Dayton City's Updated Website

Looks like everyone is updating their websites. In addition to the Downtown Dayton Partnership's new and improved site, City Hall has updated theirs as well. Check it out.

When residency requirement is a good thing...

Kudos to the decision makers who decided to rescind the offer to David Brigham to make him the new director for the Dayton Art Institute.  It is one thing to have the "face of the community" live in the Dayton suburbs - which would likely happen (though the former director did actually live in Downtown Dayton).  But for the director of the city's (and region's) most highly regarded museum to live in a totally different city is just ridiculous.  Unless Mr. Brigham had some valid family reasons for living in Cinci, his choice to not live in the Dayton region as the director of DAI was a slap in the face of our community.

It is nice to see that leadership is willing to say "no thanks" to somebody who isn't willing to live in the community that he is to serve.  There are other qualified candidates out there that value what we have in Dayton.

Dayton Daily News
Link: DAI director loses job for living plans.

David Brigham, the 43-year-old Ph.D. from Allentown, Pa., who was selected as the new director and CEO of the Dayton Art Institute, will not be coming to Dayton after all.

DAI board chairman Joseph A. Zehenny announced Tuesday that the museum is resuming its search for a new director because of Brigham's desire to live in the Cincinnati area instead of Dayton.

Mr. Gower - We couldn't have put it better ourselves!

Ok, for those of you that read all of the local blogs - we know that Esrati has already beat us to the punch on this one.  I've become so numb to the constant negativity that comes from our local news media when it comes to news about the City of Dayton, I didn't think twice when I had read the headline "Residents leaving Dayton in Droves".  I just shook my head and thought to myself - "typical!!"

It was refreshing to see that our friend John Gower (Director of Planning and Development for the City of Dayton) did not simply shake his head - he actually rebutted the story (and columnist's choice of headline words) in a way that has us saying - "way to go, John!!!"

Dayton - A "Smart City"?

If you are a regular reader on Dayton MostMetro, you have probably seen more than a couple of references to Smart City Radio - a radio program broadcast on several NPR stations across the country that discusses "urban life and the people, places, ideas and trends shaping cities."  If you are in a leadership position in our city or county, this should be required listening for you.  As for the rest of us, it is a very interesting look at what people elsewhere in the country (and even world) are doing to better their cities.  The show also lets us know that Dayton is certainly not alone in our challenges, and that anything is possible.

Dayton and the Creative Class

     Last night, Richard Florida (American economist and urban studies theorist) spoke at Wright State University.  His book Rise of the Creative Class was one of the things that inspired me to get more involved with urban advocacy.  Yes, I am included in that creative class group - I'm in my 30's, I am an entrepreneur, I work with technology, I live downtown, I enjoy coffee shops, I go to the theater.  But that isn't what Florida's "Creative Class" is all about, despite what many people believe.  No matter what your profession, if you frequently express yourself either through art, music, writing (even bloggers), acting, etc., then you are in fact creative and thus in this group.  If you work at a job where you use your mind to create - whether that is at a software company or a manufacturing plant where your input leads to process improvement - you are in the creative group.  The point is, many people think of this "creative class" idea and think that it only applies to high tech people or artists.  Those "yuppie types" as I've heard some people say.  But as Florida spoke last night, he emphasized the fact that this class of people is not very exclusive; most of us are indeed creative and thus are part of this group.

Congratulations to Rashad Young!

We at Dayton MostMetro.com are excited to see that the City of Dayton has selected Rashad Young as the city's next City Manager. We wish him luck as we begin a new and exciting chapter in Dayton's future.

City Commission lists 2 for city manager

Well, it sounds like the city is FINALLY going to decide on a city manager. Though there are now two local candidates, in my opinion the city is going to make an offer to Rashad Young. This is an interesting move given Mr. Young's age (30?) and subsequent inexperience. The flip side to that is: perhaps getting young blood in there that actually has A LOT of power to make changes is the best thing this city could hope for - especially when it is homegrown talent that might not view the position as simply a stepping stone to a better job in a better city.

Once this decision is final, we can then move on to filling another position that is possibly just as important to Dayton - Director of Economic Development. If the city manager can get the right person in this position and the two can work together at improving the business environment and attracting new investment, the city may start to turn things around.

By Joanne Huist Smith
Dayton Daily News
Link: City Commission lists 2 for city manager.

2 down, 2 to go

Link: 2 Dayton city manager candidates withdraw applications.

Joanne Huist Smith

Craig Malin, city administrator in Davenport, Iowa and Thomas J. Hutka, former city manager of Port Huron, Michigan have both pulled out their applications for Dayton City Manager.  Malin returned to his job and Davenport and Hutka took a different job offer.

Poor Leadership v Good Leadership

In the current search for a new City Manager it is important to look to what this city needs. It may be as simple as good leadership. As this article describes, there can be good or great ideas that fall short because of the lack of decent leadership or management. The article is a response to a study that showed leadership affects six key indicators of an organization's working environment. These include the flexibility, sense of responsibility, level of standards, sense of accuracy, clarity, and also (one of the most important) the level of commitment to a common goal.
This may seem to be common sense, obviously there is a difference between the two types of leadership. What the author of this article purposes is that the idea that has to be changed is that leadership is more than taking a class. It “is not just a set of tasks -- it is a way of thinking and behaving”.
This study could be related to any profession but as the article suggests it is very important in planning where ideas can’t be put into action without a certain level of commitment from the leadership to the project. Hopefully when a new City Manager is hired there will be a strong leader to help with turn good ideas into great projects.

source: Planetizen.com
How Bad Leadership Spoils Good Planning
Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

In many ways, a successful urban planner is first and foremost a leader, yet far too many professionals lack the ability to lead, and ignore the importance of cultivating good leadership shills