The Wright brothers, the aviation pioneers from Dayton, finished second in the popular vote, but James Leftwich, president and CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition, on Wednesday sent a letter to committee chairman state Sen. Mark Wagoner, R-Ottawa Hills, urging the committee to select Wilbur and Orville Wright for the statue.
“The selection of the Wright brothers is more than just a statement about our state’s historical legacy of aviation,” Leftwich wrote. “It can provide ongoing, active assistance to our future. It helps define and brand Ohio’s transforming economy, further cementing the link between Ohio and the aerospace industry, a valuable source of jobs and economic development.”
In the popular vote, open to all Ohioans, Edison received 14,833 votes, 1,018 more than the 13,815 cast for the Wrights.
The recommendation from the National Statuary Collection Study Committee will go to the House and Senate for votes when the Legislature returns this year.
A new Ohio statue will replace former Ohio Gov. William Allen, whose pro-slavery and anti-Abraham Lincoln views now are seen as an embarrassment to the state.
Each state is represented by two statutes and Ohio’s other statue – of President James Garfield – will remain in Statuary Hall.
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