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Election 2009 Tuesday, Nov. 3

Dayton candidates present strategies, solutions for unemployment

David Esrati City commission candidate

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Ty Greenlees/Staff Photographer Joey Williams City commission candidate

Nan Whaley City commission candidate

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Dayton unemployment figures for 2001-2009

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By Joanne Huist Smith, Staff Writer Updated 3:04 PM Sunday, October 11, 2009

DAYTON — In August, there were 9,000 unemployed workers living in the city of Dayton, 800 more than the seating capacity of Fifth Third Field.

The unemployment rate hovered at 12.9 percent that month, according to Ohio Department of Job and Family Services data. The state average was 10.5 percent.

There can be no question, Dayton residents need jobs.

Candidates for Dayton mayor — incumbent Rhine McLin and her opponent Southeast Priority Board Chairman Gary Leitzell — both say they have a strategy for growing jobs and economic development.

Also speaking out, three candidates for two seats on the City Commission, incumbents Joey Williams and Nan Whaley along with David Esrati, a neighborhood activist and business owner.

Dayton voters decide Nov. 3, who they think can best lead the city out of a recession.

McLin admits her second term, which began in 2006, has been tough.

• MeadWestvaco Corp., in July 2006, announced plans to relocate to Kettering taking 240 employees in its consumer and office products group along with it.

• The Delphi plant on Home Avenue closed in December 2008, affecting about 380 workers.

• NCR announced in June 2009 that it would move its headquarters from Dayton to Duluth, Ga. The move stripped 1,300 jobs from the local work force and marked the departure of Dayton’s only Fortune 500 headquarters.

Manufacturing jobs have been leaving Dayton for 30 years, McLin said. NCR’s departure marks the end of an era.

“The future of our city is in hundreds of small businesses creating thousands of jobs. It’s a great possibility that out of one of those small ventures the city’s next Fortune 500 company will grow,” McLin said.

To keep the city better in step with the business community, McLin said she has assembled the Mayor’s Economic Development Council. The group meets quarterly to share ideas and concerns.

The 14-member group includes representatives from industry, large and small businesses along with academia.

“It has opened dialogue between City Hall and business,” said KeyBank District President and member of the council Ed Reilly.

In 2008, McLin traveled to Israel as part of a regional trade mission geared at advancing economic development in both areas. A delegation from Israel, the municipality of Haifa and nearly a dozen Israeli aerospace technology companies returned the visit here in September.

During that visit, Shmuel Gants, director-general of Haifa, signed a memo of understanding to expand business, economic and research partnerships, including the opening of a Dayton region trade office in his city.

While cities don’t necessarily like being involved in economic development, it’s a priority because of the competition for jobs, McLin said. An economic development tool unveiled by the mayor in February is intended to grow jobs strategically, downtown or in specific industries.

The Dayton Economic Attraction Program, she said, offers rebates to new or existing businesses that create a net number of new jobs in the city.

McLin said she also is lobbying for a change in state law to make urban cores more attractive to businesses that traditionally want a blank landscape to build on.

“There should be higher incentives to businesses to adapt older buildings instead of new construction in a green space,” she said.

Leitzell: City needs to market itself

Leitzell said, if elected mayor, he would study the impact of the Mayor’s Economic Development Council and possibly continue that effort. He also would routinely meet with small groups of business owners.

“I can show (the city commission) how to re-connect to citizens, with small business owners,” Leitzell said.

Leitzell believes city government should operate like a business and also do a better job of marketing itself.

“I think we need people at City Hall who have marketing experience, who have a background in sales and business,” he said. “People (now) are being hired right out of college with degrees in public administration.”

Leitzell said he is tired of seeing “for lease” signs going up in downtown buildings.

“We need to make downtown Dayton a destination for people,” he said. “We need to try lots of little things that will lead us to the big thing that will work. If we create activity, it will lead us where we need to go.”

As examples, Leitzell suggested organizing concerts downtown regularly and following through with discussions on using rivers for recreation.

Leitzell said the city needs to “open the floodgates to business” and give them excuses to come here.

“You can buy a big warehouse in Dayton for $30,000, but it takes 18 months to get an occupancy permit,” he said. “Dayton needs a customer-friendly City Hall.”

People who want to do business here get frustrated by the process, then move on to Oakwood, Kettering or Centerville, he said.

Leitzell is calling for an overhaul of city ordinances relating to business and the permitting process. He believes many city requirements are outdated, adopted during a time when large corporations such as NCR and General Motors dominated the landscape.

Those companies “wanted to make it difficult” for competitors to gain a foothold here, Leitzell said.

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