Goodbye to the Superintendent

the guy came in and made a difference

no acclaro--I disagree

have to start somewhere, vet

First of all acclaro, personally, I'm glad you are participating again. I find your opinions and info. valuable.

Some comments related to your comments if I may.

"With all due respect, I have to take a stand for this bashing of those unfortunate enough to be on Section 8. I have a friend in Scottsdale Arizona who was a high roller, made over $500,000. annually as an executive. After 2008, he lost his job, was 60, and simply could not find employment. While not on Section 8, he lost a $750,000 home in Scottsdale (Maricopa Cty as VV knows), moved into an apartment, and struggles to stay afloat. I could list many of these same scenarios"

HAVE BEEN THERE THREE TIMES SINCE 1994 IN JOB LOSSES. RECOVERED EACH TIME. SO WILL HE. I EMPATHIZE WITH THE SITUATION EVEN THOUGH THIS GUY WAS WAY OUT OF MY LEAGUE.

"I also know indirectly, and have met, some of absolute most honest, decent, and frankly, hard working people that work at the Salvation Army, Goodwill, elsewhere, and are on Section 8, and take incredible care of their apartment, going as far as painting, mowing grass, and keeping the property up, including doing plumbing work, laying wood floors, et al. This Section 8 bashing and stereotyping is in my opinion, arrogant, wrong, and completely misleading associated with the inherent problems within Middletown"

NEGATIVE PERCEPTION, POOR IMAGE AND STIGMA ATTACHED TO SECTION 8. NO DOUBT THERE ARE SOME HARD WORKING, UPSTANDING CITIZENS WHO TEMPORARLY NEED A HAND UP. THOSE THAT STAY FOREVER STICKING IT TO THE TAXPAYER AND THOSE WHO DESTROY ALL THEY TOUCH CONTINUE THE STEREOTYPING OF THIS PROGRAM. SECTION 8 IN MIDDLETOWN COULD HAVE UPSTANDING PEOPLE TO THE TUNE OF 100%, BUT THE GENERAL CONSENSUS OF THE MASSES IS THAT IT IS A NEGATIVE ENTITY IN ANY COMMUNITY AND A DETRIMENT TO PROGRESSION OF A CITY. LOOK AT THE ROW APARTMENTS AS YOU GO UP THE HILL BY THE EASTRIDGE APARTMENTS. CURTAINS HANGING OUT WINDOWS. TRASH STACKED IN PILES AT ANY GIVEN TIME BY THE ROAD, BLINDS TORN TO PIECES, AND A GENERAL LOOK OF A GHETTO BEING BORN. NO PRIDE, NO CLASS, NO CARING WHAT PEOPLE THINK. THAT ATTRACTS MY ATTENTION IN A NEGATIVE WAY. PROBABLY DOES WITH MANY PEOPLE.

"As Bill or another stated previously, the debate rages as to which came first; the chicken or egg, or in simple terms, Section 8 demographics or the city's failure to attract business, to attract a growing economy, which manifested itself into once middle class individuals having no employment opportunities, which in turn, has led to the circuitous route of decline. I argue it is the city's failure to grow and attract, not the magnet effect of Section 8"

AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE CITY HAS LOST SO MUCH BUSINESS AND THE TAXES AND REVENUE CREATED BY THOSE BUSINESSES AND HAS BALKED FOR SO MANY YEARS IN REPLACING THOSE LOST BUSINESSES, THAT THEY HAD TO COME UP WITH SOME REVENUE SOME PLACE (SINCE THEY HAVE NO ONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO ATTRACT NEW BUSINESS)......THAT BEING THE FED GOV. HANDOUTS PRIMARILY THROUGH SECTION 8. THIS IN TURN HAS HELPED TO FOSTER MORE CRIME, HAS DONE IMMENSE HARM TO THE REPUTATION OF THE CITY, HAS FOSTERED SOME GHETTO MENTALITY AND HAS HELPED RUN THE CITY INTO THE GROUND IMO.GIVEN THE CONDITION OF THE CITY, THE LAST THING WE NEED IS TO INVITE MORE PEOPLE WHO LIVE OFF OF GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS HERE. WE NEED EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE....IE, THOSE WHO MAKE DECENT MONEY WITH DESCRETIONARY SPENDING WHO WILL CREATE MONEY FLOW IN THE COMMUNITY. NOT THE TIME TO CREATE A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR THE ASSISTANCE SEEKERS TO CAMP OUT HERE. THIS TOWN IS "TOO POOR TO SUPPORT THE POOR". AFTER ALL, DIDN'T ADKINS CLAIM WE ARE AT THE 54% MARK OF POVERTY HERE?

"I find it wrong to blame Middletown's school problems on Section 8. The factual reality is Middletown is a blue collar town, historically, that previously had a decent middle class base. Times have unfortunately changed, and the days of making $130,000 a year with overtime at Arrnco, now AK Steel of course, are gone. The only entity not effected by that are police, fire, and the school system; private industries made the adjustment years ago"

SECTION 8 SURE AS HELL DIDN'T HELP THE CITY AS TO GROWTH AND PROSPERITY. WOULD A MASON, A SPRINGBORO OR ANY OTHER CITY AROUND HERE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THEY NEEDED THIS LEVEL OF SECTION 8? EVEN FRANKLIN, MONROE AND TRENTON HAD ENOUGH SENSE NOT TO INVITE THIS SATURATION OF POVERTY TO THEIR TOWNS. COMPETENT THINKING MUST PREVAIL AT SOME GIVEN TIME WHEN MAKING DECISIONS IN RUNNING A CITY. WHY DID THE MIDDLETOWN LEADERS COME UP WITH SUCH ASSININE THINKING? DIDN'T SEE ANY OTHER CITY JUMP ON THE FED HANDOUT BANDWAGON.

Section 8 is only a problem because it is out of proportion and control here.
It must be down-sized IMO.
Not scapegoating all recipients at all.
Section 8 should not be a never-ending way of life.

As for Acclaro's unfortunate high-roller friend-- lived on the edge and crapped out.
Nothing to do with Section 8

Obviously we need life-supporting jobs and amenities to grow our community.

sj, agreed....as Vet knws, there isn't much such 8 vouchers in Paradise Valley Az.

Hard to fill up Brown's Run, Wildwood, and Weatherwax with those that ride bikes to the course instead of driving a Lexus.

My point was---is it vouchers that drove individuals to Middletown, or lack of industry attractiveness and lack of job creation the creator of poverty leading to appropriate vouchers based upon income? I say the latter, not the 8 magnet.

But....have vouchers, they will come. Or was it build it, they will come. Well Middletown did not build it, they handed out vouchers many think, ergo, chicken and egg theory. HUD should figure that one out, maybe its the egg.

Too bad that some people ruin the image for the people that need the help, too many abuse it and the other freebies instead of getting jobs, those are the people that give section 8 a bad name.