Quiana Bickam was among several citizens who addressed city commissioners during their Wednesday evening meeting, also requesting city commissioners evaluate Dickstein’s job performance.
“Silence on matters of accountability can feel like resistance to oversight,” Bickam told commissioners. “Our community deserves clear answers and consistent standards.
A Dayton Daily News investigation last year as part of our Payroll Project revealed that Dickstein had gone without an annual performance evaluation for three years. During that period, her pay increased from $264,888 in 2022 to $284,232 in 2024.
Commissioners Darryl Fairchild and Chris Shaw said city leaders completed an extensive performance review of Dickstein in December 2025. Fairchild shared the commission has also discussed working with a consultant to assist in creating a more structured evaluation process.
“It’s only fair for the evaluation to match what the expectations were set up as ahead of time,” Fairchild said.
The Dayton Daily News is requesting records associated with her review.
The Dayton City Commission in 2024 also increased the spending authority for the city manager’s office from $10,000 to $50,000. This means the city manager can award contracts, buy or sell real estate and apply for loans and grants valued below a certain cost threshold without city commission review.
City leaders at the time said this change would bring Dayton in line with other regional jurisdictions and improve efficiency.
Shaw said he stood by his 2024 vote and would vote the same way presently — in favor of the $50,000 spending authority threshold.
“These are best practices,” Shaw said. “I think that we have to be nimble, flexible.”
Dayton Deputy City Manager LaShea Lofton in a presentation breaking down data linked to the contracts said the contracts approved by the city’s manager’s office aligned with commission-approved budget priorities: economic and community development, justice, infrastructure, and corporate services and governance.
Dayton Mayor Shenise Turner-Sloss requested that the analysis of contracts be publicly accessible on the city’s website.
The Dayton Tenant Union’s presence at the Wednesday meeting was rooted in a desire for government transparency, according to board member Rae Elsen.
“I appreciate that they did an overview of some of the contracts that have been approved, but that’s not the same thing as putting them on the agenda for the public to see,” Elsen said.
