‘Everyone felt welcome;' City leaders talk post-NATO
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Assistant City Manager for Dayton, Joe Parlette, said the city is pleased overall with how the NATO conference went.
He believes the emphasis and transparency about security discouraged potential troublemakers.
He admits they are hearing from some businesses that didn't do as well as hoped or simply closed because of the anticipated hassle.
'I know people around the community that themselves have recognized that foot traffic might have been a little less than it normally might be, and they're giving attention to those restaurants this week,' Parlette said.
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Parlette said many of the things done to prepare for NATO benefit the city down the road.
'I'm not sure how useful the big pictures of people's faces in windows are, but the new sidewalks, the expanded sidewalks in some places, I think that's really good,' Sam Buehring, who works downtown, said.
Many employees worked from home, instead of the office, and said the NATO event was a fun and sometimes strange experience.
'I went into my own office, and there was some guy I've never seen before on the bottom floor saying 'oh you need to go that way,'' Beuhrig said.
'Everyone felt very welcome, everyone was impressed with our city and the amenities that we have,' Parlette said.
Organizers are working to figure out how much money the NATO assembly brought to the Dayton economy.
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