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00:00:09 - Introduction to Roberta Longfellow

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Partial Transcript: Could you both state your names and the approximate dates of your tenures at MVRPC, and your titles during that time?

Segment Synopsis: Roberta introduces herself and speaks about her various positions in MVRPC and with the Community Development department in Montgomery County, Ohio.

Keywords: 701; Ann Shafor; Congress; Federal Register; MVRPC; Montgomery County; Roberta Longfellow; US Department of Housing and Urban Development; laid off

Subjects: Community development; Suburbs

00:04:14 - Introduction to Kathy Emery

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Partial Transcript: This is Kathy Emery, I started my career at MVRPC in 1969.

Segment Synopsis: Kathy introduces herself and discusses her work at MVRPC, her education in community planning following her early work at the commission,

Keywords: Ann Shafor; Chamber of Commerce; Dale Bertsch; Dayton; John Emery; MVRPC; University of Cincinnati; affordable housing; community planning; human services partnership

Subjects: Education, higher; Low-income housing

00:10:40 - Federal Policy and the Fair Housing Plan

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Partial Transcript: I'm curious about the housing plan, and how changes in federal policy affected it?

Segment Synopsis: Roberta talks about the importance of the A-95 review power for the success of the MVRPC. She discusses how the review power allowed the commission to have an impact on the communities, especially in relation to misconceptions from officials and citizens about the populations served by the fair housing plans.

Keywords: 701; A95 review power; Dale Bertsch; MVRPC; fair housing plan; federal policy; misconceptions

Subjects: Census; Federal government; Local officials and employees; Regionalism; Suburbs

00:13:06 - Housing Moratorium Era Changes

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Partial Transcript: Nixon freezes all new construction. I wonder if you remember anything from that period.

Segment Synopsis: Roberta discusses the developments following the housing moratorium imposed by Richard Nixon, specifically Section 8, which she says allowed fair housing developers to circumvent negative public perception of assisted housing, because they could use existing units that were not specifically categorized. She does say, however, that MVRPC was working in existing units, rehabilitated units, and newly constructed units. She also talks about specific developers that MVRPC worked with during that period.
Kathy goes on to discuss the development of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, and Jim McCarthy. She also speaks to the various groups of women who supported MVRPC, including the League of Women Voters, the Junior League, as well as groups of Black women from the Dayton area.

Keywords: George Oberer Jr.; Housing and Community Development Act; Junior League; League of Women Voters; Miami Valley Fair Housing Center; Oberer Companies; Richard Nixon; Section 8; developers; housing authority; housing moratorium; public perception

Subjects: Community development; Low-income housing; Suburbs; Women political activists

00:19:49 - Deindustrialization and the 1978 Plan

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Partial Transcript: It seems like by 1978, things had changed in the region. I'm thinking particularly of deindustrialization.

Segment Synopsis: Roberta and Kathy discuss the changes that occurred from the 1980's to the 2000's with the loss of industry in the Dayton area. Roberta says that Reagan's defunding of fair housing efforts put a damper on MVRPC development, and Kathy talks about the departure of local industries following the Crash of 2008.

Keywords: Funding; General Motors; Greater Dayton Property Management; National Cash Register; Recession of 2008; Ronald Reagan; industry; property rehabilitation

Subjects: Corporations; Deindustrialization

00:26:37 - Federal Interest in MVRPC

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Partial Transcript: Do you have anything to add that I haven't touched on?

Segment Synopsis: Roberta talks about the national reception of the MVRPC's housing plan. She says that the federal government had a positive response, and wanted to use the MVRPC plan as a national model. Kathy says the plan also had support from many local groups including the Chamber of Commerce and women's groups. Roberta also says that the plan made it clear that the problem of fair housing was not limited to the city of Dayton, and that it was necessary for the surrounding suburbs to provide affordable housing for their own communities. She says it also brought to light the racial discrimination that was at the heart of the fair housing debate.

Keywords: Ann Shafor; Chamber of Commerce; Dayton; George Romney; Junior League; League of Women Voters; National Model; implementation

Subjects: Federal government; Poverty; Regionalism

00:32:58 - Shift from Regional to Local Fair Housing

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Partial Transcript: I guess you don't remember anything about the Housing and Community Development Act, and whether or not A95 was affected by that

Segment Synopsis: Roberta talks about the decline of regional planning commission power following the transition to local dispersal of funds rather than regional. She talks about the problems that come with this, and the benefits of planning regionally rather than parochially.
Kathy talks about the work done in the Dayton area for homeless populations. She says that many local communities were interested in working on such issues with MVRPC. She states that over all, the work of the MVRPC was successful, and reached various sects of the community, including the business community of the region.

Keywords: A95 review; Housing and Community Development Act; funding dispersal

Subjects: Block grants; Community development; Regional planning

00:39:26 - Legacy of the Fair Share Housing Plan

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Partial Transcript: Do you think that there is a particular legacy that the Fair Share Housing Plan might have left?

Segment Synopsis: Kathy talks about how the people and the plans at MVRPC brought the city of Dayton together, and the rest of Montgomery county. She emphasizes the advances made by the MVRPC and the region to improve conditions for homeless populations and explore solutions.

Keywords: Dayton; Fair Share Housing Plan; Montgomery County; Title 20 Planning and Allocations process; conflict; prejudice; public opinion

Subjects: Federal government; Homelessness; Poverty; Racism; Regionalism

00:43:05 - Kathy's Education and Thesis

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Partial Transcript: Ok, well anything else?

Segment Synopsis: Kathy talks about her education at the University of Cincinnati, and her thesis which was related to regional planning and housing.

Keywords: Thesis; University of Cincinnati; interviews

Subjects: Dissertations, Academic; Education, Higher; Regional planning