Coronavirus a year later: Pete Landrum, ‘It came fast and furious.’

A year ago today marked the moment that COVID-19 went from a emerging threat on a somewhat distant horizon to a grim reality that would kill more than 500,000 Americans in its first year and alter the lives of millions.

The Dayton Daily News checked in with 12 area business and community leaders and let them tell us what they learned about their lives, businesses and policy making during the pandemic.

Pete Landrum, Beavercreek City Manager

Beavercreek City Manager Pete Landrum said he has worked more this past year than ever before. And many of those hours working were spent making difficult decisions on whether to keep various city entities, like the senior center or golf course, open or whether to layoff employees.

“Everyday it was something new,” Landrum said. “It came fast and furious.”

Landrum said the city had to evaluate how to reduce it’s spending and where it could possibly lose revenue.

“It’s really been a bizarre, crazy time,” Landrum said. “No one saw this coming.”

The city had to change some of it’s long-standing events.

“This literally changed the world almost overnight,” Landrum said. “I think people will look back on 2020 and be grateful for their health and their freedom to move around and go visit family and friends. People will be more appreciative.”

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