Rhine McLin
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Rhine L. McLin is an American politician of the Ohio Democratic party, currently serving as mayor of Dayton, Ohio.
McLin received a bachelor of arts degree in sociology and secondary education from Parsons College (Iowa) and a master's degree in education (guidance counseling) from Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio). She holds an associate's degree in mortuary science.
In 1988, when McLin's father, Ohio state Rep. C. J. McLin Jr. died, McLin was appointed to serve the remainder of his term. She was then elected to the seat in 1990. She was re-elected in 1992. She then ran for the Ohio state senate in 1994 and was elected. She was re-elected to the senate in 1998. McLin served as an Ohio state representative from 1989 to 1995 and as an Ohio state senator from 1995 to 2002. In 1999, the Democratic caucus of the Ohio House of Representatives named her minority whip. In 2001, McLin was elected minority leader. She served in that post until she left the Senate in 2002, barred by term limits from running for re-election again that year. She ran for the office of mayor of Dayton. She was elected mayor of Dayton in 2002, defeating incumbent Republican Michael R. Turner and began serving her term in 2003.
McLin was an Ohio delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention.
McLin was the first black woman to serve as floor leader in the Ohio House of Representatives. She was the first female African-American Ohio state senator. She is the first woman to serve as mayor of Dayton. She is the third African-American Dayton mayor.
McLin is a licensed funeral director and an embalmer at the McLin Funeral Home (Dayton, Ohio) and taught criminology (juvenile delinquency) and race relations at Central State University (Wilberforce, Ohio), from 1982 to 1997.
| Preceded by: Mike Turner | Mayor of Dayton, Ohio 2002-present | Succeeded by: None |