City Commission - Regular Meeting

Dayton City Commission meeting will now come to order. Good morning. Would you please rise for the invocation. Remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. This morning we're going to have the invocation given by Commissioner Shaw.

Dear Lord, bless us and protect us as we serve our fellow members of the community. Bless us with the gift of patience and humility to do good work. Amen. Amen.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Mr. Clendon, may we have the roll call?

Mayor Turner-Sloss. Commissioners Joseph.

Aye. Shaw. Aye.

Bearchild. Aye. Beckham.

Aye. May I have a motion to excuse the absence of Mayor Turner-Sloss? So moved, yeah. Second motion, Your Honor. It's been properly moved and seconded to excuse the absence of Mayor Turner-Sloss. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. May I have a motion to approve the minutes of the June 17, 2026 meeting? So moved. Seconded, Your Honor. Thank you. It's been properly moved and seconded to approve the minutes of the June 17, 2026 meeting. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Any abstentions? No. Ms. McClendon, any communications or petitions this morning?

There are none, Your Honor.

Great. Ms. McClendon, any additions, deletions, or comments to the calendar? No.

Yes, Your Honor. I would like to request the addition of a calendar item number seven regarding a contribution from the Montgomery County Office of Strategic Initiatives.

We have it up here. Thank you. Yes, sir. Mrs. Clinton, any citizens that are registered to speak on calendar items this morning?

Yes, sir. There are four citizens registered to speak on... Actually, if I could interrupt you just a moment.

I skipped a step. We have to hear from Mr. Parlett. Sorry about that, Mr. Parlett.

Oh, no worries at all.

Any additions over there?

I don't have any additions, just additional comments relative to the addition. This is a part of the contract with Miami Valley Housing Opportunities that you all approved two weeks ago. Along the way in the conversation of street outreach, Montgomery County committed to pay up to $150,000 to support personnel expenses in that program. So that's what this is, us receiving up to $150,000 for personnel costs for Montgomery County. Additionally, I'd like to comment just very quickly. Item number three with LWC, this is design services for what will be a substantial renovation at the Gateway Men's Shelter. And then my final comment is on D6 with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dayton. $250,000 development agreement, and I know you are all aware that this is a $25 million project. So leveraged investment for sure, but representative of our commitment to the Boys and Girls Club.

So that's all I had, Your Honor. Thank you, Mr. Parlett. Excellent news all the way around here this morning. Okay, now Ms. Clinton. Thank you.

There are four citizens registered to speak. I would like to state there is a three minute time limit. As you address the commission, we ask that you state your name and address for the record. At that time, I will turn on the green light. When the green light comes on, you will have three minutes to speak. After you have spoken two and a half minutes, a yellow light will come on and you will have 30 seconds remaining to speak. When the red light comes on, you will be asked to cease your comments and to take your seat. To the audience in attendance, please be mindful this is a business meeting and we kindly request that during this portion of the meeting, you refrain from any hand clapping, finger snapping, and conversation that would prevent the City Commission from hearing the speaker's comments. I call to the podium Tlaib Petaway.

Good morning. Talit Padaway, 915 West Grand Avenue. Blade cutters marching orders. I have appreciation for blade cutters. Most times they are doing good work. My concern this morning is not the company. They do what the city contracts them to do. My concern is with the city standards because a contractor can only be as careful as the rules require. And right now, those rules aren't requiring enough. We have a process for selling property. The city labels a nuisance listed in the newspaper for months with a date, time, location set for auction. The public is notified. So when there is a demolition, a matter of life and death, why is there no requirement to notify the public at all? We notify people before we sell a building. We do not notify them before we tear one down. And in a rush to do so, who is checking whether someone is inside? The reality is the unhoused sometimes take shelter in vacant properties. I was young once. EXPLORING EMPTY HOUSES, NOT KNOWING IT WAS ILLEGAL. DIGITAL NOTICE WORKS FOR SOME, BUT NOT ALL. THIS COMMISSION NEEDS TO REQUIRE PHYSICAL SIGNAGE, DATE, TIME AND LOCATION, AND AN ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC LISTING OF THESE PROPERTIES. THIS IS A PUBLIC SAFETY, NOT CONVENIENCE. I have stake in this. I buy nuisance properties and bring them up to code. I was told that as long as there is consistent work, the properties won't be torn down. But consistent work is an opinion, not a standard. Another citizen watched in terror as she lost her family legacy. She told the crew she was bringing the home up to code, but it came down anyway. I live in fear that the homes I bought to improve this neighborhood will come down anyway. So how are we deciding whose property matters? If we call this a public health, safety, and welfare, we are saying it disingenuously. It will cost this city the moment someone with financial resources takes it to court. We financed these demolitions, and we financed the failure to do them fairly. I already know the answers to every question I asked this morning. I'm asking them so you understand the optics. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I call to the podium Ebony Hastings.

Good morning, Ebony Hastings, 1238 Wabash Avenue. I am here today because the people of Dayton deserve more than a routine approval of decisions that do not reflect the best interest of the constituents who put this body in office. If the city manager is going to be allowed to retire, that retirement cannot become a way to avoid accountability. Retirement should not erase the public's right to ask hard questions about the decisions that were made, the communities that were overlooked, and the recommendations that were repeatedly advanced without meaningful public scrutiny. Too often, the commission appears willing to unanimously pass the city manager's recommendations, even when residents have raised concerns, asked for transparency, and pointed out how those decisions may harm neighborhoods. Small businesses and families already carrying the heaviest burden. Your responsibility is not to protect, the comfort of appointment, leadership. Your responsibility is to protect the public trust. So today I'm asking for a change in practice. First, require a written public explanation for city manager's recommendations before any vote. including who benefits, who is burdened, what alternatives were considered, and what community input was received. Second, stop placing major items on consent agendas or rushing them through without full discussion. Third, require each commissioner to publicly explain the reason for his or her vote. When approving significant contracts, development deals, policy changes, and disciplinary matters. Fourth, establish regular public oversight sessions so residents can review implementation, spending, and outcomes instead of hearing promises after the fact. And finally, if it is true that retirement is happening. Commission an independent public review of unresolved concerns so the public record is complete. Make your constituents whole. This is how you gain trust. The people of Dayton are paying attention. We are asking you to do more than vote. Yes, together. We are asking you to lead, to question, to investigate, and to remember that your duty is to the residents of the city. Accountability must not retire with any official. It must begin here with you. This is how you earn the trust of your constituents. Thank you.

I call to the podium Rodney Stark.

All right, good morning. Good morning. Rodney Stark, 4526 Alfred Drive, Dayton, Ohio, 45417. Come to you to talk about these contracts with blade cutters. I can see that the neighborhood planning and development is going on everywhere except for my neighborhood. I'm on borderline of Jefferson Township and Trotwood. This is getting borderline ridiculous listening to the city manager talk about what blight is. Let's talk about 34 North Main Street. That's been declared blight. Understanding that things were falling off the ceiling and falling from the roof and we needed to fix something. But I'm still a little confused as to who owns that building. During the June 4th meeting, she stated that the land bank owns or controls the building. That's the word she used, control the building. But in the RFP that went out, it says that the city owns 34 Main Street. It also said that on June 6th, the city commission approved $1.5 million to fix that. And then she came back September 10th for another $1.4 million. $3 million. And in the RFP, it says that another $2 million was for asbestos abatement. We're talking about $5 million here for Main Street. And she talked about the aesthetics and what the building's going to look like. I can show you poor aesthetics in my neighborhood when I leave from downtown. I can show you asbestos sitting right there on 3rd Street, a fire pile. That's still sitting there. Those are hazards. Children play in those areas. The wind blow. That's cancer-causing materials out there just still sitting there. The same thing that happened over there at Cornell. Where is the emergency resolution for that? We are sick of the disinvestment from the city. And there's got to be a change, all right? And guess what? I'm not going to continue to put everything on the city manager. I'm putting it on you all because you all are voting for it. Thank you. Thank you.

I call to the podium Paul Kerrigan.

Good morning. Good morning. Paul Kerrigan, 1525 Pershing Boulevard. I think there's been a misunderstanding. I wanted to address the city manager's recommendations coming up later. But since I'm here, I'll ask the question I'm going to have. What is, I'm forgetting the name of it, acts as your petty cash account. $18 million to be approved of, about $12.5 million every year. This is for a year and a half. Does it really, my question is, is it really a petty cash fund? Is this, you're asking to fund this? Or is this money we're giving to the bank to manage this? I'm trying to understand how that account works. It's item number, shoot. Fifth Third Bank. Service cream is number two. That's what I was talking about. So if you guys can address that at some point. Because he hasn't even presented it yet. I'm out of order. Thank you.

Thank you. Appreciate that.

I call to the podium Kenya Akbar.

Kenya Akbar, 147 East Hillcrest, Dayton, Ohio, 45405. I just wanted to bring to your attention the redlining issue that I've talked about a number of times when I've come before you. There is something called a community-based agreement. So when these extractive capitalists come into our community via the city manager's office, we do have an opportunity to ask for a community-based agreement. which will allow us to make up for some of this disinvestment. We can use that money to help rehab houses, to even give some forgivable business loans for people in West Dayton to start new businesses. So that's a great way for us to support the community that's been disenfranchised. And so we need to consider that when these extractive capitalists are coming in. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

That concludes speakers on calendar items.

Thank you. Appreciate that, Ms. McClendon. Commissioners, any comments on the city manager's recommendations? Commissioner Beckham.

Thank you, Your Honor. I'll be very brief. I'm very happy to see this investment in the new Dayton Boys and Girls Club. Much needed youth services for West Dayton, so looking forward to that. Also, I know Gateway Shelter, that's been a long time coming, so definitely eager to see those upgrades happen over there. Thank you for the citizen and resident comments that were made, particularly around demolition. I think those are intriguing recommendations that we'll have to look into. So those are my comments. Thank you. Commissioner? Commissioner.

Yeah. Mr. Bartlett, could you explain that $18 million, if my understanding is... Many employees are authorized to have these P-cards to do regular purchases that are within the budget, and the $18 million is simply the finance department's ability to pay the credit card expenses that are charged in the routine business.

Actually, Commissioner and Deputy City Manager Loftin can certainly chime in if necessary, but I believe these... contracts are relative to us receiving payments and fees that the banks charge for those transactions. It has nothing to do with P-cards.

I think there's two items on here, aren't there? There's one around the...

There's two and four.

Oh, you're right. The first one's PCAR. You're right. You're correct. I'm sorry. I was focused on the other one. But yes, it's not necessarily... discretionary to a large degree. Could you repeat your question?

No, I was just trying to help Mr. Kerrigan understand the process. These are not discretionary charges. These are actually budgeted items. Correct. Yes, everything is budgeted. I don't know what the limit is, but on each P-card there's a limit. That's correct. Employees have the authorization to make purchases. Well, you know the rec department. The rec needs something in an emergency.

Internally, it is very heavily regulated, audited, and managed. Yes.

Yeah, but it's simply, this is giving the authority for us to pay for those charges that are accrued through the routine business of the organization. All right, thank you. Mr. Parley, I had a question around the Indianola property. And I'm fearful, are there any provisions in this sale that if the property isn't brought to code, or is there a timeline for when the property needs to be brought into code? And is there any parameters that it comes back to the city if the purchaser isn't able to bring that property up to code?

Your Honor, if you give me a hot second.

Yeah, it's the first legislative order. We're selling 25 Indianola for $1,000.

Right. The time of compliance has passed, so action is being taken to dispose of the property.

Right, but I'm curious if we've learned from our mistakes from lot links. We're selling a property for $1,000 that's going to need significant investment. My understanding is the city already owns it, so we're selling it to an investor And I'm curious if we've done the due diligence to know the business plan that's actually going to be able to improve that property if we have a realistic timeline with that property and if they don't meet it, whether it comes back. Because, you know, the mistake of the lot links is people who would get that, they couldn't develop it, and then we had to spend more resources to get control back of it.

No, I completely understand your question, and my inability to answer your question would suggest that maybe we pull this for a week. Okay. Because I can't answer specific questions, but I would have appreciated an advance question.

All right, thank you.

And then I just want to congratulate the mayor on working so hard to bring about this contract that's going to be adding resources to address the street outreach program for people who are homeless. saw the safety report from downtown as well as her overall vision for reimagining public safety. She saw this as a key piece of that and I think we have a great opportunity to start to put in place how we reimagine public safety and some of these opportunities to address issues upstream rather than waiting for them to get downstream. being able to help people when they need that crisis, having these trained professionals out there engaging with these citizens, getting the resources they need, hopefully preventing them getting into a place where law enforcement has to be involved is, I think, going to be a significant opportunity for us. I think the mayor also, I think the contract also allows us to get into more communities where we're seeing people who are homeless and so congratulations. Well thank you colleagues for supporting this, city manager for doing the work to get us here and Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner.

Yeah, real quick. I really just wanted to thank my colleagues for agreeing to support this Boys and Girls Club investment. It is a leverage investment, significant leverage there. And I think it's going to do great things for our young people.

Commissioner, you didn't mention your role in this, which has been huge, huge. So thank you very much for your dedication to the community for the Boys and Girls Club. Thanks. I just have one additional. You mentioned it, but I want to foot stomp that we're starting up, well, continuing renovation of the Men's Gateway Shelter, which everyone knows it's a crisis in this country right now. I'm really proud of us. Thank you, staff, and thank you, colleagues, for moving resources where they need to be to help serve that population. There's a great need there, and I'm glad we're rising to meet it here.

Your Honor, if I may, before we move forward, I was informed that we have staff present that can answer questions relative to Indianola. Before we pull it, Ms. Veronica Morris, I'd ask from Economic Development to come forward and answer the questions that I could not.

Thank you, Mr. Parlette. That's great. Thank you.

Good morning, commissioners. Good morning. Vice mayor, city managers, staff. Yes, to answer your question, our division, Division of Economic Development, goes through a vetting process for anyone looking to purchase property through the city. So we ask for a business plan. We ask for a scope of work. If possible, we ask for design. And then we enter into a development agreement on the back end to ensure that those things are actually occurring and we have revisionary language in those agreements.

Okay. Great. Yeah, thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Morris.

Commissioner, are you okay to move? Yeah. Okay.

All right.

Well, thank you, Commissioners. May I have a motion to approve the City Manager's recommendations?

I move to approve the City Manager's recommendations.

Second the motion, Your Honor. Thank you. It's been properly moved and seconded to approve City Manager's recommendations. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Any abstentions? Thank you. Colleagues, we have board appointments this morning, for which I'm going to abstain.

Do we do legislation before board appointments? Not on this calendar. All right. I move to reappoint Cheryl Garrett, Katie Joseph, and Kenya Meyer to the Board of Tax Review for a term ending June 30th, 2028.

And I second that. So we properly moved and seconded to reappoint Cheryl Garrett, Katie Joseph, and Kenya Meyer to the Board of Tax Review for a term ending June 30th, 2028. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. And I abstain. My sister-in-law. Legislation, Ms. McClendon.

First reading ordinance number 32195-26, authorizing the sale of certain real estate located at 25 Indianola Avenue for economic development purposes. First reading ordinance number 32196-26, authorizing the sale of certain real estate located at the corner of Main Street and Helena Street for economic development purposes. SECOND READING ORDINANCE NUMBER 32194-26, REPEALING, AMENDING, AND ENACTING VARIOUS SECTIONS OF THE REVISED CODE OF GENERAL ORDINANCES RELATING TO THE ZONING CODE. COMMISSIONERS JOSEPH?

AYE.

SHAW?

AYE.

BEARCHILD?

AYE. BECKHAM?

AYE. ORDINANCE NUMBER 32194-26 HAS PASSED WITH FOUR VOTES IN FAVOR. Second reading resolution number 6939-26, approving the submission of a grant application for the fiscal year 2026 United States Department of Transportation Small Community Air Service Development Program, authorizing the acceptance of a grant in an amount of $1 million and zero cents on behalf of the City of Dayton. Commissioners Joseph?

Aye.

Shaw?

Aye.

Fairchild? Aye. Beckham?

Aye.

Resolution number 6939-26 has been adopted with four votes in favor. Second reading resolution number 6940-26, declaring the intention to appropriate real property interests in parcels 8T, 9SH and T, 12T, 15T, 22T, 30T, 33T, 36SH and T, 38T, 43T, 46T, 47T, 48T, 51T, 54T, and 57T in connection with the Smithville Road Reconstruction Project. Commissioners Joseph? Aye. Shaw? Aye. Fairchild?

Aye.

Beckham?

Aye.

Resolution number 6940-26 has been adopted with four votes in favor. SECOND READING RESOLUTION NUMBER 6941-26, DECLARING THE INTENTION TO APPROPRIATE REAL PROPERTY INTEREST IN PARCELS 130T, 156T, 166SHNT, 168SHNT, 169T, 171T, 172SH&T, 175T, 177T, 178SH&T, 179SH&T, 180T, 181SH&T, 182SH&T, 183SH&T, 195T, 196T, 197SH&T, 198 SH&T and 199 SH&T in connection with the Salem Avenue Reconstruction Phase 5 project. Commissioners Joseph? Aye. Shaw? Aye. Fairchild? Aye. Beckham?

Aye.

Resolution number 6941-26 has been adopted with four votes in favor, and that concludes legislation, Your Honor.

Thank you, Ms. McClendon. Are there any citizens registered to speak today?

Your Honor, there are nine citizens registered to speak. I would like to state there is a three-minute time limit. As you address the commission, we ask that you state your name and address for the record. At that time, I will turn on the green light. When the green light comes on, you will have three minutes to speak. After you have spoken two and a half minutes, a yellow light will come on, and you will have 30 seconds remaining to speak. When the red light comes on, you will be asked to cease your comments and to take your seat. To the audience in attendance, please be mindful this is a business meeting, and we kindly request that during this portion of the meeting, you refrain from any hand clapping, finger snapping, and conversation that would prevent the city commission from hearing the speaker's comments. I call to the podium Ebony Hastings.

Ebony Hastings, 1238 Wabash Avenue. I am here to ask the Commission to do one thing in the 2026-27 budget. Shift real money. About $10 million a year into the West and Northwest Dayton neighborhoods that have been disinvested in for three generations. We can't wait until August to begin the necessary requests. We must be proactive rather than reactive and consider all things contributing to the public safety issues. The disinvestment is a public safety issue, and here is why. Last year, four out of five shootings with the injuries in this city happened in northwest Dayton. Those are the same census tracts that were redlined in the 1930s. The same blocks that lost their grocery stores, the same neighborhoods that lost 15,000 jobs when NCR left. The geography of the disinvestment and the geography of the violence are the same map. And right now, this city depends on about, this city spends about $7 on policing for every $1 on neighborhood revitalization and youth programming combined. I am not asking you to cut a single officer. I am not asking you to rebalance the growth in the budget. and the discretionary dollars that already exist towards prevention. Here's what $10 million a year would do. First, scale the Cure Violence program from one pilot site to four or five sites across west, northwest, and east Dayton. The research is clear. Every dollar invested in community violence intervention saves up to $41 in medical and criminal costs. criminal justice costs. Second, double summer youth jobs and extend recreation hours during the 4 to 10 p.m. window when the youth violence peaks. Third, keep demolishing the worst grade 5 properties, but give Dayton residents first right of purchase on grade 3 and grade 4 homes. They will rehab and live in, $1 acquisition price, a forgivable rehab loan, a rehab concierge to... Walk them through the paperwork. Build resident wealth, not investor portfolios. Fourth, bring manufacturers and grocery stores back to West Dayton, but do it the right way. No more 100% 15-year tax abatements with no strings attached. Dayton public schools already lose one... .2 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR TO TIF DEALS. EVERY FUTURE INCENTIVE MUST COME WITH A BINDING COMMUNITY BENEFIT AGREEMENT WITH REAL CLAW BACK. IF THE COMPANY LEAVES IN LOCAL HIRING REQUIREMENTS, WE HAVE BEEN BURNED TOO MANY TIMES. COMMISSIONERS, YOU CAN SPEND THE NEXT DECADE managing the consequences of disinvestment through the criminal justice system, or you can spend a fraction of that addressing the cause. The evidence says the second path is cheaper. The lives say it's right. Thank you.

Thank you.

I call to the podium Talib Petaway.

Talib Petaway, 915 West Grand Avenue. Good morning. The same way data centers became an issue that needed nipping in the bud, we need to be proactive in reinforcing zoning so residents are enabled to decide to live more densely, guiding them towards ownership with local policy that state can model. We need to look at easing the process for turning properties into co-ops and condominiums. We are a nation that prides itself on the idea that ownership matters, but continuously takes that ability away, employing private businesses to make affordable housing that the tenant would never own. In my estimation, we are enabling social programs for businesses, not the people. And what is the plan when the 10-year clock runs out, when the building is no longer required to serve only the people who need affordable housing? As costs keep rising, these discussions stop being about housing by affordability and become about deciding where we put our poor, which is never where there is abundance. We have setbacks, but we are not on the coast. We have an abundance of vacant land and boarded up houses. So I see no reason to relegate low income folks to congestion. You want to do this community a favor, figure out how to account for the working poor. Those making 80 to 100,000 a year still living paycheck to paycheck. We need a city integrated by income, not segregated by it. So finally, to this board, I ask, how many vacant lots do we have zoned for large residentials? And how many of those does the city already own? Thank you. Thank you.

I call to the podium Carmela Ikpat.

Good morning.

Good morning, your honors, commissioners, and staff. My name is Carmela Vanessa Ekpott. I reside at 150 North Woodward Avenue, Dayton, Ohio. I was here last Wednesday. I mentioned that I'm a member of the Heavenly Parents, this holy community. Heavenly Parents, which means God. And we believe that God is... a male being and a female being, Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. I just wanted to also share with you that my purpose in life is to live for God, is to live for Jesus, my only begotten, the only begotten Son of God, Christ. And from 1974, I lived as a missionary until now. And I want to, in my life, I don't know how much longer I can live. I'm 71 now. But I want to really live my life to serve God and to serve Christ and to serve mankind. I just want to mention that. So while I'm hearing... I'm at Dayton until I return to Nigeria, which is where my husband is. But I just wanted to share a little bit about our beliefs and our movement at this time. From the beginning, our Creator, that means God, Heavenly Parent, has had a dream. That dream is to live together in oneness with all humanity as sons and daughters through the perfected True Parents. and the kingdom of heaven on earth and the eternal world. And the original parents, were Adam and Eve, but unfortunately they fell into sin. So God has been working throughout human history to bring about his true parents of goodness. To realize that dream, there must be perfected true parents. The creator made all things in heaven and on earth in the divine image, and lastly created the man and woman who were to become our first ancestors. The creator gives human beings a period of true of growth and waits for them to grow and attain perfection through their own conscious effort. However, because our first ancestors fell away from Heavenly Parent before attaining perfection, the dream could not be realized. as a being whose beginning and end are the same, Alpha and Omega. After starting something, Heavenly Parent must see it through completion. Heavenly Parent cannot abandon everything that went wrong due to the fall. and create something new to replace it. Instead, in keeping with the principles of creation, in order to bring about the birth of the only begotten son and only begotten daughter, who would restore the world from its fallen state, Heavenly Parent had to carry out the providence of salvation after selecting the people of Israel as the chosen people. Heavenly parent has to guide the work to indemnify what had gone wrong, beginning from the individual level.

Thank you.

I'm very grateful. Thank you for your attention. God bless you and have a good day.

Thank you and thank you for your service.

I call to the podium Cody Rowden.

Hi, Cody Rowden, 6701 Taywood Road, Englewood, Ohio, 45322. Good morning, commissioners, city managers, and clerk. My name is Cody Rowden once again, and I am here today on behalf of the Dayton Black Rodeo to express our sincere gratitude to the city of Dayton and the entire Dayton community for the incredible support shown to our inaugural event. The Dayton Black Rodeo was more than a single day of entertainment. It was an opportunity to showcase Dayton on a larger stage, bring people together, and highlight the talent, businesses, and community spirit that exists throughout our region. More than 4,000 people attended the rodeo, including visitors from communities across Ohio and from other states. And a special thank you to our Mayor and Commissioner Beckham for attending. And if I missed anyone else who attended, my apologies. The response though was incredible and we were proud to see Dayton represented in such a positive way. The media coverage surrounding the event helped tell a different story about our city, one centered on culture, entrepreneurship, community and opportunity. The impact of the rodeo extended far beyond the gates. More than 60 vendors participated, creating opportunities for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and organizations to connect with thousands of attendees. The event created an economic ripple effect across multiple industries, including local trucking companies, farming community, vendors, retailers, hospitality businesses, entertainment professionals, and countless small businesses. More than 150 dump truck loads of dirt were supplied for the rodeo pit, coordinated through the hard work of Griffin Farms. We want to specifically thank them for helping make that part of the event possible. We also want to recognize our media partners, CBK Media and Hard Work on 3, two outstanding local small businesses whose work helped capture the spirit of the day, from engaging with guests on the ground to showcasing smiling faces and unforgettable moments on the Welcome Stadium video board. They helped create memories that will last a lifetime. We do want to recognize the partnership with the Dayton Police Department. A special thank you to Ron Miller and Chad Nedler for working with us on safety planning. Thousands of people attended the event and there were no incidents at the rodeo. Beyond that, the interactions between officers and attendees were positive and showed the value of building trust and relationships within our community. The success of this first year has motivated us to continue growing. We are already preparing for next year's rodeo and looking for ways to expand our impact throughout the Dayton City year-round. So we just want to thank you. Thank you to the city of Dayton, our residents, our businesses, our partners, our volunteers, and everyone who welcomed the Dayton Black Rodeo. This event showed what happens when a community comes together. Dayton shines. Thank you.

Thank you.

I call to the podium Rodney Stark.

Rodney Stark, 4526 Alfred Drive, Dayton, Ohio. After Miss Cody, I think I'll calm it down because it just took me back to that rodeo. I had a great time, I'm telling you, it was great. I want to say, I want to give a special thanks to all the commissioners who met with me. I know it took a little while for me to meet with you, Commissioner Fairchild, Commissioner Shaw, Joseph, and Commissioner Beckham. I appreciate it. And I also met with the mayor's policy aide, Mr. Jacob. Thank you all. I really appreciate the conversation that we had. I learned a whole lot. from each and every one of you. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to hold you all accountable also. And I also found that in order to move some legislation through, you need three votes, right? And it starts with Ms. Jackson. She is the chief of staff, the linchpin between the commission and the city manager. You heard the citizens today. They're not just here wasting their time. I'm not here wasting my time just to come down here just to speak. I don't care nothing about publicly speaking in front of people, but I'll come out when I have to come out. And the things that I'm hearing from the citizens today is disinvestment. You all have said that we have been disinvested for decades. Right? We have been redlined for decades, especially on the west side of Dayton. Where is the emergency order? Where is the money that's going into our community? You can draw a line directly from the disinvestment to the deaths, the murders that's happening right here in this city. You all are responsible for that because you're not investing. Some people say, no, you're not. It's personal responsibility. Yes, it's personal responsibility, but also a city responsibility because you're not bringing the dollars to invest in our areas also. I have a personal, I've been affected personally by a death, right? I am a mentor in a veterans treatment court. I mentor veterans who come back who's going through different issues. I help them get the services they need, whether it's therapy, housing, whatever the case may be. One of my veterans was killed out here on Niagara. That's why I'm wearing this ribbon. Why should a veteran come back home from combat and walk around and can't find decent housing in the city of Dayton? Why? I knew when he took that housing over there, I said it was not a good area. All areas in the city of Dayton should be a good area to live. And it should be a safe area, especially for our veterans. I'll talk to you more about that soon. Thank you. Thank you.

I call to the podium Kimaru Watenza.

Good morning, everybody. My name is Kimaru Watenza. I live at 1200 West Grand Avenue in Dayton, Ohio. May 2 to May 4, 1945, the all-black 761st Tank Battalion liberated thousands of Jews from the concentration camp in Austria. In 2026, Israel, with the assistance of the US government, is committing genocide to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. We must divest in Israel and stand against genocide. The same forces who are assisting the genocide of the Palestinians and are currently gerrymandering black people in this country so that our votes do not count in several states. These fascist forces will soon come to Dayton to kidnap Dayton residents to put in their for-profit concentration camps. So my question to the police department is, what is your plan to protect Dayton residents from these illegal searches and seizures? The question is not rhetorical. I would like an answer because I have not heard a plan and these people are coming. They have come from for citizens and residents of other cities. They will soon come for the Haitian community in Springfield and they will certainly come for citizens in Dayton. What is your plan to protect us? Thank you.

I call to the podium Kenia Akbar. David Esrati.

David Esrati, 113 Bonner Street. What? Morning, Matt. Why do we have kids running the streets with nothing to do? Maybe it's because our incompetent city manager and her team can't keep a single pool open seven days a week like any other community. She closes at 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Never open on Sunday because she thinks it's a Chick-fil-A she's running. We have a water park. It's been closed since COVID. We've never been told the real reason it closed. Was it bad pipes? The line about lifeguards is bum, okay? You have no shortage of lifeguards. We have four to five lifeguards working at a single pool. at any one time. That means we have one lifeguard in the chair and two to four others sitting in the back reading, eating, watching videos, playing on their phones. They can't keep the locker room showers clean. That's their job. Their one job other than sitting in that chair. They can't keep the drains clean. they are being paid $15 an hour, which is more than lifeguards anywhere else, and we're paying a $3 extra per hour to some undisclosed staffing firm that has no contract, according to city employees, $3 an hour more to them. Because somehow you don't seem to think that lifeguarding is a real job, like trash collecting is, and you don't want to have city employees. So somebody at that staffing firm is giving a kickback to somebody in this building, and you need to look into it. Because there is no excuse for the demeaning nature of a temporary staffing firm to an essential job to keep vital city services open. Because you sure aren't getting your money's worth right now. We can't even station one of those lifeguards to make sure people shower before entering the pool, which is more like a public bath these days. Little old biddies getting in with their lotions and their perfumes on. First time they get wet is when they go in the pool. That is not how you run a pool. And that's why the water visibility is horrible. The no shower enforcement is a big part of it. The rest is general competence by your swim staff. I must congratulate you on one thing. After years of complaints, we now have doors on the toilets in the men's locker room at Princeton to match Lorai. Congrats, one small bit of racism gone. But before you say your staff, so many lifeguards because of the risk of another child drowning in the pool and you have to pay a million dollars, you still let dead residents get shipped to the Montgomery County Jail where they torture and kill your constituents. You also have lots of money for 34 North Main Street that has no public use. Let's be clear. We've known for months that they were going to close Lorai, and yet the GDC is not open.

Thank you.

Fire Ms. Sixteen and her, quote, recreation staff. And congratulations on filling in for her.

I call to the podium Paul Kerrigan.

Good morning once again. Paul Kerrigan, 1525 Pershing Boulevard. And every time I come here, I feel ridiculous in what I'm here to complain about compared to all the other issues these people have in this great city. But I'm here to talk about two things. One is the continuing speeders on my street, Pershing Boulevard, the Hill section, it's not going to stand. I'm not here to talk about petitions. Nobody's going to want to talk about a petition on that street. We've had it up to here with petitions with all the renters that live there. That's the second issue I want to talk about, the rental properties on that street and around Belmont and around Dayton, for that matter. There's one in particular, trying to decide whether I want to say the address or not. I think I'll reserve that for later. That is a blight. Hasn't been mowed. Hasn't been mowed in years, as a matter of fact. People that live there just recently moved in back in February. They haven't bothered to attend it. Well, it sat vacant since last summer. I mowed it at the end of last year. I'm not doing it anymore. The backyard is taken out of control. I don't know what to do about it other than to call the usual numbers to complain. The owners are taking this money. I know the rent. Two doors down from them. It's $1,340 a month, the rent. So they're paying probably somewhere close to that. And they have two teenage boys that live there. They can't manage to mow their lawn, clean up their gardens, have weeds up to here in them. Again, my complaints are petty to the ones that I've heard here today, but they're my complaints. So my question is, what do I do about this? Because when you get to the top of the hill on the east side, that's a whole row, seven straight houses of rentals just past Marymount. So it's coming, it's taking over our neighborhoods, and it's bringing them down. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Mr. Kerrigan. Luckily, we have Mr. Ritchie here who can listen to whatever might be. He's right back there. You can talk to him afterward if you would. We'll figure out what we can do. Yes, sir.

That concludes speakers, Your Honor.

Thank you, Mr. McClendon. Mr. Parlette, any closing comments? I have none, Your Honor. Mr. Parlette, Ms. McClendon, any closing comments?

I have none, Your Honor.

Commissioners, any closing comments from you? Mr. Beckham.

Thank you, Your Honor. Just a few. Of course, I want to thank all the residents who came out this morning and shared their concerns and comments to us as a commission. I also want to... comment on the, I mean, we have all, I think, asked for updates on the GDRC pool and we'll be, of course, monitoring the progress of reopening that pool as soon as we can. So it is something I continue to hear about and I've, of course, engaged staff to see where we are and we'll continue to do so until We were able to successfully reopen that pool. So thank you for raising that again. To Commissioner Joseph's point, unmowed grass is an inspection concern. So glad Mr. Ritchie's here to help you address that concern, Mr. Kerrigan. Also, to the Dayton Black Rodeo, Ms. Cody, just want to congratulate her and the team on that event. I was able to spend about an hour or so with them Saturday. Truly a very positive and exciting event for the city. I thought it very much brought. some good energy this past weekend and I just want to thank them for their leadership to bringing that event to Dayton and look forward to them making it annual. I know she left, but Ms. Cody, if you see this, congratulations. I want to thank the recreation department. I was able to also go out to Westwood for the Dayton recreation event in the neighborhood this past Saturday. I saw a lot of young people and families out there I think there's about two more of those this summer. So thank you to the Recreation Department. And lastly, I just want to thank Bishop Joel Loftin. He hosted a panel discussion also Saturday morning of African-American males at his church, Abundant Christ-Centered Ministries. I was able to emcee that panel, and it was really, I think, empowering and inspiring. insightful. A lot of diverse careers up there during that discussion. I just want to thank all of the events that were organized this past week and I hope everyone enjoyed Juneteenth. Again, thank you for all of the organizers and I appreciate everyone for attending. Thank you. Those are all my comments.

Thank you, Commissioner.

Yeah, Mr. Parlout, I had a question. I'm used on the last commission meeting of the month getting a demolition report. I'm missing Mr. Gondel this morning. I believe he's out of town. Okay, great. He'll be next week, all right. And I say that particularly for Mr. Stark, who was asking around the demolition. And one of the things about that report, as you can see, where all the demolition has taken place across the city. And you'll see that it's spread out quite significantly across the city. But I appreciate your points and wanted to make you aware of that. We also have the housing condition report that's going to be made this month. Do I have that correct? It's coming up, so you want to watch for that too, which will help us think about our priorities and how we continue to work to not only remove blight, but improve neighborhoods. And Ms. Hastings, I wanted to thank you for coming and starting to talk about budget priorities. I think that's one of the... most elected public conversations that we have. We make public hearings available for the budget and oftentimes very few citizens come and speak. So hopefully your initiative will help a more robust conversation around the budget as we enter into that season. Well, I was going to greet Reverend Forbus, who was here, but it appears that he stepped out. It's good to see my classmate. A lot of events echo Commissioner Beckham's comments about all the organizers around Juneteenth. The Wine Laggers had their first of four beautification days, and from what I can tell, it was very successful. They have opportunities coming up on June 27th, July 11th, and July 18th, if you want to join them in making our city more attractive, improving the conditions of our neighborhoods. Opportunities coming up, the Dayton Metro Library is holding a ribbon cutting this afternoon for the dedication of the Center for Community Impact and Innovation. This will be at the main library, and it's from 4.30 to 5.30. This new hub will connect residents, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and community organizations with resources and partnerships that support economic growth, workforce development, wellness, and long-term community impact. So I invite people to come out for that. Congratulations to the group from the Neighborhood Leadership Institute who hosted the watch party over at Yellow Cab. The place was packed. The men's team won. It was an exciting time. I got to sit at a table with the man who came the furthest. There was a pilot for FedEx who lives in Utah, was here overnight, looked up, where can I watch the game, and found the yellow cap. And it was a great time for community. The men's teams play again tomorrow night at 10 PM. And I know we can watch at least the first half together at Fifth Street Brew Pub if people want to come out for that. And then finally, you know of big reads, I'm having a mini-read. I'm looking for a book to read in July and invite you to join me. It'll be around American ideals, around the 250th anniversary, democracy, what patriotism means. I have one recommendation, I'm looking for more, so... Please send them my way, and next week I'll tell you the book I'm reading in July. And if you want, you can join me. It may be a mini-read of one, but hopefully a few will join me.

Thank you, Commissioner. Mr. Shaw. I also want to thank the residents that came out to speak today. Appreciate you being here. The Mine Valley Urban League is hosting a series of college tours this summer, giving students the opportunity to explore five local college campuses. Participants will visit Antioch, Sinclair, University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton, and Central State University. The tour is open to students in Montgomery County and surrounding areas, but registration closes on June 30th. Interested students should sign up as soon as possible on Miami Valley Urban League's web page or call 937-226-1513. And then finally, I see Mike Campbell is in the audience today. I understand that you are retiring, and I just want to thank you. I know that we all would like to thank you for your service to our community and wish you much success and fun in your retirement. All right? Thank you very much.

You should mention 40 years of service. 40 years. 40 years. Hard to believe, isn't it? Thank you very much. I echo my colleagues' comments. Also, thank you to everyone who's come out. It's good to hear what folks are thinking. We have some action items to take here, obviously. We need to work. And I just have two other items to mention. First is that Saturday is going to be another East Neighborhood Recycle event. They're accepting things like styrofoam, which is not often accepted. Styrofoam batteries, tires, electronics, small appliances, cardboard, some other materials. It's going to be at Highland Park from 9 to 11.30 on Saturday. It's a great event. Frankly, it's kind of a nice social event, too, because a lot of folks from these neighborhoods are there. But bring whatever recyclables you have and stay and chat a little bit. Also this Saturday, we have Welcome to Dayton World Refugee Day. We're celebrating with the rest of the world. We have it at the main Dayton Metro Library downtown from 11 to 2. There's food, there's performances, opportunities to connect with services and other folks that work with refugees. Attendees are encouraged to bring personal hygiene donations for Catholic Social Services Refugee Services Program. Hope to see you there. That's this Saturday at the main library from 11 to 2. Well, with no further business to come before the Commission, this meeting is adjourned.