Dayton leaders lobby for region at annual D.C. fly-in

FILE

FILE

Dayton-area leaders will lobby for local funding priorities at an annual Washington D.C. fly-in that starts today.

More than 120 people arrived in D.C. Tuesday morning for the 34th Community Leader Washington Fly-In, arranged by the Dayton Development Coalition, which is a private economic development corporation that also handles public economic incentives.

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“We often talk about collaboration at the (Dayton Development Coalition), and we take great pride in how business, government, academia, and the non-profit sector come together to support our region and ‘speak with one voice.’ We see the Fly-In as this collaborative ideal come to life,” stated Jeff Hoagland, president and CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition.

The group will speak to elected officials and “show support for our federal installations.”

Leading up to the meeting, a committee with the Dayton Development Coalition makes a priority list of what projects to push for during the fly-in.

Dozens of applicants, from universities to hospitals to nonprofits, submit proposals on why their project should be on the priority list for federal and state money. The committee picks top proposals and then advocates for funding from both Congress and the Ohio General Assembly.

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For the list of this year's projects the committee picked, read more here.

As part of the fly-in, there will also be three keynote speakers: Barry Jackson, former aide to former House Speaker John Boehner; Lucian Niemeyer, Assistant Secretary of Defense in charge of installations; and Loren Thompson, defense analyst.

This year, two students from the Dayton Early College Academy, junior Yejide Bolajoko Amaris Rodriguez and senior Dale Maurice Robinson II, are also part of the fly-in.

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