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Mayor asks community to get involved in rebirthing Dayton

Leitzell tells NAACP taking charge of neighborhoods, having pride in city are keys to renewal.

Mayoral candidate Gary Leitzell speaks at the podium during the Dayton Mayoral Debate on October 14, 2009 at the Cox Publishing Media Center.

Jim Witmer/Staff photographer Mayoral candidate Gary Leitzell speaks at the podium during the Dayton Mayoral Debate on October 14, 2009 at the Cox Publishing Media Center.

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By Steve Bennish, Staff Writer Updated 11:53 PM Tuesday, January 26, 2010

DAYTON — Newly- elected Mayor Gary Leitzell, not quite a month into the job, called for a new era of volunteerism and community activism to help rebirth a city wounded by recession and beset by neglect.

Leitzell, pledging to become a lifetime member of the NAACP during a meeting Monday night, Jan. 25, met with 30 or so members of the Dayton Unit and garnered a warm reception from them at Westwood Elementary School.

He said that once the city gets a coming injection of Neighborhood Stabilization Funds, money from the deficit-burdened federal government will tighten considerably.

The cities of Dayton, Kettering and Fairborn along with Montgomery County and the Dayton Metropolitan Housing Authority earlier this month were awarded $29.4 million in new federal Recovery Act funds — the second highest award in Ohio — to help rebuild neighborhoods devastated by the economic crisis.

The city shouldn’t count on large amounts of additional aid. Besides, Leitzell said, “if you want smaller government, you need to participate. That message needs to resonate across the country.”

Leitzell, who said he is independent of the two major political parties, also shared some personal background, ideas and experience in the job so far.

He also pledged to include representatives of the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in his economic development discussions.

“We have to be more focused on our environment, becoming less dependent on oil, protecting our natural resources. The old way of doing things is over and it’s time to change. These are things I’ve been saying,” he said.

Leitzell also told the residents:

• To take charge of their neighborhoods — starting with having pride in the city: “To turn our neighborhoods around, we have to be proud of where we live. The city of Dayton is us.”

• That no pot of gold will be dropped from above: “We have to realize that we are on our own. We have to be innovative and creative to get ourselves out of this situation. We have to develop a sense of community again.”

• The city’s west side is ripe for development, especially with tens of thousands of veterans returning at some point to the community and with a need to be near the VA Medical Center.

• The chorus of Dayton doom sayers is wrong, the city has many reasons to be proud: “It isn’t as bad as people think it ought to be.”

‘I was in a gang of sorts,’ mayor says

Leitzell said he comprehends some of the problems affecting wayward, gang-tempted, youth, as he himself is the product of a broken family.

Born in Pennsylvania, he was raised in Great Britain by his British mother, he said. There as a youngster, he rode a Vespa scooter and could have been counted as a member of the stylish British youth movement dubbed the “Mods.”

“I guess I was in a gang of sorts,” he said, although not of a criminal variety.

Leitzell floats ideas to bolster Dayton

In terms of ideas to bolster Dayton as a destination, he suggested putting a stage on Courthouse Square for bands to play for free.

Perhaps bus trips into downtown could be provided at no cost. He said he’d discuss that with the Regional Transit Authority. Business development will follow increased downtown people traffic, he said.

He also said that stronger neighborhood groups should liaison with those in weaker parts of the city to share ideas and tactics.

He urged participation in Big Brother/Big Sister programs to steer youngsters into more productive lives.

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