Turner-Sloss started her first term as Dayton’s mayor this month. In a full room at CareSource’s Pamela Morris Center in Dayton, she said partnerships are key.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
“Partnership means asking different questions. Not how do we give back, but how do we grow together? Not what a program can we support, but what systems can we strengthen?” Turner-Sloss said.
A local work group organized by U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, wants Dayton and Montgomery County officials to increase social services, police presence and enforcement in the city’s downtown. Dayton city commissioners held their first reading of a resolution drafted by the group at their Wednesday meeting.
Turner’s director of community outreach, Regina Holman, said Thursday that downtown Dayton has seen great gains in development, including the expansion of hotel offerings and a bubbling art and eatery scene.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
“There has been a perceived increase in downtown criminal activity, including property damage and an apparent increase in the unhoused population, and the (Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority) hub has also seen its share of unwanted behavior,” Holman said. “Our goal is simple, more people downtown more often, and making sure that they feel safe and supported when they are here.”
The working group had a mixture of leaders representing the Dayton area. Business representatives that have offices in the downtown area — CareSource, Woodard Development and Stratacache — also had a role in the working group.
“We’re all trying to do the same thing here. A lot of it is, how do we organize that? How do we all commit to that?” said CareSource President and CEO Erhardt Preitauer.
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