Middletowns Passion Will Sstain Art Center

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   Negative....whiners....yep, you bet. You would be too if you have seen over 40 years of ill-planned ideas leading to futile/failed efforts while wasting millions of money that was not theirs to waste. Even the most optimistic people would have developed a bad attitude if they had seen the clusters occuring in this town all these years....and it continues with no hope of ever seeing competency in our elected (and hired) officials. They have been, and are now, a cancer on this town. Viet Vet 

Actually, no; I don't think you're a negative whiner. It always seems that Middletown is at the back end of any wave that lifts the local economy. By the time our council sees it, plans for it, and finally acts on it, the benefits have crested and are on the way down. We wind up with expensive ideas past their useful life expectancy and the never endless debate about where did we go wrong.

Is there anyone in this town who can offer a coherent vision for what needs to happen to turn this around?
Anyone?

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TonyB Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Citizen Joined: Jan 12 2011 Location: Middletown, OH Status: Offline Points: 631	Post Options Post Reply Quote TonyB Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar 17 2011 at 9:57am
	Negative....whiners....yep, you bet. You would be too if you have seen over 40 years of ill-planned ideas leading to futile/failed efforts while wasting millions of money that was not theirs to waste. Even the most optimistic people would have developed a bad attitude if they had seen the clusters occuring in this town all these years....and it continues with no hope of ever seeing competency in our elected (and hired) officials. They have been, and are now, a cancer on this town. Viet Vet Actually, no; I don't think you're a negative whiner. It always seems that Middletown is at the back end of any wave that lifts the local economy. By the time our council sees it, plans for it, and finally acts on it, the benefits have crested and are on the way down. We wind up with expensive ideas past their useful life expectancy and the never endless debate about where did we go wrong. Is there anyone in this town who can offer a coherent vision for what needs to happen to turn this around? Anyone?

Ferris's Day Off Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Resident	Post Options Post Reply Quote Ferris's Day Off Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar 17 2011 at 10:21am
	A) Outsourcing all jobs within city hall B) Shut-down court system and jail C) City GET OUT of real estate business D) Have executabe plan to reduce secion 8 hosuing stock E) Dedicate funds to street repair and infratsructure F) Articulate the Cincinnati State deal. If you can't, it's non conceptual, and a waste of time and money. G) Rely more on Butler Cty services including crime, downsize, and consolidation than the gouging of water bills, etc. H) Quit using consulatnts who tell you what you want to hear and are paid to know. I) Reduce income tax rate to 1% J) Focus upon all citizens, not just a few whom know little or less than the city does. K) Focus upon what a city is supposed to do- protect citizens, provide safe roads, and parks. Get out of airport, golf, and overall housing market. L) Understand what a Master Plan is, and how it is to be executed, instead of meaningless generalities. M) Eliminate leadership whom is ineffective and continues a pattern of denial and make believe. In other words, facing reality instead of holding on until retirement. Its called accountability. Its a start. Too late? Think of Middletown as a melting pot....of nuclear rods. Maintain a safe distance 50 miles away. Ferris

TonyB Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Citizen Joined: Jan 12 2011 Location: Middletown, OH Status: Offline Points: 631	Post Options Post Reply Quote TonyB Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar 17 2011 at 10:40am
	Ferris- once you get past A and B of your plan, things get better. I for one do not want a private police force nor a private fire department. Close the court and jail? Not even a consideration. After that, your plan starts to make sense. The city has no reason to be in real estate without a plan that serves the taxpayer, not exploit them. Reducing Section 8 housing will be the natural result of Federal and State budget cuts. Dedicating funds to street and infrastructure should be a no-brainer. Cincy State deal should never have been mentioned until Cincy State formally approved it. Until that happens...? Now your plan goes awry somewhat. Rely on Butler Co. services? They can't provide what they are responsible for now, no way they could pick up the slack. Quit using consultants? It's supposed to be a cost-saving measure. It would help if they hired outside consultants who tell the truth. Reduce the tax rate? This city has a hard enough time providing services with the current rate. The rest of these all deal with leadership. I appreciate your post.

Ferris's Day Off Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Resident	Post Options Post Reply Quote Ferris's Day Off Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar 17 2011 at 11:28am
	TonyB, thanks for the feedback. Let me expand on A and B. My reference was non police and fire, as they lgeally are of course, under ORC statutes. But, we certainly can outsource many secretarial functions and others. Perhaps a subset of A- volunteer fire men to supplment the dedicated force. Lets talk taxes and consultants. Consultants are hired to provide the answers you want, or afraid to tell your constituents (that includes commercial business as well). If that is an impediment to the city manager's leafership, which one with apparent inside knowledge of the city provided, that's a problem currently. Taxes at 1.75% are simply non competitive to other communities. You bundle in all the problems Middletown has, and attracting business and residents from other communities and states will never become sustainable. The outcome? Declining population and the death spiral.

Guest Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Resident	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guest Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar 17 2011 at 12:05pm
	Can anyone explain why the Middletown prosecutor charged a woman with a felony yesterday for the 75 accident for vehicular assault, when that area is an engineering failure and concrete barriers stand side by side with maybe a ft on each outward lane? The construction has been poorly done and the design, really criminal. There were at least 3 back to back total wrecks at the Middletown exit in mid December during the first snow accumulation. The road is at a 20 degree slope, maybe 30. But, when the state patrol says they have no idea what caused the accidents, other than hitting the concrete and bouncing into the middle lane, is the court serious about charging the driver with a felony? Gee, does Middletown need court costs and fines that badly. The poor woman could have been killed and is charged with a felony, how bad does it get. Sorry, just saw something about the court above that made me think of the accident and a felonycharge for driving next to a slab of concrete.

Guest Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Resident	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guest Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Mar 17 2011 at 1:34pm
	I read again the article, as there were two accidents, not one I had heard. Can anyone explain why the man, a druck driver, was charged with a felony, knowing the fact the concrete barrier gave no more than 12 inches before moving him to the center?