It's Great 'n Dayton

DaytonMostMetro Gets a Facelift

If you haven't been to the MostMetro site lately it's time you paid a visit! The look is new and on a different platform since Billy has switched blog services. The Forum still exists and from what it sounds like content on the blog will feature summaries of the forum. Alot of time has been devoted to the forum in recent months and less so for the blog. So this is a welcome change!

HINT: When you visit the site, make sure you bookmark it! It used to be Dayton Dot Mostmetro Dot Com. Now there's a Dot missing and it's just www.daytonmostmetro.com.

Future Dayton Leadership

Admittedly I'm behind on my posting. Thus I'm also behind on commenting on the local scene, particularly when stories are a couple weeks old and have already been the subject of other bloggers. Most of what you might be interested in (related to this story) can actually be found at Esrati.com. Today I'm reprinting a news story from the Dayton Daily News that also appeared at Esrati.com.

The reason I'm posting it is because yesterday I received a solicitation in the mail from someone who is running for city commission. The thing is, I don't know where this person stands on issues. So I went to the person's website and found it incredibly outdated. How can anyone running for office have an outdated site? There was no platform, no "ask" for support, no cheering for the city - just some rambling. It's possible campaigns will kick into full gear as we get closer to the primary. I was just frustrated that I was asked for "early" support without knowing what I was supporting.

So here's the article. In my search for information about the candidate who solicited me I also tried to find out information about all the candidates. So my contribution to this discussion are the links in the article. Happy reading! Skip theDDN article....go straight to the links!!

Mayor, commission races taking shape

GOP 'fresh faces' likely to make bids to unseat incumbent Democrats.

By Joanne Huist Smith
Staff Writer
Monday, February 23, 2009

DAYTON — The Montgomery County Republican Party plans to burst "fresh new faces" onto the Dayton political scene with first-time candidates for mayor and two seats on the city commission, but those endorsements likely won't be finalized until after the March 6 filing deadline.

"Until I have that person who says 100 percent "yes," I don't want to throw anybody out there. Every (candidate) I know of has not been in public life," Montgomery County Republican Party Chairman Gregory M. Gantt said.

Republican candidates hoping to win endorsements were interviewed last week, Gantt said. Some were told they needed more experience. Others haven't fully committed to a run.

Democratic incumbents Mayor Rhine McLin, along with commissioners Nan Whaley and Joey Williams received endorsements from the Montgomery County Democratic Party in December.

"In these tough economic times, they've stepped up to the plate and kept the city afloat," party Chairman Mark Owens said.

Candidates must submit petitions with 500 valid signatures to the Montgomery County Board of Elections by March 6 to participate in the May election. The two mayoral candidates who get the most votes in the primary will be on the fall ballot with the top four contenders for city commission.

Others who have taken out petitions to challenge McLin include:

Gary Leitzell, 114 Volkenand Ave., a self-employed, professional miniatures painter, a home renovator and home-schooling parent. He has served as president of the Walnut Hills Association for five years; and, he has been a member of the Southeast Priority Board for 10 years.

Tojuan W. Minus, 2535 Bridgeport Drive, is the director of the Info Kids Early Learning Center. She has served on the Northwest Priority Board for about a year.

Other candidates for mayor include: Jerome Franklin Savage, 400 N. Cherrywood Ave., who also took out petitions for mayor in 2005, and Jamie M. Simpson, 53 Birchwood Ave.

Candidates vying for the city commission seats held by Whaley and Williams include:

Donald Allen Domineck Jr., 1035 Superior Ave. Domineck took out petitions for the 2007 city commission race, but dropped out before the filing deadline.

David Esrati, 113 Bonner St., a local activist and owner of an advertising agency, ran an unsuccessful primary campaign for mayor against former Mayor Richard Dixon and now Congressman Mike Turner in 1993. He lost city commission races in 1997 and 1999. Esrati also lost a bid for the 3rd Congressional District seat in the March 2008 primary election.

Lorana M. Kelly, 2235 Ravenwood Ave., is the community development coordinator for the Montgomery County Community Action Partnership. Kelly has run for a city commission seat three times. If elected, Kelly said she would focus on reducing crime and vacant housing, along with building opportunities for youth.

Mark Anthony Newberry, 910 Crestmore Ave., is director of marketing for Jeni King, a commercial cleaning service. Newberry lost a run for a Montgomery County Commission seat in November. He also took out petitions for city commission twice.

Jeffrey L. Wellbaum, 437 Shroyer Road, a U.S. Army reservist and Iraq War veteran working at Walmart, said his first bid for an elected office has been frustrating. [UPDATE NOTE: According to Esrati.com Welbaum has withdrawn].

"I was the only one that I know of who was screened (by the Republican Committee) for city of Dayton commissioner," Wellbaum said. "It seemed like the main question they had for me was how much money I had for the race."

Dayton Police Officer Douglas S. Brandenburg withdrew his name as a candidate after learning a department policy prohibits his running for city office. Sandra Brasington, chief of staff for the county Republican Party, also took out petitions, but is not a candidate.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2362 or Josmith@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Other names reported at Esrati.com but not in this article include:
Additional Candidates for Mayor:
James Greene, III
Larry E. Ealy
Additional Candidates for Commission:
David Rosenberger

We'll know on March 6 who submitted their 500 signatures and I'm sure the candidate list will be much smaller than it is now. The primary will prove interesting in that it will determine on two candidates for the November ballot for Mayor and four candidates for Commission. Stay tuned!

Dayton Business Resource Center

In a previous post I mentioned the opening of the Dayton Business Resource Center. At the time I didn't have any web information other than the City of Dayton's website. I've since learned the DBRC does have it's own website: www.daytonbrc.com. Visit the site to learn more about the DBRC. From permits to financing, site selection to other technical assistance, the DBRC has a staff ready to help put all the pieces together for businesses doing business or wanting to do business in Dayton.

Dayton's Future Learns Brainy Can Be Fun!

At a time when Dayton needs positive media coverage (when doesn't it?) I was surprised that the following stories didn't draw more attention. Kids are our future and there are kids out there using their brains, getting a good education, who are also having fun doing it. We need to be doing more to encourage these types of activities and we definitely need to be doing more to link learning with being fun. We also need to follow up and make sure that students who participate in these activities have future opportunities as they mature. What happens when they get older? We want them to stay in Dayton. Hopefully these activities not only teach them their own potential but teach them that Dayton is a cradle of creativity where they can thrive.

photo from Dayton Daily News website (taken by Teesha McClam)

The events I'm talking about are TechFest and the Lego Robot Championships. Both events seem to be geared toward junior high and high school students. And get this, with the Lego Championship...there's another one in Atlanta (World Festival) and then another right back here at the Nutter Center in May (the US Championships). Who knew!?!

Congrats to these organizations, the students and to our area for reaching out in innovative ways to excite young people about science, technology, engineering and math.

Creative adults, on the other hand, should put their thinking caps on from a creative perspective and a science perspective. Dayton's Creative Class initiative is creating an event challenging people to Walk on Water!

Adventure Summit

 

Yes, in Dayton, OH! Well, technically Fairborn, but I think it's great that it's even happening - drawing attention to all the locals who love the outdoors, like physical activity, and even lean to the extreme! And alot of activities happen right here in the Miami Valley!

I'm talking about the Adventure Summit sponsored by Five Rivers Metroparks and Wright State University. It's this weekend, Feb 20-21. There are photos and videos from prior years online as well as more information about the event and about registering.

Come out and meet other local enthusiasts, listen to lectures, witness demonstrations, and visit with vendors and members of various local clubs and associations.

Dayton Creative Class Gaining Momentum

Thanks to Kate E. for sharing this on Facebook. And thanks to Dayton Daily News Editor, Kevin Riley, for writing it.

Kevin Riley: ‘Young creatives’ most powerful people in town

By Ellen Belcher | Friday, February 13, 2009, 05:42 PM

If you looked behind the scenes last week, you could see that the DaytonCREATE initiative is getting traction.

The initiative was launched last year with the help of economist and best-selling author Richard Florida. He urges communities that want to thrive economically to recruit and cultivate a “creative class” — artists, musicians, engineers and high-tech workers, all people who think and create for a living.

A number of projects have grown out of the work of Dayton’s creative “catalysts.”

For example:

—Film Dayton, created to support and grow a regional film industry, will partner with HBO Films to premiere an award-winning documentary here about Dayton native Sister Dorothy Stang. “They Killed Sister Dorothy” examines the murder of the 73-year-old Catholic nun, who advocated for the poor of Brazil and was trying to preserve the rain forest there.

—One of the public meetings on the Greater Dayton Downtown Plan took place at c{space, a 5,000-square-foot gathering spot at 20 N. Jefferson St. C{space grew out of the catalysts’ effort to promote street-level art, music and independent business downtown. A similar project in Providence, Rhode Island, is about 20 years old, and the fallout is credited with adding to that city’s vitality.

Watch a 4-minute video of graffiti artists painting the interior of c{space, 20 N. Jefferson St.

—Updayton, another of the DaytonCREATE groups, hosted a session at an Oregon District bar that drew about 50 young professionals. The group talked about the importance of entertainment and nightlife to attracting the “creative class.” This session was one of several “Pints and Perspective” gatherings the group is conducting in advance of its Young Creatives Summit on April 18.

We have something important going on here.

At the Oregon District session, the participants’ passion and interest were impressive. The meeting was informal and just barely moderated. But people grabbed the microphone and spoke candidly. And they weren’t intimidated by Dayton’s current economic problems or how hard it might be to make new things happen or to change things.

Updayton’s survey of about 500 young professionals shows that most of them are satisfied living in Dayton, although only 30 percent say it is a “better than average” place for young people. Seventy percent say they are satisfied with their job, but they are worried about new job opportunities (something they also consider very important). And one worrisome trend, according to the research: many expect to move away from Dayton.

It’s telling that the creative catalysts have gotten the attention of Gov. Ted Strickland; the state, not just Dayton, is trying to court young talent. The catalysts have invited him and other community leaders to their summit.

And it’s also telling that leaders of the new downtown initiative have come to this group for input.

As you sat at that Oregon District bar, it became clear that these people have power — maybe much more than they realize. The community’s many stakeholders need them, and no one stakeholder — not governments, businesses or colleges — can address their needs on their own.

The region’s young creatives can mold plans for downtown, riverfront development and other plans. They can demand regional cooperation for the greater good. After all, they are the people the region is supposed to be building for.

So let’s give them that power. And let’s urge them to put it to use.

Kevin Riley is the editor of the DaytonDaily News. Contact him at (937) 225-2161 or kriley@coxohio.com.

Dayton Wishlist Part Two

Last night 80-100 (I lost count) people gathered at c{space to provide their input into the Downtown Dayton Plan.  This post is a follow up to the one I posted on Tuesday February 10th. Here's a snapshot of what the folks at c{space had to say (I wasn't going to list ideas that are duplicates of the prior post but I think it's important to see when something is mentioned more than once):

• There needs to be more support for individual artists, especially young emerging ones. This includes space to do their work and show their work.
• More public art (which could take a variety of forms)
• A grocery store
• Connectable spaces that make walking feel safe while at the same time creating a sense that lots of things are happening
• Reuse of the Arcade
• Reuse of empty office space - perhaps creating suites that visitors/travelers could use when in town for business
• More amenities, people, business
• Change of PERCEPTION that downtown is unsafe - challenge to the media to be partners in this because media is part of the problem
• As downtown boundaries expand to encompass a wider ring around the city, make sure to consider that many surrounding neighborhoods have their own visions and plans
• A dog park (which could lead to cafes, pet food store, pet grooming, etc.)
• More color (mentioned several times) - including flags on building, more aesthetic street lighting, more neon highlights, more green space, more plants, more things that can be painted (highway underpasses, etc.), tree-lined streets with lights strung in the trees
• Opportunities for legitimate graffiti (and quick cleanup of illegitimate)
• Boards and locations for wheatpasting posters and promotional materials
• Cheap space for young entrepreneurs to do their work, share ideas/resources, this includes artists
• A sports-plex at the old site of the Parkside Homes
• Cultural Change Campaign
• Connecting beyond the boundaries (75, 35, rivers, etc) - so that those boundaries "go through" but don't "divide"
• Opportunities for families with children (housing and activities) - some people believe this won't happen until the public schools change/improve but the point was made that with or without a change to the Dayton public schools parents need to be involved in their kids lives and living downtown is an option
• Various housing interests  - affordability options (perhaps consider what someone in their 20s could pay and have various options even within the same building so that a person could move from unit to unit as their income changes), needs to include parking, some open space (perhaps patios or small gardens), under 200k, something that competes with a house in Belmont or Kettering (for example), programs to help homeowners, downpayment assistance
• Downtown daycare facility or "family center"
• Reach out to all demographics and remember that as excited as we all are for a successful downtown there are other residents who struggle in their own neighborhoods. Thus city leaders need have a vision for the entire city.
• For people without garages - have a place - even a shared/common one that people can use to work on their own cars
• Whatever initiatives move forward make sure to consider "green" alternatives
• A plug was made for the Merc. They're ready to move forward but still need a commercial tenant as the anchor.
• Capitalize on views of the city (getting back to color and lighting that can be viewed from high points around the city.
• Have more family-oriented restaurants downtown.
• Could the Habitat for Humanity model of sweat equity be a way for people get affordable housing?
• Hockey arena
• Monument to women pioneers
• Competition to create fountains that could be placed around the city, capitilizing on the fact that we sit on an aquifer.
• New ways to get from East to West because there really is no direct way (particularly getting from Salem or Main street over to the east side)
• Encouragement for not losing momentum
• Investment - in business, amenities, infrastructure, retail, entertainment
• Being cognizant and inclusive of diversity
• Housing options that keep in mind the lifestyle of baby-boomers, how they're down-sizing and what aspects of their lives they're likely to stay involved in (socializing, gardening, etc.) and make sure multi-floor units have elevators
• Carriage rides
• Murals
• Bike lockers
• Better care of public art and amenities that already exist so we don't look sloppy and careless. The example that was used was the poor condition of the "Flyover" on Main Street which has tiles falling off of it, dead plants, and chunks torn from the curb from being hit by cars/plows, etc.

Just like the previous meeting the crowd was positive and full of energy. A final thought to leave you with is what one person said in the course of the meeting: We all need to personally invite people downtown. Whether it's friends or family or people from church, if they've never been downtown we should bring them to a show, take them to a festival, ride with them on the bike trails, etc. Another point that was made was that many of the things being discussed are already happening other cities. People we're trying attract to Dayton will not think these things are foreign. It's actually local people we need to convert to think outside the box and to think BIG.

A lot of good things can come from these ideas and this plan. I wish the committee well as it prioritizes, determines what's realistic, and figures out how to pay for it all.

There's one more input session on Tuesday February 17th at Sinclair. For more info about it or to complete a survey online visit Downtown Dayton. You can also participate in discussions at Dayton Most Metro.

Dayton Foodies Connect

With a little nudge from Lisa G. I'm happy to mentioned again that Dayton foodies have a social networking site. You can peruse the site as a guest or you can join it and complete a profile and participate in discussions, etc.

The www.daytondining.ning.com site connects foodies and is also the best place to find information on the most recent specials and deals that are being offered at area restaurants!

Check them out! If you come back here looking for the site and this post isn't on the homepage you can also find a link to the right --------->

The Power of Your Change

How Your Everyday Purchases Change the World

You do NOT have to be Catholic to attend this...

The Catholic Social Action Office, along with UD and Catholic Relief Services invites you to a day-long workshop at UD that will look at How Your Shopping Affects People Around the World, A Local Business Perspective on Social Justice, The Complexity of Simple Living, and a variety of workshops about Buying Local Foods, Socially Responsible Investing, Free Trade, Advocacy for the voiceless, and more.

The conference is 9-4 at UD on Saturday, February 28th.
Cost is $25 per individual, and $5 for students
Lunch is included

For the BROCHURE Download Power_of_your_Change_Final

Click here to REGISTER

 

Can Dayton Thrive in a Tough Economy?

I periodically head over to Cooltown Studios and the Project for Public Spaces to get ideas of things that are working in other cities. I was struck by this post about cities doing their best during difficult times. Alot resonated with me:

Whatever economic restructuring may be in our near future, it is likely to only strengthen people’s interest in valuing the local assets and places that are precious to them.  We may soon look back on the land-gobbling development craze of the last two decades as an embarrassing excess.  And in this new reality, we could do well by revisiting some old principles:

• We are defined by our homegrown culture and character. To thrive in the coming years we have to do a better job of protecting local resources. People naturally take pride in their local food, places, history, landscape, and businesses. It is time to make sure to give these local assets as much support, if not more, as we do chain stores, multinational corporations and outside culture.

  This affects not just the spirit of our hometowns but the fate of our planet; going local is the only way we can avoid the looming problems of energy use spiraling upward and carbon emissions worsening global warming. Placemaking strategies address both of these concerns by focusing development in the center of towns and cities, reducing sprawl and the demand for more fossil fuels. An added benefit to investing in the revitalization of our core communities is that people's quality of life and quality of place will rise even if the national economy continues to fall.

• Bigger is not better. Large-scale projects can sometimes make a contribution to the local economy, but more often their negative impacts outnumber positive ones. Oversized development can crush the fine-grained urban fabric that makes communities attractive in the first place, especially when scores of small, historic buildings affordable to local businesses and residents are replaced by hulking structures that reduce the economic potential of that place. On the outskirts of town, farmland or forest is eaten up by sprawling malls and speculative development in the name of economic growth, but at what cost?  In sacrificing the scenic and natural quality of these places, we weaken our ability to attract new people to the region. When we lose our local food production capacity, we lose our self-sufficiency and ability to build a strong, locally-based, and sustainable economy.

• Community partnerships offer the best way forward. To succeed, any project must become a working partnership with the people of a community. Creating a community consensus around economic development will ultimately speed up action and attract more partners, funders, and the help of countless individuals who want to be part of the plan. Too often citizens are treated as the enemy.  If we are to improve our cities and towns as places to live, then we need to build upon a shared vision for the future!

• A plan can never substitute for a vision. The current slowdown in development offers the perfect occasion to revisit your community's values, and do some visionary thinking about where you want to go in the future. Take a close look at your community's assets and resources and carefully consider what you want your city or town to be known for in the future. Then prepare a vision statement and development regulations that will help you accomplish that vision when the next growth cycle comes around. This approach allows your community to set its own course for the future instead of being swallowed by outside development forces.

• Take over the streets. Streets are the most prominent and prevalent public space in any town, and making them more pedestrian-friendly is the closest thing you have to a silver bullet for improving your community.  A walkable downtown or neighborhood shopping district quickly becomes a magnet for both public life and economic expansion, thus enriching your community in several ways at the same time. Transportation budgets are the biggest tool most communities have for making positive change, which thankfully has become easier now that most state DOTs and the federal government understand that street projects have to benefit people as much as automobiles. PPS can be a voice helping you to send that message to your state DOT.

• Finally, keep in mind that a return to the roaring economic growth of recent decades is not in our best interest. To make the planet healthier for us and all the species with which we share it, we can no longer define success in terms of ever expanding GDP. Instead, we must learn to live better with less, by focusing on creating great communities and emphasizing quality over quantity – quality of life, place, environment, and society.

The articles that follow in this special end-of-the-year newsletter offer strategies and examples of how we can bring these qualities to communities by refocusing investments to achieve transformative results. When resources are tight, we must be clear about our priorities. That means drawing upon the wisdom of the community as a whole to set those goals, making the most of your best assets and developing partnerships to get things done. This is how you can ensure that your community will thrive even in these uncertain times.

Click here for the entire article.

Click here to my previous post of other PPS Ideas.

Full disclosure: I haven't been part of the meetings but if I'm not mistaken PPS has been to Dayton to meet with Mike Ervin and the folks working on the downtown plan.