigns at the local level have focused on good governance, transparency and protection of civil rights. For instance, on the Dayton's employee residency rule, he stated "The real issue is that people should want to live in Dayton because of the things we do right, not because we want to limit the rights of our employees." He recommended pay-cuts for elected officials rather than city employee wage freezes in the face of Dayton's looming structural budget deficit.

Congressional campaigns

David Esrati previously lost the 2008 Democratic primary for Ohio's 3rd congressional district and ran in the special primary for the 2010 election. His platform at the local and congressional level has focused on campaign financing,He has said that "I think it's time we end the casino on Wall Street, we put Americans back to work and we stop letting our political system be sold off to the highest bidder." His vocal criticism of establishment business-as-usual, unique position on the issues and continuous advocacy for improvement garnered him notice as a "tough-minded" problem solver . He finished third, with less the 19% of the vote. He came in third in the March 6, 2012 Democratic primary for the new OH-10 district, in a 6 way race.

Community organizing

In addition to activism, Esrati leads community organizing efforts as well. In contrast to activism, community organizing requires specific, implementable plans to bring about durable social change. He served two terms as the president of Historic Southpark, Inc, a non-profit dedicated to improving the nationally recognized historic district. Esrati started the city's first for-profit community development company, He has organized small groups towards improving the health and happiness of the community.

Urban revitalization

He has opposed the misuse of funds for urban revitalization to instead destroy viable buildings. He was associated as a commentator with the political blogsite DavtonOS, an affiliate of Grassroots Dayton.