Waynesville, Ohio is not a mecca of LGBTQ+ life in Ohio.
Most Ohioans likely have never heard of this Warren County locale in the southwest corner of the state, unless they have visited its plethora of antique stores or the annual Ohio Sauerkraut Festival.
Still, Waynesville resident David Nation is enamored of this village of 2,600.
“I just love the community here,” Nation said. “It’s a quaint little town, almost like a Hallmark movie.”
The 41-year-old moved to Waynesville 16 years ago to be with his now-husband Mark. He quickly threw himself into community work, notably volunteering with the Museum at the Friends Home, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the local history of the area. He and Mark also open their home to the community for the city’s annual holiday homes tour.
In addition to helping fundraise for the museum, Nation led the effort to save a historic building that was the community’s first firehouse in 1881 and a one-cell jail a few years later. After an 18-month renovation, the building—now dubbed THE Lockup—was transformed into an event space for weddings and other celebrations.
“I could not fathom the thought of one of the most historic buildings in Waynesville wasting away,” he said. “To see that it is being constantly rented fills me with pride.”
Due to his community involvement work, Nation frequently found himself at Waynesville Village Council meetings—including the meeting on June 17, when a vacant seat was announced to complete the remainder of a council member’s term.
“I had contemplated being on council for years, but it never seemed like the right moment,” he said. “This was an enticing opportunity because it was a 1½ year commitment instead of the full four years, so I could figure out if it was for me.”
Nation applied the next day, weeks before the July 10 deadline the council publicly set for applications, a date The Buckeye Flame confirmed via a review of that meeting’s minutes. Although the village charter doesn’t require a deadline, members of council agreed on the date and published it on their website.
The deadline came and went, and Nation was the only person who applied for the vacant seat, seemingly guaranteeing him the position.
It never occurred to him that he wouldn’t be selected because he is gay. But a sudden change in the application process and the explicit comments from a councilperson disqualifying Nation because of his past LGBTQ+ equality work have now convinced him otherwise.
Not so fast…
Nation went to the July 15 council meeting thinking he was going to be sworn in to the open seat. He had been informed that he was the only candidate who had submitted his materials before the deadline, and was taken aback to learn that the council wasn’t welcoming him to their ranks at the meeting.
Instead he was ambushed with the announcement that council would be conducting interviews at that meeting for four candidates: Nation and three others.
A review of both the minutes for that meeting as well as the applications of the three additional candidates confirm that all three were submitted on July 15, five days after the deadline.
President pro tempore Chris Colvin motioned to review all the candidates, which the council approved.
“The mayor [Earl Isaacs] looked over at me and asked if I was OK with this,” Nation said. “I said, ‘You already approved the motion.’ What else was I supposed to do?”
The council then adjourned into executive session, closed to the public, and interviewed each candidate separately over the next two hours.
Nation said his interview went well, and that they asked him about his work in the community. The only he time he mentioned his personal life was when he was asked about what he values.
“I said my husband, our friends and our community,” he recalled.
Nation also said Mayor Isaacs explicitly praised his application.
“He said I was the most qualified candidate,” Nation said. “The one thing he said he liked the most was that my application was in on time.”
When the council returned from executive session, Nation thought they were coming back with a decision. Not so.
According to the minutes, Isaacs announced that “there were very good candidates for the open council position,” but that the council couldn’t agree on a candidate and that “no decision will be made at this time.”
Neither Isaacs nor any member of the Waynesville Village Council responded to any of The Buckeye Flame’s multiple requests for comment.
Garnering public support
Nation was stunned by the unexpected turn of events, but remained determined to secure the open council seat.
“I knew I would be bringing a business and community-centered mindset to the council that was needed,” he said.
Weeks went by with no word from council. Then, on July 29, a notice was posted that the council would be holding a special meeting on July 31 with a single agenda item: filling the open council seat.
Nation had heard rumblings around the village that some members of council did not want him to serve because he is gay, and that council members had directly solicited the three other candidates to apply.
With only 48 hours before the meeting, Nation, his husband and some friends went around the village to collect signatures to support his candidacy. Although collecting additional signatures was not required, Nation wanted to go above and beyond.
“I wanted to prove that I’m valued in the community, that people support me,” he said.
In just 2 days, his team collected 100 signatures of support. For comparison, Chris Colvin was the top vote-getter in the 2021 village-wide election with 333 votes.
Nation submitted the signatures along with a letter to underscore his intent.
“I gathered these signatures to show that the community stands behind me,” he wrote.
As the agenda for the July 31 special meeting indicated that it would take place in executive session with no public comment, Nation opted not to attend.
After two hours in executive session, council returned to its chambers and Councilperson Zack Gallagher made a motion to approve Lyle Anthony, one of the three other candidates, for the open seat. According to his application, Anthony has lived in Waynesville for 6 years – 10 years fewer than Nation – was a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals and resides one door down from Councilperson Troy Lauffer.
Council voted 4-2 in favor of Anthony, with council members Brian Blankenship and Connie Miller voting against the motion.
Mayor Isaacs said the decision was “one of the hardest ones he had to make while serving on council,” then specifically thanked Nation for his service to the village. Gallagher thanked all the candidates, and Lauffer agreed.
Then Chris Colvin asked for the following remarks to be put on the record, which we include here in full:
First, my motion to include three additional candidates for this Council appointment was made because I wanted to consider those applications which came prior to beginning deliberations involving candidate interviews in Executive Session.
Second, I have received letters and signatures on behalf of David Nation. While I can appreciate the desire of citizens to treat this appointment in the same context of an election, this appointment is determined by the votes of Council following the Village of Waynesville Charter rules. My consideration of the qualifications of these candidates is more than responding to a subset of the voters that want to advocate for a particular person. A subset of the voters does not indicate what the voters would decide in an actual election. The information I receive from the candidate application and Executive session interview are additional information for Council members to consider for the purpose of the “appointment of a public official”. Therefore, my lack of support for David Nation in this appointment is due to his application including his resume with core achievements focused on “diversity and inclusion” and his efforts being a founding member of the [LGBTQ+] Rainbow Alliance ERG which advocates for Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in “local government, businesses, and educational institutions”. Thirty states, including Ohio, have taken steps to remove DEI initiatives because of their discriminatory practices and so I am very concerned about DEI policies being advocated in our municipality. Thank you.
Colvin didn’t ask to enter comments on why he supported Anthony; he only wanted it on the record about why he did not support Nation.
Blankenship thanked Nation for applying, and Miller highlighted that Nation was the only one to submit his application on time.
Only a few minutes after Colvin’s remarks, Mayor Isaacs concluded the meeting by saying that he hoped Nation was “not discouraged.”
Residents rally to Nation’s side
One of Nation’s friends broke the news to him that he wasn’t selected. (To this day, he has received no official word from the council.) The friend also suggested that Nation read the meeting minutes, because Colvin had said something concerning about diversity.
When the minutes were released a few days later with Colvin’s full statement, Nation was shocked.
“The only reason I wanted to do this was because I care so much for this community,” he said. “[Colvin] doesn’t know me. To so blatantly discriminate against me was humiliating. I was embarrassed, but why was I the one who was embarrassed? He should be embarrassed.”
Some residents reached out to Nation to say they would be attending the council’s next regular meeting, on Aug. 5, to speak in support of him. He considered staying away, but changed his mind.
“I couldn’t have all of these people going on my behalf, and I chose not to be there,” he said.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Waynesville resident Linda Kiefer called council’s actions a “shady deal.” She said that she suspected Nation was passed over for “one reason” and that for Colvin to “use that as his excuse in the 21st century is sad.”
Robert Bowen, a member of the Village Planning Board, resigned his seat on the Planning Board in protest of the council’s actions, calling them “unlawful discriminatory practices.” He also called on Colvin to either be removed or resign.
“[Nation’s] sexual orientation or support of these programs in no way should be a talking point in this process period,” Bowen said.
Pat Eddington said she had always been proud of the village, but was not proud after the July 31 meeting.
Robin Stinson said she was shocked when she read Colvin’s comments and asked whether the council wanted Waynesville to end up in the news for the wrong reasons.
Colvin was on vacation and not present for the August 5 meeting.
Determined to run
A month later, Nation still feels blindsided by the turn of events.
“My whole life I have fought for gay rights, and I can’t believe this is still where we are,” he said.
Nation is considering all possible recourse to make sure this never happens to someone in the future, but declined to provide more details.
What he will specify is that he still loves his local community. Although he questioned whether he and his husband should stay in Waynesville, he quickly remembered how much support his neighbors have shown him.
“I will continue giving back to the community,” he said. “I’m not letting them scare me off. It’s just not going to happen.”
He is now determined to run for council in the 2025 election. He said he doesn’t care if he wins, but is running to make a statement.
“I will have the biggest campaign they have ever seen in this tiny town,” he said. “Just you wait and see.” 🔥
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