He said teachers, schools and parents can’t do it alone, and there needs to be a larger collaborative effort.
“Children in this community represent 20% of the citizens but they represent 100% of our future,” said Mims, who has been a teacher, coach and head of the Dayton teachers union and school board. “We must do all that we can to ensure they become contributing members of our thriving society.”
Mims is interested in addressing young people’s mental health and opportunities for recreation, civic engagement, mentoring and workforce development. He may pursue new task forces or subcommittees to tackle these focus areas.
Mims said teachers helped him flourish and avoid getting into serious trouble, and he tried to do the same thing for many young people when he was an educator and coach. He continues to mentor young men of color.
Mims said he wants to build on existing programs and efforts to give young people better pathways to success.
“There are a lot of things going on already, and we’re in no way trying to reinvent the wheel,” he said. “All we’re trying to do is bring those sources together to bring more speed, more pace on those types of activities.”
Dayton Public Schools Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli told this newspaper that Mayor Mims wants to continue and expand the city’s partnership with the school district.
Lolli met regularly with Mayor Nan Whaley and City Manager Shelley Dickstein, and she expects to have similar kinds of meetings with Mims and city management.
Lolli said the city and school district have worked on several initiatives in recent years, including vital workforce development programs in partnership with the city, Montgomery County and the Montgomery County Educational Service Center.
“A strong partnership between a school district and the city in which it is located is always a welcomed means of additional support for young people,” Lolli said.
Montgomery County Educational Service Center sees great potential for future collaboration between the city, the school district and the region’s Business Advisory Council, said ESC Superintendent Shannon Cox.
“There is enormous interest in our community around workforce development and designing more career connections opportunities for students,” she said. “Mayor Mims’ desire to highlight and amplify existing efforts is terrific for our region.”
Dayton City Commissioner Chris Shaw said the mayor and the commission don’t want to “step on the toes” of the school board and district administrators, but they hope they can identify areas of collaboration to strengthen career opportunities for youth and build a better workforce pipeline.
Given Mayor Mims’ background in education, it’s only natural that he wants to work closely with the schools and other partners to give young people in Dayton the best chances to shine, Shaw said.
Getting kids to go to college used to be the primary goal of secondary school, but now there’s growing focus on career readiness, Shaw said.
“I think that can be a game-changer for us,” he said. “We need skilled workers across every discipline.”
During Mims’ 27-minute address on Wednesday, he also recapped some challenges and successes Dayton has had in recent years and faces moving forward.
He listed some notable and promising projects, including the rehab of the Dayton Arcade and a recent groundbreaking for a new hangar space for the Sierra Nevada Corp. at the Dayton International Airport, which is expected to bring nearly 150 new jobs.
A second phase of the Dayton Arcade is forthcoming, he said, plus the Dayton Convention Center is being renovated and other projects will bring new housing, offices and amenities to the downtown area.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Greater downtown Dayton has $600 million worth of projects in the pipeline, and more than $250 million in projects are under construction in the core of downtown, according to the Downtown Dayton Partnership.
Mims also said other sections of the city are seeing investment, including West Dayton, which welcomed a $12 million Dayton Metro Library branch this week and will soon get new jobs as Economy Linen & Towel Service moves into a new facility.
Mims also talked about ongoing police reform efforts, the coronavirus pandemic and the city’s plan to transition to 100% sustainable energy by 2035.
The mayor also acknowledged that some major difficulties lie ahead.
Dayton stands to lose as much as $20 million in annual income tax revenue, according to Mims, since many people who used to work in Dayton are now working from their homes in other communities.
Mims vowed to work closely with the Ohio Mayors Alliance, lawmakers and other city partners to try to identify ways to plug projected funding gaps due to work-from-home in Dayton and other cities.
The city plans to use some of its $138 million in federal rescue funds for revenue replacement, but Mims called that a “temporary fix” and said long-term solutions are needed.
Mims also pointed out that a significant chunk of the city’s rescue funds will be put toward building demolition, which is one of residents’ top priorities.
Rescue funds also will be used to build new spray parks, update existing parks, support minority businesses and invest in neighborhoods, housing and amenities, he said.
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