WATCH: Community Conversation focuses on how billions in federal relief money should be spent

Construction workers guide a roof beam into place as work continues on the second phase of the Topre plant. Bill Lackey/Staff

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

Construction workers guide a roof beam into place as work continues on the second phase of the Topre plant. Bill Lackey/Staff

Billions of federal dollars and hundreds of local decisions are transforming our communities and fueling recovery from the COVID downturn. You can follow the coverage of our new project Dayton Daily News Investigates Billions in COVID aid: Where it’s going.

In addition to asking local governments to show how they’re spending taxpayer money and keeping an eye out for waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement, we’re asking our readers to see how you want to see this money spent in your communities.

That’s why we hosted a Community Conversation at noon Wednesday, May 18 to discuss plans from around our region.

The discussion will be co-hosted by Dayton Daily News Community Impact Editor Nick Hrkman and investigative journalist Josh Sweigart. The panel will include experts and decision-makers from around the area:

  • Michael Colbert, Montgomery County administrator
  • Shelley Dickstein, Dayton city manager
  • Derrick Foward, Dayton Unit NAACP president
  • Alison Goebel, executive director of the Greater Ohio Policy Center
  • Terry Posey, Miami Twp. Trustee

The Community Conversation can be watched live on the Dayton Daily News Facebook page.

Community Conversations are a Dayton Daily News series of moderated panel discussions on topics important to the Dayton region. You can watch April’s Community Conversation on immigration, March’s Community Conversation about how the pandemic has affect child development, January’s that focused on the region’s economic outlook for 2022 and December’s Community Conversation about Wright-Patt Air Force Base.

What questions or concerns do you have about how local officials are using federal funds? Take our anonymous survey.

Michael Colbert is Montgomery County Administrator

Credit: HUE12, LLC

icon to expand image

Credit: HUE12, LLC

City Manager Shelley Dickstein

Credit: Contributed

icon to expand image

Credit: Contributed

Alison Goebel

icon to expand image

ajc.com

icon to expand image

Derrick Foward is president of the NAACP Dayton unit.

icon to expand image