Mayor Kapszukiewicz names chief of staff

1/19/2018

Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, not pictured, introduces Katy Crosby as his new chief of staff at One Government Center on January 19, 2018.

The Blade/Amy E. Voigt
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Katy Crosby, former executive director of Dayton’s Human Relations Council, will serve as Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz’s chief of staff.

The mayor announced the hire at a Friday morning press conference.

Ms. Crosby, 40, will work with deputy chiefs of staff Karen Poore and Abby Arnold to oversee day-to-day operations of the city. Her first day will be March 5.

“Katy is another example of the team that we deliberately set out to create. That is a team of young, energetic, talented, optimistic professionals,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said. “That’s what we set out to do, and that’s what I think we’ve accomplished.”

The City of Dayton’s Human Relations Council investigates discrimination complaints about housing, employment, public accommodation, and credit, Mr. Kapszukiewicz said. It also oversees the development of the city’s Fair Housing Assessment and provides business and technical assistance to minority groups, women, and small, disadvantaged companies.

Ms. Crosby served as the organization’s executive director for six years and oversaw a staff of 17, she said. For six years before that she served as assistant director.

“Toledo is very similar to Dayton. It’s a bigger city than Dayton, but it has very similar issues. So I think a lot of what I’ve learned in Dayton I’m able to bring to Toledo,” she said.

Ms. Crosby is board secretary to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, where she has negotiated with banks across Ohio to increase access to capital, mortgage lending, and community development projects for low to moderate-income communities. She also is a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Ohio Advisory Committee.

Toledo Councilman Peter Ujvagi said he knows Ms. Crosby through his involvement with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition and said he is impressed by her “deep understanding of neighborhoods” and “strong reputation in the business community.”

“She works very hard on neighborhoods and on banks being recommitted to investing in urban areas,” he said. “She really is good. She’s going to be great.”

City officials said they did not have her salary available because it has not yet been approved by city council.

Ms. Crosby is spending the weekend in Toledo participating in the mayor’s inauguration events before she officially begins in March.

“I plan to spend the first 90 days meeting and getting to know people, understanding the players, understanding what the challenges are ...  really understanding at the neighborhood level what are some of the concerns,” she said.

Mr. Kapszukiewicz in a December speech to the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce had referenced the candidate he believed would be his chief of staff, but on Friday he said the woman he was discussing was not Ms. Crosby. He had narrowed his search to three Ohioans, and the woman he thought was going to take the post did not want to leave her hometown.

The Kapszukiewicz administration is still looking for a finance director and director of economic and business development. It is possible the city will hire a firm to help expand their search, the mayor said.

Contact Sarah Elms at selms@theblade.com, 419-724-6103, or on Twitter @BySarahElms.