Same as it ever was…
Dayton voters love the status quo, the safe, the boring, the lame and the same.
Matt Joseph and Dean Lovelace get to sit as placeholders on the City Commission for four more years (until Dean resigns to open up a special election for Rhine McLin after she gets beaten in the commission race in 2 years).
At the Dayton Board of Education- despite voting to give the biggest tax evading corporation in the nation a hall pass, Nancy Nearny (who nearly didn’t make it on the ballot) beat Rev William Schooler by 500 votes to retain her seat, with newcomer Reverend Robert Walker coming in second to labor favorite Sheila Taylor. The crazy thing is – Taylor and Nearny appointed Schooler less than 6 months ago.
Same as it ever was.
Organized labor sent the Republican Governor and the State Senate a message on messing with their collective bargaining- but by almost the same measure, the Obama attempt as universal health care took a smack down showing that Ohio voters are a fickle and not particularly insightful bunch.
Saying these results will have any bearing on next year’s presidential race would be presumptuous- Ohio is still up in the air.
Newcomer Mark Manovich got the serious smack down, with a less than stellar showing, and Gary Leitzell showed his lameness by backing a candidate who pulled the sympathy vote. Don’t expect Leitzell to be elected again.
We can all go to sleep in our city knowing things will stay the same as they ever were and dream of yet another time and place when something sensible finally occurs on voting day.
And, btw- once again, I got to vote for three unopposed judges, as if letting them run until they turn 100 would matter… we still don’t believe in true choice in our (s)elections, so it’s a good thing Issue 1 was going down and they have to back out at 70.
Here is the new boss, same as the old boss – in the spirit of quoting song lyrics.
Unfortunately being new back to Ohio I didn’t get to vote. I did hear however from a few people that the language used to describe Issue 3 on the ballots looked as though it had been written by Kasich himself (anyone take a mental note of that?)… a little unbiased information may have at least given it a shot… but still probably not.
Term limits… It will take of the inevitable “corruption”, stop the status quo, bring in fresh ideas and thinking.
If a position truly requires a business-savvy person, for example, make it a non-elected position. Hire people based on experience, qualifications, etc, not on what party they belong to or how much money they spent campaigning and making their name known.
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Regarding McLin not winning when she runs, I don’t see her losing… :(
If exhibiting an ounce of loyalty to someone who was a major contributor of time and effort to my campaign in 2009 is a demonstration of “lameness” then you obviously have no loyalty to those of us that helped you in your efforts. If you haven’t been paying attention, Dayton has gone from being a dying city to being a progressive city in less than two years at little cost to the taxpayer. If “being lame” is what it takes to move Dayton forward then maybe I should demonstrate this quality more often! I hear that open door to my office slowly closing. ;)
Is Dayton progressing? I am curious in what ways. Stagnating seems more appropriate.
If someone has a reputation as a Dayton slumlord, who has also left people all over Dayton waiting for payments promised but never delivered, yet donates some time to the Mayor’s campaign….
And because of Pace’s assistance to the Mayor’s campaign, our Mayor endorses this clown, despite his only real idea expressed during the campaign being Somalian style financing. Sorry to say Mayor, but you just threw your hat into the idiot bowl. You should have done a lot more research on who William Pace is and what Daytonians think about him.
Beyond community reputation, it’s about ideas.
Pace had no ideas past Somlian-style financing, was evasive when answering questions about his financial past, and is known to Daytonians as a bad cable-access lounge singer who would pay people to come see him at the Victoria Theatre. Pace also has quite an outrageous reputation in the gay community, but I won’t go there having no intimate knowledge of that side of Mr. Pace.
If the Mayor of Dayton doesn’t have good enough judgement to stay 100-feet away from William Pace, he probably doesn’t have the judgement and leadership skills necessary to lead a large city.
David, will you leave that ^^post^^ up since it’s not signed with the person’s real name that you’re so insistent on ? :)
@Hall- Bubba Jones isn’t the guys real name- the rule is to use the same moniker every time. This was a first time poster from what I can tell. I’m going to leave it.
Unless people give me a better reason to get rid of it. The “attacks” are all factual- or carefully skirt the outright name calling- and- since Pace did run- he’s a little more of a public figure- and vulnerable.
He’s plus 4 on the bozo meeter right now.
Mayor,
I like you, voted for you, and I still think you’re better than most of the status quo politicians in this city, but your judgment in supporting Pace is very distressing to me. His unethical behavior as a classic slumlord is widely known. Slumlords are one of the greatest enemies the neighborhoods of this city have in their efforts to revitalize.
You chose to ignore this, out of loyalty. That’s the kind of politics that have come very close to ruining this city. I thought you stood for something else. Please don’t go down that road, and don’t allow your support to be bought.
Funny, I get a bunch of “thumbs downs” but still no examples of how Dayton is “progressive” or even improving. Blind pride? Please, give me some examples. I’d like to believe Dayton is getting better, but I see little evidence, and honestly this past election only cements my position that Dayton is indeed in a period of stagnation, like much of the rest of the country.
To the naysayers who do not know me personally, I first met Mr. Pace in August 2009. He contacted me by phone and offered to support me. He worked very hard on my campaign and took a lot of personal abuse as a result of supporting me. I suspect that the same people who insulted him are the same people wanting to insult me. I did investigate his public record. I was aware of his business history and he told me his side of the story. The answer was reasonable and acceptable to me. The public record shows that he currently owns one property. The one he lives in. If he currently owns rental property and is a “slumlord” then please tell me where it currently is so that I can investigate further. If he no longer owns rental property then anything regarding such is moot because circumstances change. When I took office everyone who showed support for the incumbent thought I would go on a witch hunt. Something politicians do to justify their victory. I did not. That was not going to move Dayton forward. So I ignored the mistakes of the past and focused on the future. Those who know me realize that I am open minded, considerate and above all, fair. My decisions are mine to make and mine alone. I do not need to consult with a political party before I sign a piece of paper or support a cause. I never endorsed Mr. Pace or any other candidate. He asked for advice, metal sign stands and always asked for money. That is what he does and I accept him for who he is. Sometimes I gave him a check, sometimes I did not. He invited me to every fund raising event he had. Sometimes I went, many times I did not. No other candidate asked me for anything. No other candidate personally invited me to a fund raiser. Had they asked, it is very likely that I would have attended. You see, what I really support is the system that we have. I am… Read more »
I’ll agree- Mayor Leitzell didn’t go out of his way to support Pace. However, it must also be mentioned that when Pace was working on Leitzell’s campaign- buying media and fund-raising- he was making money. Pace received 10% of all money he raised for Leitzell (please correct me if I’m wrong Gary).
I still think we need to do some serious charter changes on the election, recall and petition process. I don’t see that happening with Gary’s 1 vote and weak voice on the commission. Just like Turner- you need 3 votes to really do anything- and Gary doesn’t have the other 2.
David, you are correct. When William started bringing checks to me very late in the game (September 2009) I drafted a very nice incentivised contract. Having been an insurance salesman in my former life I understood the power of commission driven sales. The more Mr. Pace could make for me then the more he could make for himself. I had several people volunteer to raise funds prior to September but no one actually came through with anything. Mr. Pace also made a 15% commission as an agency fee for placing my radio ads and billboard advertising which I believe is common in the industry. The William Pace that I know today is not the same William Pace that I knew just two years ago and would certainly not be the same man described by some people here for what he may or may not have done 10 or more years ago.
@Dan, We are progressive as a result of our Welcome Dayton plan. It has got us international attention and there is still more national media coverage to come. There was also an announcement today regarding a policy statement that will improve community/police relations which is absolutely huge for Dayton. If you are looking for tangeble improvements, GE Aviation is huge although Esrati does not like the financing, new homes being built downtown and selling at a faster pace than construction is also progress. Recycling is big and the fact that the city is more transparent in it’s availability of information is an improvement on where we were less than two years ago. There is much more on the horizon and many things that have changed that you may not classify as progress that really are. Dayton really is a world class city but you have to see it and believe it before you can sell it.
@Dan, maybe people are waiting for your examples of “stagnation”
>>> @Hall- Bubba Jones isn’t the guys real name- the rule is to use the same moniker every time. <<<
How did I get dragged into this? I didn’t post anything on this thread! DE – did you edit Hall’s post? Did he originally have my name in his post indicating that I posted something under a different name?
No, Bubba, I did not name you in my post. I’ve no idea who you are or if in fact that’s your real (nick) name.
@Bubba- Hall complained about “mayor puleeze” commenting without his real name- that’s how your name came up.
I didn’t complain. I expected you to be consistent.
Do you know for a fact that all the statements made are 100% “factual” ? Just because maybe you’ve heard the same thing(s) doesn’t make them so.
@ Hall and Leitzell I lived here for about 6 years, then moved to Portland, OR for 7 and a half years, traveled all around the west, and now I’m back. Obviously I like Dayton and am back here partly because I feel that people like myself are needed in places like Dayton. Much more so than the west coast where progress seems to happen on a daily and very visible basis. Of course my definition of progress might be different than both of of yours, as well as the standards I use to measure it.
On my use of stagnation: I’m not going to go into too much detail here but for me Dayton doesn’t feel any different than when I left nearly 8 years ago (I know I missed the worst of times). This is obviously based purely on the intangible and difficult to assess, but perception is just as important as hard data. However, that feeling coupled with the fact that half the people I know that live in this city have to leave Dayton and its outskirts (as far away as Cincinnati in some cases) to find work, and there seems to be (at least visually) an increase in crumbling property… these are a couple of the factors that lead to my assessment of stagnation.
Thank you Gary Leitzell for your response, it was exactly what I was looking for. Being new here again I’ve been doing some catching up on what’s been happening and is happening. I did some reading on the Welcome Dayton Plan and it is indeed what I would call “progressive.” Good work there. I still think Dayton has quite a bit of catching up to do though for me to define the city itself as “progressive.” From what I remember of Dayton’s political climate enacting forward thinking policy can be almost like swimming upstream, if it ever gets drafted in the first place. I have high standards, but also high hopes and I’m paying attention.
…Oh those lame, boring and uninsightful Buckeye voters. They voted to give the cops and firemen what they wanted, but at the same time told the Great Helmsman to take his health care plan and insert it in an area that normally only sees thermometers. Of course, dear David, those defenders of the Ohio electorate might say that what seems an ideological inconsistancy is in fact a careful reading of the economic times; a early Valentine to those public servants most cherished while simultaneously reading the tea-leaves as to how Obamacare will be a disaster to Buckeyes’ freedom and fiscal health. The Old Bandito is convinced that one of the major reason for the collapse of the great daily newspapers was the nose-holding, we-know-what’s-best-for-you-peasants attitude held by the editors and staff. And twas a time when, even in defeat, a politico would never berate, belittle or besmirch the electorate. And mirabile dictu, dear David, half of them got elected…
In the early 1900s or so, when alcohol prohibition was about, I saw on TV where a group of women in Dayton, OH, started a group against men drinking too much booze or any alcohol, and also in Cincinnati. I thought that to be very cool, right here in Dayton, OH.
And so now the movement is still fresh, women leading in big companies where men need the jobs. Women need to raise their children and let the husband go to work like it should be, like it was …
The biggest downfall in Dayton right now is little employment for middle-aged men! Thank God for the base, but many of those jobs are held by women, too. Just my opinion, which will be slammed I’m sure!
Women are supposed to be pretty, love their men, but I don’t see it all anymore these days! :-(
@ Gary Yikes!!!! You can’t be serious.
@ Dan-
Oh yes Dan, I’m quite serious … Watch the news and see how many kids are in trouble and in juvi … because their moms want to work and have more shampoo money, while their kids go astray from a disciplined lifestyle. Some jobs women do well like nursing and secretaries. But Dayton is weak in hiring men anymore- companies are hiring big girls, gay boys and minorities and they are getting all the jobs, not educated men like me (sorry David E. I know you don’t like me whining about no work). I could be doing manual labor jobs or some meanial job, but I’m tired of working with idiots, thieves, grouchy women and sarcastic supervisors, back stabbers, etc.
But I love Dayton and my folks are here, there just aren’t many jobs here, even if one has two degrees!
Ahhh…. chauvanist, sexist, racist and homophobic. Nice. Blaming everyone but yourself and your own inability to adapt to the modern world… typical. I can almost guarantee the problem isn’t lack of jobs Gary… it’s just you. Last I checked kids are raised by two parents, not one, but if it is one it’s most often the mother doing what she can to get by, and that needs to be respected. I can think of a TON of wonderful, hardworking, disciplined people (my sister and I included) who had two great working parents, and many other awesome team-working parents currently raising great kids. Your 1950’s b.s. dream is dead. Good luck on the way out Gary.
Whatever Dan, maybe you are right, but you sure are getting many bozo votes here! Are you saying that in 1950 there were more jobs and it was easier to get one with a degree?
Now that the troops are coming home and many new graduates are around, it’s going to be harder to find work, except for holiday help.
The latest Census – which I did for good pay – is showing many new poor populations. I’m not a brown nose, but I have worked all my life, I just cannot take the abuse anymore, as in being blamed for everything that goes awry at work! Most of my female supers were witches, too!
Sorry everyone, it’s just depressing getting so many rejections … :-)