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Mike Turner served as Dayton's mayor from 1994 through 2001. During his time in office he oversaw rapid change, and ushered in an exciting period in the city's rich history. Through his steadfast leadership Mike brought about award winning improvements in struggling neighborhoods, improved public safety and police response time, attracted new businesses and activities to downtown, instituted needed reform in city hall and balanced the budget. His far-reaching accomplishments while mayor demonstrate Mike's long-standing commitment to working for us.
As mayor, Mike Turner successfully worked to improve the quality of life in Dayton neighborhoods. By investing over $330 million in new housing developments, as well as forming partnerships with local homebuilders, Mike ushered in a new era of residential living in Dayton. In 2001, new housing construction in the city increased by 51%, while declining 9% in the region. Moreover, he created Rehabarama and Citirama. These nationally recognized ventures focused on combining the restoration of historic homes with new construction, and were held in McPherson Town, Huffman, Dayton View, Wright-Dunbar, South Park and the Hook Estate.
Making Dayton a safer place to live and work was a top priority for Mayor Turner. He put 54 additional police officers on the streets, which led to a 30% reduction in response time for emergencies. His efforts also led to a 14% drop in violent crime, as well as a reduction in auto theft. Mike implemented a focused plan for traffic enforcement with a goal of issuing over 40,000 traffic citations in order to make neighborhoods safer. Additionally, Turner and the City Commission sought resident input by convening a citizen led Crime Task Force, which made important recommendations on other ways to improve safety. Such collaboration resulted in zoning police patrols so officers could become familiar with specific neighborhoods.
Understanding the importance of the business community to the success of the city, Mike focused on bringing new industry and jobs downtown. He worked closely with City, County and business leaders to have the new Relizon corporate headquarters, now WorkflowOne, constructed on the site of the old Sears building, bringing in nearly 500 new jobs. In addition to this, Mike worked tirelessly to create Tool Town (now Tech Town), which reused a brownfields site to be a focus for new jobs downtown. During this process Mayor Turner testified before Congress, which helped to attract federal funding and national interest in this proactive approach to rebuilding an industry and reclaiming underutilized manufacturing sites.
Riverscape, the Dayton Dragons minor league baseball team, and the start of construction on the Schuster Performing Arts Center all combined to bring entertainment and family fun to downtown while Mike was mayor. He held the line on unlimited city funding during construction of the Dragons award-winning stadium, and as a result it was the only one in the state that came in on budget. Additionally, Mike convinced members of the business community to purchase the old Lazarus building and hold the site until a worthwhile project came along. The site now houses the successful Schuster Performing Arts Center, which serves as a symbol and venue for our vibrant performing arts organizations.
When Mike took office in 1994, the city was facing an $80 million budget deficit. By reviewing budget priorities and involving the community in eliminating waste, he not only balanced the budget every year but found the money to invest in the neighborhood, downtown and economic development projects that changed the face of the city.
As mayor, Turner established Dayton's reputation as a leader in the movement to reclaim brownfields sites. In addition to serving on the Governor's task force on urban revitalization, Mike testified before Congress on the need to change federal policies that inhibit redevelopment of brownfields. Mike has continued his advocacy on the issue as a member of Congress by introducing national brownfields legislation in the House. Mayor Turner also helped protect the environment with his work to continue cleanup at the Valleycrest Landfill in 2001. The site was in danger of losing federal support for the disposal of dangerous toxic materials, but through close collaboration with community leaders and a personal appeal to the President, Mike was able to convince the administration to continue the cleanup.
Building Homes In America’s Cities: Dayton’s Commitment
Dayton Flying High: Community Report 1999-2000
Huffman Neighborhood Rehabarama: 1996
State of the City Address: 1995
State of the City Address: 1996
State of the City Address: 1997
State of the City Address: 1998
State of the City Address: 1999
State of the City Address: 2000
State of the City Address: 2001
