Dayton’s inauguration was full of energy, faith, and talk of safety, but the real test will be whether city leadership matches its words with action. From downtown fear narratives and developer subsidies to transparency, basic services, and neighborhood accountability, the contradictions were impossible to ignore. If Dayton is serious about change, it has to stop performing and start governing.

Congressman Mike Turner announces a downtown Dayton “safety” press conference without listing a time, place, or public access, continuing a long pattern of closed-door governance and security theater. As political leaders frame fear instead of fixing root causes like housing, mental health care, and transit design, Dayton’s real problem remains governance, not safety.

As 2026 begins, this post reflects on a year spent fighting government dysfunction, legal obstruction, and political cowardice in Ohio. From a pro se Supreme Court appeal and the growing push to end qualified immunity, to jail brutality cases, broken local governance, and the myth of economic development wins, the piece examines how fragmented jurisdictions, lack of accountability, and misplaced priorities continue to cost taxpayers dearly. It argues that affordability, consolidation, and constitutional accountability will define the coming political battles, both in Ohio and nationally.

Dayton spent $334K on two stainless-steel “Portland Loo” toilets that lock overnight, while hundreds sleep in cars with no legal place to park. Other cities have safe parking programs with restrooms, security, and services. Dayton could do the same. Here’s how.

This post is a bit different- the first of the Tattler edition looks at a pattern of power behaving badly. From Clerk of Courts Mike Foley allegedly violating probation in plain sight, to Judge David Brannon’s re-election bid amid mounting criticism, to a Democratic Party leadership that seems incapable of self-correction, the throughline is institutional impunity. I also explain why I am consulting counsel about a potential federal civil-rights action under Section 1983, drawing on my own history of challenging government abuse and forcing accountability when local systems fail.