The Dayton City Commission meeting will now come to order.

Would you all please rise for the invocation and remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance?

This evening invocation will be given by Commissioner Joseph.

Thank you, Mayor.

Dear Lord, thank you for your many blessings.

We ask that you continue to shine your grace on us and on this city, on all of our residents.

Please use us as your tools with your divine guidance to do the right thing.

Amen.

Amen.

I applaud allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

Under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all the Ms.

McClendon, may we please have a roll call this evening?

Mayor Turner Sloss.

Commissioners Joseph.

Aye.

Shaw.

Aye.

Fairchild.

Aye.

Beckham.

Aye.

May I have a motion to approve the minutes of the 20 March 25th, 2026 meeting, please?

So moved, Your Honor.

Second the motion, Your Honor.

As been properly moved and seconded on for the approval of the minutes of March 25th, 2026 meeting.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no.

Ms.

McClendon, are there any communications or petitions this evening?

There are none, Your Honor.

Thank you.

This evening we would like to acknowledge Commissioner Joseph for being the longest serving commissioner in the city of Dayton.

Would you please invite the speakers to the podium this evening?

Yes, ma'am.

I would like to call to the podium Jennifer O'Donnell.

Oh goodness.

Today, SOPEC Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council is honored to recognize Commissioner Joseph for his commitment to the city of Dayton and his environmental stewardship.

Matt, you're at the forefront of Dayton's sustainability efforts, and that began with the City Sustainability Plan, which laid the foundation for the amazing progress that we're witnessing today.

The plan identified initiatives, including clean energy programs, greenhouse gas reduction strategies, community-wide energy transition efforts, all to position the city as a regional leader in municipal climate action.

Matt championed the reactivation of Dayton's electric aggregation program in 2021 when Dayton partnered with SOPEC to provide renewable electric to supply to residents and small businesses at competitive rates.

This has resulted in more than 11.3 million dollars in savings for Dayton residents and small businesses.

Not only did Matt support this effort, but he also became SOPEC's official representative for the city and later vice chair of our board of uh trustees, lending his expertise and leadership to other communities throughout the state.

Today, Dayton is more than just a regional leader in sustainability.

Dayton is leading the way in Ohio with its groundbreaking renewable energy products like the recently approved Gem City Solar Project here and other sustainability initiatives.

And it was Matt Joseph's leadership that put Dayton on this path, and SOPEC is a really proud partner in your success in these successes.

We're privileged to work with you and we're thankful for your continued leadership and support.

And I just wanted to say Phil Leplow would be here, but he's traveling.

And we did uh bring our own little rooting section, which includes Melissa Dalton, our director of administration, Matthew Clark in charge of our EV programs, and Philip Hewitt, who's a grant specialist.

So thank you, Chair.

We're all rooting for you.

Thank you.

Alice Young.

Hello.

Hello.

Um, my name is Alice Young, and I am the executive director of the Dayton International Peace Museum.

And on behalf of the Dayton International Peace Museum, we would like to congratulate you on 22 years of service.

I've met you through the Peace Museum, and we work together on several projects, including the Dayton Peace Prize and the 35th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords.

And in those meetings and in all the planning, I've known you to be a man with a big heart, commitment to our community, and just very generous with your time and with your spirit.

And I do want to point out that that is not the first time that I actually met you.

I mean, I met you when I first started working at the museum about four years ago, but uh when I was at a tournament, a soccer tournament that I met you when I was working the concession stand.

And I want to speak to your character because you're exactly the same man at that soccer tournament as you are every single day that I see you show up to service to this community.

So I want to thank you and I want to congratulate you.

But mostly again, thank you for being um such a committed servant to our community and our city, and I don't know where we'd be without you.

Thank you.

Tom Wallrabhose Hello, my name is Tom Wallrab, and I'm honored on behalf of Welcome Dayton to also offer you recognition of your 22 years of service as a Dayton City Commissioner.

Welcome Dayton reflects something important about who we are as a community.

It represents a choice to define ourselves, not by reaction, but by our values, by what we believe about one another and how we want to live together.

There was a time when Dayton was asking itself a fundamental question.

Do we want to be a welcoming community for immigrants?

Those conversations brought people together, neighbors, organizations, city staff, people who were already noticing immigrants in their midst, and in many cases already supporting them.

At its heart, the question, what does it mean to be welcoming is really a question about care, about whether we see one another and whether we act on that recognition.

I remember one woman who participated in those conversations.

She had fled violence as a child, crossing a mountain on foot with her family.

She raised her children here in Dayton.

During one of these discussions, she said that for the first time since arriving in America, she felt noticed.

That moment captures the spirit of Welcome Dayton.

The intentional recognition of one another.

And Commissioner Joseph, you were there for all of it.

Long before the plan was written, you were doing the work.

Meeting with community leaders, supporting access and inclusion, standing publicly for immigration reform, and asking the city to examine how well it served new immigrants.

When the community came together to well to write the Welcome Dayton Plan, you listened.

You supported it, and on and on October 5th, 2011, you and the City Commission adopted it, honoring the work of the community with trust and respect.

You also understood something essential, what only government could do, and your responsibility to carry that forward, and you have continued to do so year after year.

Commissioner Joseph, welcome Dayton stands in no small part on your vision, your persistence, and your care for this community.

On behalf of us all, thank you.

Thank you, Tom.

Kevin Lighty.

On behalf of the Dayton Sister City Committee, I'm pleased to announce that uh Commissioner Joseph has signed on to be the starting forward uh for the Dayton Sister City Committee's newly formed basketball team.

Yes.

I've been waiting.

But in all seriousness, uh though, while Commissioner Joseph isn't on our basketball team roster, we don't have a basketball team.

Uh he has spent over 20 years as the MVP of Dayton's global relationships.

Uh most people know his heart beats for Sarajevo, but uh I see a man who treats each sister city relationship like a championship game.

Uh as chair of the Dayton Sister City Committee, I have a unique vantage point on Commissioner Joseph's service.

I'm here to champion Commissioner Joseph's unwavering commitment to the principles behind every single one of our sister city relationships.

Whether we're talking about Augsburg, OISO, Monrovia, Hologon, Rushmore, or South Eat, and of course Sarajevo, Commissioner Joseph treats every connection as a vital bridge to a more peaceful global community.

On paper, Commissioner Joseph is an ex officio member of our committee, but in reality, there's nothing ex officio about his participation.

He doesn't just hold a seat, he actively participates, listens, and most importantly, he goes to bat for us.

In a world where it can be hard to get a hold of anyone, I'm happy that Commissioner Joseph has always been just a phone call away.

And Matt, your tenure isn't just defined by its length, but its depth.

Thank you for being more than a commissioner.

Thank you for being a true partner and a global citizen for the city of Dayton.

And congratulations on this historic milestone.

Thank you, Kevin.

Irena Joseph.

Pretty good pronunciation.

Hi, my name is Yorana Joseph.

I'm Matt's wife.

Mayor, Commissioners, City staff, and guests.

I'd like to thank you for honoring Matt for being the longest serving city commissioner in Dayton.

I know that this recognition means a lot to Matt, and it means a lot to our whole family.

Thank you for taking the time to acknowledge Matt's service to the city that spans over two decades so far.

In fact, Matt has been a city commissioner longer than we have been married.

I met Matt just a little before he ran for city commission for the first time.

His love of Dayton and eagerness to serve were clear to me from the beginning.

So I knew he and I would be in it for the long haul.

Was I thrilled?

Not exactly.

But Matt's desire to do good and to put into action what he believed, what he believed in, convinced me that he was in the right place.

As many of you know, Matt was born to be in public service.

He is determined to make a positive change.

And is there a better place to do that than in your own community?

Of course, Matt didn't stop there.

He also made a positive change in a country halfway across the world.

And he has in fact received recognition there as well.

Bosnians love him.

In short, he's effective in what he does.

He's persistent optimism, selfless service, and ability to engage others in whatever needs to be done, are truly exemplary.

And I am not saying this just because I am his wife.

Father, thank you.

Thank you.

Jeffrey J.

Mims Jr.

Oh man.

Good evening.

So way back when I had a real big afro, 1988, and uh Matt had hair, uh we uh we worked together uh with Tony Hall and trying to get uh full funding for the ADA special aid uh funding bill that had been passed in 1976, and 12 years later they've still not fully funded that.

So uh working for the National Education Association at that time, uh traveled uh to DC to talk with uh uh uh then Matt Joseph, not Commissioner Joe Joseph, of course, but also in reposition uh representation with Tony Hall, just to move those things in those spaces.

So I just wanted to bring light to the fact that I've known you probably longer than anyone else in this room uh uh talking about all the kind of things that you've done, sort of highlights the experiences that I had with you.

Uh the 12 years that we spent working together on this commission, making great things happen for the citizens of the city of Dayton.

Again, I am honored to be here just to say just a few words about the value that you committed to the city.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Mayor.

Okay, I know you got another another 12 or 20 more.

Uh okay.

All right, we'll see you.

Thank you so much.

At this time, we're please will all of my um commission members join me at the podium, please.

Okay.

Me too.

Wait for something to jump out on me.

Hopefully you all can hear me.

But on behalf of all the all of the Dayton City Commission members, even those that uh predate me and many of my colleagues, uh thank you.

As well as to the entire commission staff, thank you, Miss Uh Jackson, as well as Miss Blackshear and the entire team for leading this effort.

We just wanted to send you, give you rather a token of our appreciation appreciation and congratulations to you and your number of years of service.

Congratulations.

So all the elected officials, would you please move swiftly up front for me to take a picture?

We appreciate it.

The family come on, yes.

Yes.

Yeah.

Well, congratulations, Commissioner Joseph.

At this time, I'll turn it over to my colleagues for comments.

Uh Commissioner Beckham, please.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Um most people probably don't know this, but uh Matt hired me initially.

Uh I was coming out of AmeriCorps and uh he brought me on as a legislative aide.

That was probably like less than two months.

Um and then of course I moved on from that role.

I think I got poached, but um but either way, um Matt has uh been a consistent mentor, uh guide, friend.

Um and uh this is a very well deserving honor, uh being the longest uh serving city commissioner, and I I just join all of the other individuals in uh congratulating you this evening uh and thanking you for your service to our city.

Appreciate you, Matt.

Commissioner Fairchild.

Yeah.

Um I'm gonna build on uh Kevin Lighty's image.

I think it's fair to say that you've you've done it like a quiet double double.

If for those of you who know basketball is when a player is just steadily produces on the court and makes his team better um without a lot of fanfare.

That's my goal.

What's that?

That's my goal.

Yeah.

And so well, you've accomplished it.

And uh we echo all of the great words that were shared by our partners around sustainability and welcome Dayton and your leadership here in the city.

Um want to thank you for that.

Um wanna thank your family.

Um thank you for sharing me with our community.

So thank you for sharing Matt with our community and our city.

So thank you.

And uh last thing I want to say is uh I know you're a person of faith.

And one of the things I admire most is the way you put your faith into action.

So thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner.

Commissioner Shaw.

Outstanding.

I'm uh these past ten years.

Uh you've we've been friends.

Um you're younger than I am.

But you've also been a mentor.

Uh I've learned so much from you over these years.

It's been a great honor.

To work with you.

That's really nice, Chris.

Thank you.

We've uh we've done a lot of good things together.

Yeah.

Project labor agreements, working with our labor unions, responsible contracting language, which you worked on years before I ever got on this commission.

Yeah.

And I kind of finally bring it through.

It was a huge milestone for all of us, but I know it was for you.

They talked to you about the peace accords and your impact.

You're a diplomat.

You're a diplomat.

And it's it's been remarkable that you could kind of roll that into the city and what we what we do here.

You're you're bigger than the city.

But uh thank you for all of that.

Passenger rail.

You were engaging in this way before ever started moving forward in it.

And you allowed me the grace to kind of you said you're not stepping on my toes.

You know, I was sensitive about that.

Uh, but thank you so much for your impact uh on me personally, my family.

Um, but for you for your community.

Uh I know that you you walk the walk and and you don't just talk about it, you you actually do it.

So I'm gonna stop there before I break down.

But uh thank you so much for for your friendship.

Uh, and look forward to many more years of working with you.

Amen.

Pleasure's mine, Chris.

Really?

Pleasure's mine.

Thank you, Commissioner.

Well, congratulations once again.

I just want to echo my colleagues' comments.

Um, thank you for your years of service.

I believe you beat out uh Commissioner Dean Lovelace by a month and three days.

My old friend.

So, yes.

So, again, thank you for all of your your staff ass work and your commitment, and also to would like to thank the family uh for lending your husband, your father, your son, your brother to the community.

Uh, one thing I will say, at any time that I need to give something done or any advice, whatever have you, I lean to you.

So again, thank you for your years of service.

Congratulations.

Thank you, Mayor.

Anytime.

Ms.

McClendon, are there any additions deleted?

Idiots can say something.

You do.

You too.

I apologize.

Please, by all means.

Thank you.

Uh thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Commissioners.

Thank you all that came.

It's a little bit shocking.

Uh, but it's it's really nice to see you all.

Uh Commissioner, you you captured pretty well.

I mean, my goal is really just sort of like get with the team and make things better all all together.

You know, everybody push together.

And the only way that works is when you have really excellent people on the team, right?

All you guys, you you're doing the work.

I'm seeing a lot of people out there that a lot of hard work on all the things that we're talking about.

Everybody.

It's it's uh it's it was already said once today, right?

It's a team sport.

I've had a lot of fun.

I've really enjoyed the privilege to serve.

I appreciate voters give me the chance to serve so many times in a row.

I hope they still do because I really enjoy what I do.

I see folks from my neighborhood out here.

It's great to see you all.

Uh folks from all over the city, really.

Uh it's been a real pleasure.

I I'm glad to have been given the chance to serve.

Uh just hearing you all say these nice things is it's just nice to hear.

Uh, and I appreciate it.

It's really nice of you all to remember the the work that we've done together.

Uh thank you to my family.

Just like you all have said, that uh the work as especially as a commissioner and any kind of a politician really falls hard on families, and it's a lot of time, it's a lot of effort.

So thank you all.

And there's a lot of value in hearing your wife say nice things about you in public.

Goodness.

Anyway, I I I'm gonna I'm gonna break down here.

So I just want to say thank you all.

So nice surprise.

Thank you.

It must have taken some time and some effort to organize.

So thank you, everybody who did that work.

This is this is really nice, amazing.

It's good to see you all.

Those of you who haven't seen in a while.

I'm seeing people I haven't seen in a while, so make sure you stick around after this.

I want I want to make sure to say hi.

Anyway, thank you all.

All right, thank you.

Thank you.

Ms.

McClendon, are there any additions, deletions or comments to the calendar?

Your Honor, I would like to request the addition of legislation pertaining to the public hearing at the desire of the commission.

That is all.

Mr.

Mr.

Parlett, are there any additions, deletions, or comments to the calendar?

Your Honor, I have no additions or deletions, but I do have one comment uh highlighting uh $5.6 million for 2026 residential asphalt resurfacing.

Uh big contract.

Um, but as we saw in the survey, it's it's certainly something that our residents are keenly focused on.

So uh big investment there.

Um I'd like to bring uh Mike Squire from our planning neighborhoods and development department forward to speak about uh resolution 6923-26.

Thank you, Deputy City Manager, uh Mayor, Commissioners, good evening.

My name is Mike Squire, I'm the division manager for community engagement.

I am very uh excited to continue celebration uh tonight and to recognize uh good service.

Um our neighborhood leadership institute just kicked off on Thursday.

Thank you, Mayor and Commissioner, for coming and welcoming the new class.

I'm very excited for them.

That program's been going on for 43 years now.

And what I tell every class, and I'm very proud of my class, which was 2015, and the person I'm gonna bring up uh tonight was also a member of the class of 2015, which just furthers how great that class was.

And so I told the class, uh, which we have some members of here tonight to watch a commission meeting, uh, that they can have the number two spot, but the number one spot is taken.

The reason we're uh I wanted to pause, and I really appreciate the deputy city manager giving this opportunity is because there are a lot of times in community work where literal we're moving on from literal and prover proverbial fire to the next one to the next one, and and oftentimes we don't pause to appreciate the hard work that's been done and the effort that's put in been put in, and that's true uh of Bomburger Park.

Uh there was a lital fire uh that happened last year, and the community came together in a very real way uh to support the city's effort to replace equipment in that park, raising $70,000 as you see before you.

When we initially installed uh equipment and did the updates to the equipment a few years ago, they also raised funding.

So they have raised over a hundred thousand dollars in funding to support Bomberger Park, which, as you know, is not just a St.

Ann's Hill Park or a historic inner East Park, it's really a park that our whole city uses and the region uh uses.

There's so many great activities that go on there, and so I wanted to uh pause tonight to say thank you to Justine Kelly and to uh give her a certificate of appreciation from the city because my wife has a saying that she has framed in the kitchen that says everybody wants to change the world, but nobody wants to do the dishes.

And I will tell you that Justine Kelly uh led the fundraising effort.

She will divert attention from herself, but Justine and her husband Matt and their kids are saving the world and they're doing the dishes.

You will often find them picking up trash and leading a hundred thousand dollar fundraising campaigns, and that is just amazing.

Um very appreciative of them, and we just wanted to pause tonight uh to say thank you and to bring Justine up uh to share a few words.

Hi, good evening, Condit uh Commission, and good evening, Dayton.

Uh thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share our story of resilience and community impact tonight.

My name's Justine, and I've lived in St.

Ann's Hill since 2013.

When the playground started showing serious degradation around 2019, I decided not to wait for someone else to fix it.

I used the skills I learned in 2015 in NLI to collaborate with the city and neighbors and local businesses, and we raised a little m money to nudge the process along.

It took several years, and we came up with 33,500 plus many volunteer hours that we dedicated to adjacent projects like fixing up the soccer goals and repainting that very large raw iron fence that goes around the park.

When the new playground was installed in August of 2003 23, we were overjoyed.

Attendance at the park increased markedly, and for two years my heart literally fluttered every time I passed children playing and families enjoying the park that our community contributed contributed so much to.

The magic of that had not yet begun to wear off when almost exactly eight months ago today, while on a family trip, I received an early morning phone call from a neighbor that the playground didn't look quite right.

It was indeed not right.

An inexplicable arson had occurred overnight, melting the only two-year-old equipment and destroying the $90,000 primary play structure.

I was personally deeply hurt.

After just a few hours of grief and disbelief, I realized that giving in just was not going to be an option.

Before I was even back in Ohio, the wheels were moving on a plan to rebuild, and what a success it was.

The story of senseless destruction of a meaningful community project touched so many people throughout this region.

And in six months, we raised over $70,000 toward the replacement of a new play structure.

Small individual contributions poured in online from visitors to our neighborhood events and even right into my own mail slot.

In addition, we received generous grants from the McPhersontown neighborhood, the Ruby Girls, the Dayton Rotary Club, and 100 plus women who care.

Today we're proud to grant these funds to the city of Dayton and for all the kids of the city to once again have a safe and beautiful place to play in the heart of our city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I have nothing further, Your Honor.

Thank you.

Ms.

McClendon, are there any citizens who are registered to speak this evening?

There are none on calendar items, Your Honor.

All right.

Commissioners, are there any comments to the city managers' recommendations this evening?

Commissioner Beckham.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Yes.

For one, I just want to uh thank Deputy City Manager Parlett uh for bringing forth nearly I I think over two million dollars uh in asphalt resurfacing.

That's excellent.

We uh like you said, just sat through the Dayton survey and uh streets and repaving remain a high priority for residents.

So uh I'm very glad to see see these contracts.

Um also uh Ms.

Kelly, uh welcome.

Uh thank you for what you do in your neighborhood.

Um when I saw that that park had uh burned and and there was an arson, uh it was very disturbing.

Uh and um for one, right?

You you initially think, well, why and who did this, right?

But for you to just move right into action uh and begin raising the funds to rebuild the park uh is admirable and uh deserves a lot of praise.

So thank you.

Uh congratulations on the effort, and uh thank you also to Mike Squire, who I'm sure uh facilitated that process and continues to lead in LI to really get residents into uh doing the work that is really going to improve our our entire community.

So thank you both and congrats on the new new playground.

Commissioner Fairchild.

Yeah, no, I just want to echo those comments by Commissioner Beckham.

Thank you, Justine and the whole team over there, and um you make our city better, but more importantly, you demonstrate leadership and what it means to be a Daytonian, particularly our grittiness.

And so thank you very much for um your contribution and for who you are.

Thank you.

Commissioner Shaw.

Yeah, I too that that just jumps right out at me.

Thank you for your for your service.

Uh when I heard about that arson, you know, I used to play soccer in that field over there, so I was very proud that uh the community came together to to bring these this equipment in there for for our young people.

It was heartbreaking when I heard it.

And you know, for for someone for the neighborhood, really, to step up in this way, it's just remarkable.

And further, it's uh NOI.

You know, an organization like that or an opportunity like that where folks can come in and and uh build up their leadership skills, learn about the city.

It birtheds people like her, right?

Uh, and and many of us.

So I I want to thank the uh the leadership, the administration for creating that opportunity for our residents.

And and thank you uh especially for for uh stepping up.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Commissioner Joseph.

Uh I I have to echo if I can, Commissioner, your both of your comments.

The first is that uh all of us, all of us in this room were here, we're active members of the community.

We all have our own reason for why we do it.

It's uh our own like marble comic origin story, right?

Uh this sounds an awfully lot like like one of those.

So thank you very much for the the sacrifices you made and the work you've done on behalf of the community.

That's that's really important, and the fact you just stepped in and did it is is awesome.

And the second thing is that hasn't been mentioned that uh that that park is right next to a very visible immigrant center in our city.

So when I heard about it, that was my first, you know, it's just a pit of the stomach fear like, oh boy, what what's this?

So to have you step up and the organization step up, and individuals step up and make it good so quickly and so much money that that's awesome.

It really says something about the city and the resilience and our mindset and how welcoming we are.

So thank you very much for your work.

Thank you.

Uh just would like to echo on my uh colleagues' comments.

Thank you, Ms.

Kelly, for your uh your leadership and your commitment to the Dayton community.

Um and I also would like to recognize I know Mr.

Squire mentioned that there are a number of uh attendees this evening in the room with NLI, but I also would like to again recognize LEED Ohio if you all would mind please standing up.

Um please don't be shy.

Lead Ohio again is another avenue of some work uh that's being done and uh training up that new leadership.

So congratulations to you all and thank you, Ms.

Kelly as well.

Thank you.

Thank you all for being here.

May I have a motion to approve the city manager's recommendations, Ms.

McClendon.

I move to approve the city manager's recommendation.

Second the motion, your honor.

Thank you.

It has been properly moved and seconded to approve the city manager's recommendations.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no.

All right.

Ms.

McClendon, any legislation?

Yes.

First reading resolution number six nine two three-26.

Approving the cash donation acceptance from the St.

Ann's Hill Historical Society Neighborhood Association in the amount of $70,000 and zero cents.

First reading resolution number 6924-26 authorizing the acceptance of a grant award from the Montgomery County Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board in the amount of $64,050 and zero cents on behalf of the City of Dayton.

Second reading ordinance number 32180-26, amending Chapter 153 of the revised code of general ordinances of the City of Dayton to abolish the City of Dayton Board of Building Appeals and redirect appeals to the State of Ohio.

Mayor Turner Sloss.

Aye.

Commissioners Joseph?

Aye.

Shaw.

Aye.

Fairchild.

Aye.

Beckham.

Aye.

That concludes legislation, Your Honor.

Thank you, Ms.

McClendon.

I would now open the public hearing.

Mr.

Parlett, please proceed.

Yes, I'd like to welcome uh Jeff Green from Planning Neighborhoods and Development to discuss this zoning map amendment.

Good evening, Commission.

Good evening.

Congratulations, Commissioner Joseph.

It's very impressive.

I am here to talk to you all about a zoning map amendment, which is a rezoning.

This is uh for approximately one acre from open space to SR2 suburban residential.

Uh importantly, this little tract of area we're talking about is not owned by a civic association or park.

It is it is owned by a private individual.

Um so typically that's that's going to come important here in a second.

But uh the proposal here is uh development of a new single family homes in the West Hillcrest area.

The applicant being Apex Engineering, uh Josh Lyles.

Again, current zoning is uh open space and the proposed zoning is SR2.

This is in the Greenwich Village area.

This is the vicinity map.

The white outline property is about the acre we're talking about.

Um as you'll note, you go you'll have those single family homes to the east and and northeast, and further to the west is pretty much all wooded area.

Um to the southwest, you have Hickory Dale Park, uh, which is proposed to continue to be a park and owned by the city, of course.

Here is the zoning map.

Uh this kind of yellow green, that is uh zoned open space and the open space zoning district for for the commission and those in attendance is typically reserved for uses, whether they be ballparks, ball fields, uh general open space availability to the public.

Whereas uh SR2 that uh is your single family home sites, more suburban, a little bit more spread out than things you would naturally find uh a little further uh into the core of our city where you'd have a little bit more density.

So that this is just a little bit more spread out, a little bit more suburban in nature.

And just a little bit more vicinity here.

Um shows the subject property, kind of that that arrow.

Um this is right near the board of trial where we got Wolf Creek just to the west, past the the uh the wooded area, and to the east, uh your Gettysburg is the main main corridor, but this is coming off right off Gettysburg, go in the West Hill Crest.

So staff analysis-wise, um again, this this property being zoned SR2 uh uh before you makes sense given everything to the north and and northeast and west or east of the of the subject property.

Um this is in relation to an overall larger subdivision that is currently going through plan board uh preliminary phase one.

And what that means is is a preliminary that they are going to meet any and all requirements of the SR2 zoning district.

They're not requires they're not requesting any variances or anything.

Um it's just our process that whenever you put in new streets and new infrastructure, you have to do a a preliminary and a final.

But there is a small section of land, this acre that we're talking about that was zoned uh open space.

Um the overall plan is consistent with the comprehensive plan, which we generally calls for an increase of housing types throughout the area, especially when contextually they make sense.

And in this area, again, it's it's gonna follow the the standard context, the the single family, similar setbacks, similar lot sizes.

Um reviewing the the north northwest state and neighborhood vision plan, there's a focus on open space and installing a bike path along Wolf Creek.

This this really is not part of part of that, but it is important to uh mention that uh in the Northwest Vision document, increasing housing where feasible is in all sections of the city, something that we find desirable.

Hickory Dale Park again will be retained by public work by public works.

And uh as part of this approval process when it goes back to Plan Board.

Uh one of the provisions here is that there has to be an easement or some way for the public to continue to have access to Hickory Dale Park here.

And that that's that's really the important piece here.

But uh before you all, this is simply to rezone uh some private land that was is zoned open space to suburban residential for the development of single family homes.

The North Central Priority Land Use Board met on January 7, 2026.

They voted to recommend denial based on proximity to Wolf Creek and a desire to keep open space for the neighborhood, uh which is you know you know very reasonable.

The one thing I would note though, again, is just because something is zoned open space, it is owned by private ownership.

They can they don't have to allow the public onto that land.

So the park space, Hickory Dell Park is going to be remain open.

Um this will remain in private hands and will simply be used for the home spaces, but there will be an easement or some form of access to Hickory Dale Park.

Plan Board uh recommended unanimous approval on January 13th.

Um that they they believe that this would be a a welcome addition and makes sense given the context of the area.

Uh planning staff as well recommends approval since the property is not owned by another civic organization or by the city itself.

So again, that that's kind of the key, whether it's owned by the Metro Parks or public works, that is really what uh the open space zoning district is about.

Um course planning went through our our typical notification period, sending this to neighborhood president and to anyone within 250 feet of the subject property, both property owner and tenant.

So we haven't really received too much in the way of comment aside from you know those board meetings we've had.

Uh commission-wise, as always, you have the uh ability to approve as submitted, uh remand back to plan board or denial.

And before I finish up here, I I just feel like it's important to show this is the preliminary uh subdivision plan that was submitted to plan board.

So this hatched area right here, that is the area in question we're talking about.

And the rest of this is already zoned suburban residential.

This is simply a continuation of it, and it's that's a very small portion of the overall proposal.

But I wanted to give you all context on what you were looking at and potentially uh will be developed in this area.

I am happy to answer any questions.

And the applicant, Mr.

Lyles, is in the uh audience.

Should you have any questions that uh a little bit more technical that I might not be able to answer?

That concludes my presentation.

Thank you, Mr.

Green.

Are there any questions for Mr.

Green or the applicant?

Commissioner Beckham?

I have none, Your Honor.

Commissioner Fairchild?

I don't have any.

Thank you.

Commissioner Shaw?

Commissioner Joseph.

I should just comment and uh we've seen access work on this way, or easement granted to a park.

We have seen it in numerous places around the city.

I think that's a a great uh answer to the concerns the neighborhood has.

So I appreciate you all putting that together.

I just have one.

Were there any other concerns or uh from the neighborhood association or any other neighboring members in the area?

Uh none none that I'm aware of.

Um typically when whenever we get those public comments, we'd like to include it in in terms of our commission presentation.

And I I would like to uh give credit to Miss Elizabeth Dakin, who's been really working on this case for for a bit far longer than I have.

So I just want to give her credit where credit is due.

Thank you.

And community engagement was fully engaged in this process.

Is that correct?

Yes.

Okay.

Um Mr.

Mr.

Grice and and Mr.

Lyles uh had a few pre-application meetings with us where uh a member of community engagement was in in the room and and fully uh informed, as we all always like to do when we have these larger projects or any land use case, of course, but uh again I I think it's important to note that we've we've usually for this we've we went beyond a little bit with code typically requires.

I'm pretty sure Elizabeth went past the 250 feet requirement where it made sense to make sure to notify as much as possible.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Green.

Thank you.

Ms.

McClendon, are there any citizens who are registered to speak?

Your Honor, there are no citizens on the public cleaning on the public hearing.

Yes.

Yes.

Thank you.

I would now close the public hearing.

What is the pleasure of the commission?

Thank you.

Legislation, Ms.

McClendon.

The legislation implementing zoning case number PLN 2025-00392 will be ordinance number 32181-26.

It will receive a first reading only.

First reading ordinance number 32181-26, amending the official zoning map to change the zoning of approximately one acre at the west terminus of West Hillcrest Avenue from open space to suburban single family residential.

I conclude legislation, Your Honor.

Thank you, Ms.

McClendon.

Ms.

McClendon, are there any registered uh excuse me, citizens who are registered to speak?

Your Honor, there are 10 citizens registered to speak.

I would like to remind everyone that there is a three-minute time limit.

As you address the commission, we ask that you state your name and address for the record.

At that time, I will turn on the green light.

When the green light comes on, you will have three minutes to speak.

After you have spoken two and a half minutes, a yellow light will come on, and you will have 30 seconds remaining to speak.

When the red light comes on, you will be asked to cease your comments and to take your seat.

To the audience in attendance, please be mindful this is a business meeting, and we kindly request that during this portion of the meeting you refrain from any hand clapping, finger snapping, and conversation that will prevent the city commission from hearing the speakers' comments.

Good evening.

If I may just say I'm glad that I wasn't able to speak to Matt because I was, as much as I come here in front of you, it would have been the most nerve-wracking recognition that I give you.

But I was able to put a few words together.

Mayors, commissioners, Commissioner Joseph.

Two that two decades ago, when I first met you while canvassing on my street on Amberwood Drive, I learned about common our common ancestry and your passion for peace.

Today, as we are as you are recognized as the longest serving commissioner, that question still resonates.

A family is mourning.

A community is demanding answers, and once again, we are confronted with an urgent question about use of force and the value we place on human life.

For four weeks now, I have come before you to speak about war, about violence, and about the loss of innocent lives in Palestine, Lebanon, and Iran.

But today, those questions are no longer distant.

They are here.

Because whether we are talking about unjustified wars abroad or policing here at home, we are facing the same underlying reality.

We live in a system that too often default to force instead of exhausting every path forward to the escalation.

And when force becomes the default, the consequences are predictable.

Lives are lost, families are shattered.

Trust is broken.

This is not about the verdict of on last week's events.

It's about the pattern that made this moment possible.

It is about asking whether we are willing to do better.

Because accountability is not just about what happens after the tragedy.

It's about what we invest in it before it.

Do we invest in force or in dialogue?

Last week, members of this commission expressed willingness to consider supporting a Dayton Peace Summit that is being promoted by the Dayton Coalition, peace coalition.

That is an opportunity not just to speak about peace abroad, but to commit to peace here at home.

A summit that reflects Dayton's legacy not only as the site of Dayton Peace Accords, but as a community willing to confront conflict with dialogue.

So I ask you how does Dayton wish to lead this moment?

Will we continue to respond to tragedy or will we work to prevent it?

Will we speak about peace or will we be we will be practicing it?

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Alzheimer's.

Tanya Body.

Yes, sir.

Tanya Body.

Um 244 Sandhurst Drive.

Hello, everyone.

Good evening.

My name is Tanya Body.

I'm here because I received a photo enforcement violation ticket November the 5th, 2025.

I attended court March 3, 2026.

I was misinformed about the photo enforcement footage of the violation prior to court by a gentleman named Antoine at the Dayton Police Department.

Upon my arrival, I was informed by the representative for the city that there would be there would not be any footage to review during court.

During the hearing, the police officer stated the photo enforcement cameras are checked along with the flashing lights in the school zones daily, logged and sent to a person as completed.

I informed the magistrate that I felt harassed, judged harshly, because I requested to see the photo enforcement footage.

Antoine at the police department told me basically if I come to court, it would be a waste of time.

The magistrate immediately reprimanded me in the courtroom stating, Miss Body, that is hearsay.

I replied to her stating what the police officer stated about checking the flash's school zone lights, logging and sent as complete daily could also be hearsay.

It was quite obvious that the magistrate wasn't pleased with my remarks.

She informed me I needed to go up the chain of command or take it up with my city commissioner because I wanted explanations.

You're not allowed to plead guilty or not guilty.

You are only allowed to ask the officer questions about a decision that he has already made.

There's more detailed information that I would like to share, but considering the time restriction, I would hope to discuss this matter at a later time with someone in the city commissioner's office or someone that can help make things fair and safer for all citizens in our communities.

In conclusion, thank you for allowing me to have this opportunity.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Ms.

Boddy.

Um Lieutenant Colonel Henderson, if you would mind after the meeting, would you have a conversation with Ms.

Boddy to help her through that process to address those concerns?

Mr.

Paulette, is that fair?

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

Thank you, Mr.

Palette.

I call to the podium Mary Souga Minor.

Mary Sue Gaminer, 1418 Arbor Avenue.

Congratulations, uh Commissioner Joseph, and good evening all.

The killing of Reginald Thomas on March 24th, 2026 has been deeply disturbing to the community.

Officer involved shootings must be reviewed in the entire context of the event.

It must center the actions of the officers and the decisions that they make.

This includes the initial reason for the stop and the location.

There are so many questions.

According to Chief Afsah, downtown Dayton is one of the safest locations in the city.

How many patrol cars are assigned downtown versus out in the neighborhoods?

Do the numbers reflect the disparity in crime statistics?

Was Mr.

Thomas posing a threat to anyone?

The officer made a decision to stop him.

Did the officer have any other calls waiting for a response?

As a black man, Mr.

Thomas had reason to feel threatened by police.

Too many of our black citizens are racially profiled and treated with less respect and more violence than their white counterparts.

Why did the officer ask Mr.

Thomas if Mr.

Thomas had a gun instead of just asking first for his ID?

Did the officers have de-escalation training?

If so, how long ago?

So, how are these questions to be answered?

Review of the circumstances as a criminal investigation is being conducted by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office maintains one of the deadliest jails in the State of Ohio.

It has no credibility.

The Professional Standards Bureau will conduct an internal administrative review.

The PSB is the Dayton Police Department.

Can they effectively investigate themselves?

Finally, the independent accountability auditor will investigate.

The auditor is employed by a law firm under contract with the city, not just for the IAA function, but for other legal services.

It cannot be considered truly independent.

That said, I do know that the Commission works with the IAA.

The auditor has made important observations and recommendations.

In the September 2025 report, the auditor observed that the complaint process addresses law and policy violations.

It does not formally address acts that do not align with best practices and discretionary acts that are permissible but may unnecessarily cause harm.

They recommended a review and evaluation of de-escalation practices.

Has this been done?

I join the call for a totally independent third-party investigation.

No one should lose their life because of a traffic stop.

We must do better.

Thank you, Miss Ms.

Ga Minor.

I call to the podium Ben Williams.

I am here today to speak about House Bill 249 that passed last week in the House in a 63 to 32 majority vote and will now be moved up to the Ohio Senate.

House Bill 249 states that it will broaden the definition of adult cabaret to include performers exhibiting a gender identity different from their sex of birth or any performer who provides entertainment that appeals to prune interest.

I find it paramount to be here today to highlight the date the dangers of this bill to not just drag performers but the larger career community as a whole.

The vape wording in this legislation leaves far too much room for interpretation.

Labeling performers who exhibit a gender identity different from their sex as sexually explicit sets a legal precedent to target transgender and visibly queer Ohioans.

The bill lays out no groundwork as to how these lawmakers even intend to verify that a person is exhibiting a gender identity different from their assigned sex.

This gives law enforcement immunity to profile Ohioans they deem to be visibly queer or visibly transgender in public spaces.

Ohio already has indeed indecent exposure regulations in place in place prohibiting public performances that include sexually explicit themes and nudity.

There was no precedent or justification to add this wording in regards to gender expression to the current existing policy.

Our local drag performers have always been a beloved part of our community here in Dayton.

The performances we see every year at Dayton Pride have always been family-friendly and enjoyable for the whole community.

Many local queer performers and artists for years now have used their art to help raise money for a wide range of charities in the area, and this bill will open the door to seeing these community members prosecuted for continuing to do so.

I am a community organizer here in Dayton, and I am a transgender Ohioan.

I speak frequently at a variety of public events in this city.

It is not far-fetched or paranoid of me to worry that the aims of this legislature are to silence my voice and the voices of people like me in the public eye.

I have many times now come before this commission trying to raise awareness about the growing hostile climate towards the queer community in the state.

I have brought forward statistics that highlight how the climate is impacting my community and drawn attention to the ways that our current legal protections and safety nets are inadequate.

I am bringing forward a live example today of hostile legislature as it is in the making to try and ways raise awareness of the ways that carefully worded legal speech intended to fly under the radar with minimal opposition, lays the legal groundwork for more malicious enforcement of these vague laws once they are put into effect.

What queer Ohioans need right now from our elected representatives in our communities is for preemptive protective policy to be put into place in preparation for the likelihood that this did bill does pass in the Senate.

Thank you for your time and Commissioner Joseph, thank you for your service.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I call to the podium Talise Natural Gage.

Tell us Netsuru 1504 Media Corps of Miami Spirit.

You may begin.

Alright, so Marswin uh the 24th just happened.

Y'all, I don't gotta say his name.

Somebody spoke on it already.

Everybody that's in front of me is in a position of power and have a strong voice.

And can rock this city in a way that I can't.

Well, I'm gonna change that though.

But y'all can do something that I can't.

Y'all can reach some folks that I can't.

Y'all sit in rooms that I don't.

So I just want to see what y'all gonna do for this.

I hope some of y'all getting the spice, Charlie.

I supported some of y'all.

And I'm just waiting to see what y'all gonna do.

And when Spark is start aflame, it could be one of y'all and it can be me.

And I'm putting it on record.

I want y'all to know that I really love my son.

I love my son.

I love my son.

And at any point in time, that could be me.

And uh the end result, if it's me, would definitely be different.

I love my son.

And if y'all can't do it, I don't care about them behind me or him over there, neither.

I'ma skip some commercials.

If y'all know what I mean, you should get it by midnight.

That's all I gotta say.

I'm not playing with nobody.

I'm not playing.

And I don't care how y'all feel about it either.

Thank you.

I call to the podium Jay Averett.

I'm Jay Averett, 4982 Springfield Street.

So I'd first like to ask uh if anything that I am wearing today is sexually revealing, indecent or otherwise provocative in a way that is unfit for public appearance.

I do not think so.

I'm Jay.

It is A.

I'm sorry.

Oh, well, thank you.

I'm Jay.

I'm transgender, and I was assigned female at birth.

Uh what I'm wearing here today was actually the first outfit that I wore when I started my teaching internship at West Carrollton Middle and High School.

I remember it pretty well.

It was my 23rd birthday.

I loved teaching.

I'm not doing it anymore.

I received multiple letters of recommendation, and it was a very tearful goodbye when that internship ended.

Under section 2907.39, Article 4A, Part 5 of House Bill 249.

I could never teach again.

The four years of my life that I dedicated to learning this craft essentially erased.

This bill would not it would impact not only my ability to work, but my freedom to live.

The vague language does not divine what a performance is.

Is it only on a stage?

When you interview a job, are you not performing to give your best impression to a potential employer?

Or how about putting on the brave face when you tell your child that the family dog did not actually go to a farm up north and then actually died?

This does not establish what a public space is in this bill either.

I live in an apartment with a balcony that is visible from the street.

And kids love to play in the street.

Cute little parking lot there.

When I go to plant my herb garden in the next few weeks in my queen t-shirt and my cargo shorts, well, I have committed a misdemeanor in my home for presenting differently than I was assigned at birth.

House Bill 249 serves to directly target and discriminate against visibly queer people, and without clear definition of what a performance is and isn't, everyone is subject to profiling discrimination.

I have a cisgender female friend who I will not name due to her privacy, who has PCOS.

For those who don't know, that is polycystic ovarian syndrome, and it can have a side effect of causing facial hair.

And under for Article 4A, part five, she would be punished with a dismissemeanor by the end of her workday for a five o'clock shadow.

Something that she cannot help and cannot afford the laser surgery for.

In addition to the concerns that I've already mentioned, this bill is impractical to enforce because it would mean allowing strangers to examine anyone's genitals, whether they are transgender or cisgender to check due to the suspicion of someone maybe being transgender.

I need not elaborate on how this could be and would be heavily abused by those in power.

Any form of checking could actually lead to actual public indecency and exposure of genitals.

After this hearing tonight, I need to go to the store to buy some bread.

Do I deserve a misdemeanor for going and getting the bread?

I'm not Jean Valjean.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I call to the podium Erica Fields.

Good evening, Mayor.

Deputy City Manager Commissioners, please bear with me.

I'm getting my voice back.

Erica Fields, 34 West McPherson, Dayton.

Today marks the first day of autism acceptance month, highlighting the need for community inclusion, better services, and honoring the diverse experiences of the autistic community.

I'm a resident of Dayton, your former employee, the former executive director of the human relations council.

And in that role, as you know, we work together to advance fairness, inclusion, equal access to opportunities for all residents, regardless of race, disability, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.

That commitment to inclusion is something the city should be proud of.

Dayton has been a leader in enacting anti-discrimination regulations, regulations that exceed the minimum requirements of state and federal law.

That is why I'm here today, because this is an opportunity to continue that leadership.

I am also here as a mother.

My four-year-old son, who many of you know, is on the autism spectrum.

He is bright, joyful, and deserving of the same opportunities as any other child in our city.

But the reality is those opportunities are often not available here.

We have struggled to find inclusive programs and activities for him in Dayton, and I know we are not alone.

In Dayton public schools, roughly one in five students receive special education services representing thousands of children and families in this city.

Inclusion is both a community and a legal responsibility.

Under the ADA, cities are required to provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities, including children on the autism spectrum.

Title II requires local governments to ensure equal access to services by modifying policies, practices, and procedures to support inclusion.

This includes recreation programs, summer camps, and city-sponsored events.

The City of Kettering, for example, took a proactive approach by hiring a consultant to conduct a comprehensive review to assess accessibility and the cost of necessary modifications.

They hired a full-time ADA inclusion compliance manager to implement those recommendations.

That role works across departments, supporting infrastructure improvements, guiding inclusive program design, and even assisting families one-on-one to ensure children can participate in things like summer camp with appropriate accommodations.

Their transition plan now helps prioritize accessibility improvements across city budgets and city operations.

This kind of intentional approach matters because autism in particular is often overlooked in traditional accessibility planning.

And yet these are exactly the kinds of steps that make inclusion real for families.

Thank you for your time, your leadership, and your continued commitment to making Dayton a city where everyone belongs.

Thank you, thank you.

I call to the podium Ken Woods.

Hi, Queen.

Hi, Mayor.

Good evening.

I uh please state name and address for the record.

Oh, I'm Ken Woods, 3324 Delphus.

Okay.

I was discriminated against by a couple of your colleagues.

Uh Mayor.

Um, I used to be a uh community uh um uh gatherer and would send people out to the community for the Democratic Party and would send them out to pass out literature door to door.

And I did this for like over 15 years.

So back in 2015, I ran into a couple of your colleagues.

I would like to ask them, Mr.

Shaw and Mrs.

Joseph.

Are y'all shallow?

Are y'all shallow?

Please proceed.

You they wouldn't mean that meaning back and forth.

Please proceed to your comments.

There's a guy named Will, sometimes call him Ray.

We were we were the type of guys that would go gather people and take them out in the community for the Democratic Party.

So when Mr.

Shaw was running and they were over at the building behind me, the old building, um, I wanted to ask him a question before he while he was running for office.

And uh the lady that runs things down there, Miss Roberts.

She stepped in and says, I can't ask them a question in front of the whole community.

Family and friends.

She said, I can only ask them in front of these two guys.

And the question was when you cross the 30 street bridge, it looks good on the Miami.

Look to the right and left, the Miami River looks good.

But when you look down the corner straight ahead to the right, Wolf Creek looked like it's not even a part of date.

Miss Roberts stood in front of me and said, You will never work for the Democratic Party again.

And these two individuals turned around and walked away with her.

I never saw a bit of litership leadership in either one of them.

And y'all got them on a platform that's high where I can't see, but I can see them.

They're down here to me.

I'm a United States Air Force veteran.

And y'all discriminated against me.

And I wanted, can I get reinstated, reimbursed, an apology for my treatment from you guys.

I'm not official.

I'm a referee.

Do you have any further comments before your time runs out, Mr.

Woods?

Oh, thank you for your time.

I really appreciate it.

And it's good to see you guys looking fresh today.

Happy April 1st.

Thank you, Mr.

Woods.

Yes, thank you.

Thank you.

Oh, it never stopped y'all from eating, but it stopped me from eating.

I like to feed my family.

My family likes to eat also.

Thank you, Mr.

Woods.

I call to the podium Joseph Abrams.

Hi, uh Joseph Abrams.

I just moved 1608 Zenia Avenue.

Um yeah, I'm gonna say one thing that I've heard a recurring theme of uh this year a lot is safety.

Um it's a big deal.

A lot of people have been talking safety downtown.

We have a whole city.

I'm gonna say that the public speak spoken pretty resoundingly about what they think are uh priorities and safety and things that have actually come to the ballot.

Uh housing initiatives and issue nine for the hospital last year have gotten more votes than anybody I see sitting here in front of me.

Uh maybe all told, but definitely more than any individual race.

Um and we've made a little bit of strides in uh in housing.

Um that was nice to hear some rezoning.

That's private stuff.

There's been a lot of uh market rate stuff built.

And uh we were just gave two million for center city, right?

Um called the main line.

I don't know who comes up with these names, but that's what seems like a little bit more of whatever restriction you're putting on go into the same set of developers and see arcade people again.

And it seems to be uh these big numbers floating around to the same kind of hands all the time.

Uh and when it comes to the hospital, so far I've heard a lot of experts in what we can't afford.

And another thing I've heard this year is a lot about how we need more safety.

That's coming from in more police to make safety, and that's coming from like uh, you know, this working group from uh Mike Turner and uh Phil Plummer and a couple of our commissioners here, Sean Beckham, along with a lot of other people, uh uh the downtown Dayton Brook and Windows policing uh working group.

And uh you're getting a lot of advice about how we need more police stations, and we gotta add more funding to the budget for more police stations from uh the downtown Dayton partnership uh with their pearl clutching gentrification plants.

Um, but uh we just had a demonstration last week of how more policing is making downtown really dangerous for people who don't look like me.

Because I ride a bike and I don't get stopped, and I definitely have ridden without a light before.

There are people riding without a light every night.

I've not this is my first time hearing about somebody being murdered over not having a bike light.

Now, I know uh you know people want to make a lot of a big deal about him having a gun.

Uh we watched the video the police officer moved straight to search right from the beginning, right?

Um that's totally uncalled for.

No no announcement.

Um and if if you're worried about him having a gun, you know, I don't know if you heard there's this organized gang downtown that will kill somebody over not having a light on their bicycle.

And we want to give them more funding.

And I know all of this because of our system comes down to our city manager, this guy here and his boss, Shelley Dixteen.

Three-fifths of this of this commission has consistently uh stop police reform, stopped oversight.

We need to get rid of this police this uh city manager and get somebody who will actually work on the actual city's priorities.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Abrams.

I call to the podium Judith Hempfling.

Hello, everybody, um my name's Judith Hempling.

I'm my address is 225 West Limestone Street, Yellow Springs, Ohio.

I'm a member of the Greater Dayton Peace Coalition, and that's why I'm here tonight to support the idea of the city joining a Greater Dayton Peace Summit.

This would support Dayton's aspiration and effort to be a world leader in advocacy for peace locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Given its history and the needs of our world, it would be wonderful if the city of Day S Dayton would join such an effort, so gravely needed in our region and in the larger world.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Hampling.

That concludes legislation, Your Honor.

Thank you, Ms.

McLinda.

Mr.

Parlett, do you have any closing comments?

I have none, Your Honor.

Ms.

McClendon, do you have any closing comments?

I have none, Your Honor.

Thank you.

Commissioners, do you have any closing comments?

Commissioner Beckham.

Yes, Your Honor.

Uh I'll be very brief.

Uh want to thank all of the residents and citizens that came out uh tonight to speak.

Appreciate your comments and concerns.

Want to again uh congratulate Commissioner Joseph on now being the longest serving city commissioner in Dayton history.

Uh lastly, um just want to highlight uh Habitat for Humanity.

Um they have a wonderful uh program uh where they actually work with youth build and uh other youth organizations to build houses.

Um and those houses go to uh individuals that come through uh one of Habitat's uh housing programs, uh and uh the individuals that come through that program become homeowners for uh very little interest.

Um and last Friday I had the honor of attending one of those dedication ceremonies in the kitchen of that new home, and I just want to congratulate um uh Felicia and her family uh on our hard work uh and uh getting through that program and being a new homeowner in our city.

Uh so thank you, Habitat for Humanity for that excellent program and look forward to uh seeing greater and more investment uh to help residents in our city become homeowners uh for low interest that is.

So uh those are all my comments tonight.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Commissioner.

Commissioner Fairchild.

Yeah, um not only is today a day we recognize uh Commissioner Joseph, it's uh important day for the city of Dayton.

It was on April 1st, 1796 that the Thompson Party first made its way to the shores of the Great Miami River.

And so it's our 230th birthday today for Dayton.

So happy birthday, Dayton.

All right.

Thank you for that.

Yeah, you're welcome.

Um comments about the fact that it is on April's fourth.

Um I think Miss Fields left.

I wanted to thank her for coming and um sharing um awareness on autism acceptance month.

And uh I appreciate her comments and it her and um inviting us to look at how we make space for all of our young people, and uh I certainly want to make space uh for all of our young people, including Nate.

So I hope Nate gets to bed a good time tonight.

Um a couple of uh opportunities for folks.

Um the acclaimed musical SUFS, which tells us the story about the suffragettes, uh opened last night, and we'll run through um Easter Sunday.

Um a couple of uh opportunities for folks, um the acclaimed musical SUFS, which tells us story about the suffragettes, uh opened last night and will run through um Easter Sunday, and um it highlights uh the determined American women who fought tireless for the right to vote, and so you can check um the web for um Show Times.

Um personal note.

I was able to vote in the silent auction at the Legal Women Voters on uh local artist piece of work that honors the suffragettes.

It's a little wire sculpture about this big that says let us vote, and the artist is Laurie Ward, and the Schuster Center has been willing to display that piece of work as part of the Suffragette show.

So if you go to the show, you can see that piece of art by Lori Ward as well.

Um likewise the Montgomery County Arts Forum, Arts for All will be held at the Sinclair Conference Center on April 13th.

This event brings together local artists council, arts councils, and community partners to explore the impact of arts and culture in Montgomery County, as well as opportunities for collaboration to strengthen this vital part of our community.

And the forum takes place from noon to four, and it's free to attend.

Registration is required, and it closes on April 9th.

So invite you to that.

Um mindful that a few Fridays um Ramadan came to its conclusion.

Our Jewish brothers and sisters start to observe Passover this evening, and Christians are completing the season of Lent with uh coming through Holy Week with Good Friday on Friday and and uh Easter on Sunday morning.

Um all these great religions call us to recognize um uh humility and the fragility of life as well as um of the you know our inability sometimes to trust in the power of love and the trust of the power of God.

And so I'm mindful of that as people reflect both on um the violence that's been experienced in our own city but also internationally.

And uh we do have heavy hearts as we think about violence.

I personally think about violence as a failure every time violence has to be used.

And um, and this holy season helps remind us of that failure and in our need for me to look to God for um for guidance and and strength.

Um in 2014, John Crawford was shot in a Walmart, and I was serving a church in Bellbrook.

And it just struck me that if a young man from Bellbrook had been shot in the Walmart and Browbrook, the whole community would come together and say, oh my gosh, this is tragic.

And what can we do to make sure this never happens again?

Umfortunately, that's not our response.

Um then um and in many times of our violence.

We see it through our own lenses and not through an opportunity to create a better community.

Interesting, that same Belberg community who didn't show much compassion for John Crawford, showed a lot of compassion for the shooter of the Oregon district and his family, because he was from Bellbrook, and that community came rightly around that family and showed them compassion in a really tragic time.

And so I just um as I reflect on that.

I just encourage people to think about a little bit more compassion for all.

Uh compassion for those who are the victims of violence, compassion for those who are put in uh responsibility to exercise uh law enforcement.

Um, because we should all be coming together and saying, how do we make this better?

And how do we do it differently?

Um Mr.

Yusuf, I appreciate your invitation to the peace summit.

A notice right in front of you with Mayor Mims who initiated our peace campaign.

And uh to my left is Mayor Turner Sloss, who has a vision about uh building on that foundation that uh Mayor Mims gave us to reimagine public safety, and uh my hope is that this community comes together around this vision of peace for this city and we find ways to do it better.

Thank you, Commissioner.

Commissioner Shell.

Thank you.

Uh on April 8th from 8 a.m.

to 12 p.m., the Dayton Region Minority Business Assistance Center will be collaborating with the City of Dayton's Human Relations Council to present on how the city and the state of Ohio purchase goods and services.

The session is intended to help small businesses learn how to win government, win government contracts.

And the session will take place in the upper deck of the hub at 31 South Main Street at the RKA.

Seats are limited, and registration is required.

And you can find out more information and register at the Dayton Chamber.org.

And for questions, you can call 937-226-8280.

And that reminds me, uh I was at the hub last week with the city manager, and we celebrated the five-year anniversary of the hub powered by PNC Bank.

But they are still doing great work supporting entrepreneurs.

And scaling up small businesses, and that's just uh and a very important need.

So congratulations to everyone involved in that uh process and to all of you.

Uh that investment was one of the first votes that I had, I think, Matt, on this on this commission.

And so glad that we decided to keep this going and really uh infuse uh opportunity there because I think it's uh well I know it's being um it's uh it's it's working.

So uh thank you for all of those who attended uh that day.

And uh I really just impress uh uh I appreciate the investment that uh uh University of Dayton, PNC Bank, and so many others uh made in that uh location, but also the opportunity that it gives entrepreneurs in our community.

Thanks, Mayor.

Thank you, Commissioner.

Commissioner Joseph.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh Commissioner, you you I want to mention and make sure that people realize that a lot of our focus on entrepreneurs and on assisting businesses is uh due to your advocacy.

So thank you for your work in that space.

We saw survey results earlier today that that looks may seem like we're reaching out to folks.

People are more and more satisfied with our outreach to small business and entrepreneurs, so that's in large part to your work.

So I appreciate that.

Uh I want to mention that the City Office of Sustainability and Fiber Rivers Metro Parks will be hosting the Earth Dayton Kickoff Earth Dayton.

Kick off at Second Street Market Saturday, April 4th this Saturday from 9 to 3.

Uh we are dedicated to sustainability.

Um we are host or working with the second street market and with Five Rivers to host this event to talk about uh it's it's like a mini expo for sustainability.

So there'll be a chance to drive electric cars, uh, talk about litter cleanup and other local sustainable sustainability partners and cleanup partners talking about their work.

So come to Second Street Market this Saturday from 9 to 3 to talk about that.

Finally, I want to thank everyone again.

It was really nice surprise.

Uh and I want to mention again that if it wasn't for colleagues like this and the colleagues who've sat here before you all and excellent staff and partners in the community, that nothing will get done.

It it doesn't.

We'll have to work together, and I really appreciate all your all support and your work and your help and the work that went into organizing this today.

It was it was a really nice surprise, and I really appreciate it.

So thank you all.

Thank you, Commissioner.

Just have a couple of brief comments this evening.

Uh, would like to again congratulate you and thank you to all that came out this this evening in honor and in recognizing the work of Commissioner Joseph.

So congratulations.

Um and thank you for being here, Mayor Mims as well, and all of the elected officials that joined us this evening.

Ms.

Jackson and to uh Ms.

Blackshare, the entire commission staff, kudos to you all.

I know this was a heavy lift, and especially we're trying to keep it a secret.

So kudos to you all, and thank you very much.

Um I also like to recognize the work of uh the recreation department uh last weekend, I believe it was, was the Easter egg hunt, and I'm sure it was uh a great success.

I will also, if we could acknowledge HRC.

We have some new staff members that have joined the organization.

Please rec stand up to be recognized, please.

Thank you for joining the team.

We have plenty of work for you.

Um so welcome aboard.

Thank you.

I'll also like to note that tomorrow, April the second is Black Maternal Environmental Health Day, which highlights the link between environmental conditions and black maternal health and the importance of clean air, safe housing, and healthy environments for better outcomes.

Black Maternal Health Week will be observed April the set the 11th through the 17th, excuse me, with events hosted by Public Health Dayton and Montgomery County.

Residents can register on Eventbrite.

Uh the event will take place on April the 11th at 11 30 a.m.

Um and there will be a panel as well as a screening, excuse me, and a panel discussion at the Crocs Center.

And again, that's April the 11th at 11:30 a.m.

April 13th at 5 p.m., the Maternal Mental Health and Resilience Panel at the Northwest Library.

So please govern yourself accordingly.

The other thing that I would like to mention as well is that this Friday, the City of Dayton offices will be closed.

Thank you, Ms.

Jackson.

Close on Friday, April the 3rd, in observance to the holiday Good Friday.

Thank you, Lee Ohio, for being here.

Miss Justine Kelly and family, thank you for your advocacy and your leadership.

Thank you, Mr.

Alzane, Miss Body, Miss Mary Sue, Ben Williams, Talas, Jay Avery, and Ms.

Fields, thank you for your advocacy.

Mr.

Woods, Mr.

Abrams, and Judith Hebing, I believe.

I probably butchered that, but nonetheless, thank you very much for being here as well.

And I just would like to echo my colleagues' uh comments.

Commissioner Fairchild, thank you very much for recognizing.

I know this is some very challenging times for many of us abroad and in our own uh backyard.

But note that this commission is, and I hope I'm fair to say that.

I don't want to go out on the limb, but we are in fact committed to doing the work.

Uh we're committed to strengthening a respectable, mutual, respectable community policing relationship in our community that is based on uh justice, fairness, communication, and transparency.

So uh we hear your concerns, know that we are going to continue to work uh steadfast and with urgency and with transparency to make sure that we're uplifting the work that has been done and continue on so that we all can do better.

So we uh accept the invite of Mr.

Alzane for a peace summit.

I look forward to seeing the information again.

My colleagues and I, we will have some some conversation, deliberation on how we can be of support to the peace summit.

But I know what Commissioner Joseph with his background, he will probably be uh all in it.

Um so again, thank you very much for your your commitment and your dedication.

And with no further business come before the commission this evening, this meeting is adjourned.