Idotha "Bootsie" Neal (September 9, 1952[1] – January 24, 2021)[2] was a politician and developer in Dayton, Ohio and a member of the Democratic Party.

Born in Newbern, Alabama, she grew up in Buffalo, New York.[1] In 1991, she became the first African-American woman elected to Dayton's city commission, on which she served until 2004. Since then, she worked on redevelopment of Dayton's historic urban neighborhoods.[3]

She served until 2014 as president of an organization dedicated to Wright-Dunbar, the historical Dayton neighborhood that was the site of the Wright Brothers' bicycle shop and the birthplace of the African-American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Idotha NEAL Obituary - Death Notice and Service Information". Legacy.com. January 27, 2021.
  2. ^ Meibers, Bonnie (2021-01-24). "First Black woman Dayton city commissioner Bootsie Neal dies". MSN.com.
  3. ^ Dayton Business Journal (March 9, 2005). "Bootsie Neal to lead Wright-Dunbar Inc". Dayton Business Journal. Retrieved June 11, 2012. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ "Wright Dunbar Inc. management information page". Archived from the original on July 22, 2011.