Middletown Fall 2013 Voter Guide

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Here is a stripped down voter guide from the Middletown Journal for this Fall 2013
Middletown School Board

Marcia Andrew

Lawyer

Web Site http://Www.taftlaw.com 

Experience Lawyer for 25 years with
Taft law firm in Cincinnati with emphasis on business litigation and dispute
resolution, PTO leadership at Central Academy Elementary, board member and
campaign co-chair of United Way of Greater Cincinnati Middletown Area 

Incumbent Have served as a member of
the Middletown Board of Education for 8 years and as President for the last 4
years 

Education University of Virginia
School of Law J.D. 1988, Williams College B.A. 1984

What are your two highest priorities
and why? What specific actions will you take to accomplish them? 
My two highest priorities are
building a culture of high expectations for all students, teachers and support
staff and prudent management of the district budget. I will continue to work
collaboratively with the other board members, the Superintendent and the
Tresurer to focus the district's limited resources where they can be most effective
in reaching our goals. It is the board's role to set goals for the district,
and then monitor the implementation by the Superintendent and Treasurer of
specific strategies and programs designed to meet those goals. The board has
encouraged the Superintendent and Treasurer to periodically assess programs and
practices to ensure they are effective, and to make changes where they are not.
The board has set three goals for the district: to improve academic performance
of all students, to improve the climate of the district, and to operate with a
balanced budget in a financially conservative manner. I will continue to
support Middie P.R.I.D.E., a program of positive behavior development that
encourages the character traits of Performance, Respect, Integrity, Determination
and Effort. -  

What are your general thoughts on
the recent state mandates for education, i.e. Common Core, new teacher and
principal evaluation models, new state report cards. What change could have the
most beneficial impact on student learning in five, 10 years? 

The Common Core is a set of new
learning standards that the state of Ohio has adopted that will require a more
rigorous, deep-thinking style of instruction intended to develop critical
thinking skills more so than just memorization of facts. It is well-intentioned
but will require teachers to change the way they teach, and the state has not
provided funding for professional development that will be necessary for
successful implementation of the switch to the Common Core Curriculum.
Middletown City Schools has begun the process of moving to these new learning
standards. Middletown City Schools has participated in the Race to the Top
initiative through which a team of teachers and administrators developed new
evaluation models for both principals and teachers. We believe the Middletown
model will lead to more informative assessments that will help improve
performance as well as aide supervisors in placing the right people in the
right positions. The new state report cards provide some additional information
that may be helpful to parents and taxpayers, but they fall far short of an ideal
model. Most of the measures graded on the state report card essentially grade
the socio-economic status of the students in the district, and do not help
determine how effectively the schools are teaching the students they have.
Value-Added is the one measure that assesses how well a district is doing at
providing value and improving the academic performance of its particular
students. 

What do you think is the most
crucial need of the district that would be supported by successful passage of
the 3.95-mill bond issue and 0.26-mill permanent improvement levy? 

The district needs a new middle
school to replace the 91 year old current school building. A new building will
provide a modern, efficient and safe building for our students. The state
facilities commission studied Middletown's school buildings and determined that
the current buildings are inadequate to meet the 21st Century needs of our
students. The state also determined that renovating the existing building would
be too costly. The current bond levy is the second part of the building master
plan agreed to by Middletown and the state. In 2003 voters passed a bond levy
to replace 6 elementary schools with new buildings and renovate 2 others,
reducing the total elementary buildings from 10 to 8. Those buildings were
completed on time, on budget, and meeting all state guidelines. If Middletown voters
approve this bond issue, the state will pay 26% of the total cost of all phases
of the buildings, elementary through high school. If we don't pass this bond
issue, the state will not pay for any of the costs of any of the buildings.
With the state matching funds, we will also be able to renovate the existing
high school, to make it more modern, efficient and safe. 

What experience makes you the most
qualified to serve on the school board? 

I have served on the school board
for 8 years, during which time I have learned about the many complex issues
affecting public schools, including state funding, federal grant requirements,
state rules and mandates in every area of academics and operations, and the
challenges of teaching children from at-risk home backgrounds. I have also
learned the proper role of a school board member and how to work collaboratively
and professionally with my fellow board members and the administrative leaders
to achieve the goals of the district. I have two children attending Middletown
High School (and one who graduated from Middletown High School in 2012), so I
am intimately aware of the importance of improving the district immediately,
but in a way that the results will be sustainable and economically viable for
years to come. 

Mark D. McClure 

Chiropractic Physician

Web Site http://drmarkmcclure.com 

Experience 4 years term 2004-2007 as
Vice-President of the Middletown City Board of Education 

Education BS Biology/Chemistry MAT
Biology/Education DC Chiropractic Doctor

What are your two highest priorities
and why? What specific actions will you take to accomplish them? 
1. Improve communication between the
board and community 
2. Improve communication between the board and teachers and
union 
3. Work to remove unnecessary spending

Be visible and be approachable,
respond to questions and e-mails in a timely manner, treat everyone equally.

Tighten the belt on expenditures
that appear excessive. 

What are your general thoughts on
the recent state mandates for education, i.e. Common Core, new teacher and
principal evaluation models, new state report cards. What change could have the
most beneficial impact on student learning in five, 10 years? 

I believe that we need guidelines in
education that enable us to meet the expectations of an ever changing world. I
want us to continue to evaluate individual progress of students and take into
consideration all the variables that effect the success that a student achieves
in school. Test results may not give a true evaluation of progress. Students
can continue to grow and still not meet the expected goals that the state makes
acceptable. Variables can include domestic violence in the home, alcohol and drug
abuse, bulling, etc. These factors need to be taken into consideration when
evaluating a student.

What do you think is the most
crucial need of the district that would be supported by successful passage of
the 3.95-mill bond issue and 0.26-mill permanent improvement levy? 

I have never been in favor of
shipping students from one school to another. The addition of the new junior
high will hopefully eliminate the need for a 6th grade program. The new
construction will keep us in tune with other school districts. Both H.S. and
J.H.S. will be able to utilize the current track. J.H.S. students will have
closer access to the H.S. and will be able to participate in advanced classes. 

What experience makes you the most
qualified to serve on the school board? 

I have a degree in education and
first hand experience in the classroom. I have served as the vice-president of
the Middletown City Schools during my term (2004-2007). I was part of the board
that successfully passed 3 levies and enabled the construction of the new
elementary schools. 

Gregory Tyus 

Senior Pastor

Incumbent Over 10 years experience
as a Middletown City School District Board of Education member. 

Education Associate Degree in
Business Management

What are your two highest priorities
and why? What specific actions will you take to accomplish them? 

My top five objectives if elected to
the board are? 1. Do what I can to assist in our raising our academic scores;
by assisting the teaching staff with its needs and encouragement. 2. Get phase
two of MCSD building project completed; a new middle school (on high school
footprint) and renovating the high school. 3. Get increased parental
involvement in the life of MCSD; at all levels of the child's academic career.
4. Remain financially sound and responsible, with tax dollars. 5. Make sure
that MCSD, continues to have good representation with Butler Technology and
Career Center. 

What are your general thoughts on
the recent state mandates for education, i.e. Common Core, new teacher and
principal evaluation models, new state report cards. What change could have the
most beneficial impact on student learning in five, 10 years? 

One of the main areas that has to be
looked at is, how competent is the child supported in getting a quality
education or are there barriers that need to fixed of solutions found so that
the child can succeed on the standardized tests. With that being said, we must
seek a team approach in the education of our children, so that no one person on
entity suffers. All children must become competent (or ready and able) to
receive the quality instruction. Afterwhich, have the ability to articulate
that learning.  

What do you think is the most
crucial need of the district that would be supported by successful passage of
the 3.95-mill bond issue and 0.26-mill permanent improvement levy? 

Imporved educational environment for
our High School and Middle School students, therefore removing one of the
barriers that hinder effective teaching and learning. 

What experience makes you the most
qualified to serve on the school board? 

I have had three children to
graduate from Middletown High School, and two of them also attended Butler Tech
- D. Russell Lee and received passports. Since being on the Middletown City
Schools Board of Education, I have worked with the technology committee,
climate committee, Butler Tech career center, reading tutor/volunteer at Rosa
Parks elementary school; just to name a few things. And with all of these, I
have never quit even when things got tough. I sought out ways to help find
solutions, and I am still willing to do that. 

 Middletown City Council

Dora Bronston 

Procurement

Experience Cooper, Epstein &
Hurewitz, Beverly Hills CA law firm in contracts for entertainers where I held
the position of a book-keeper; Dataproducts in San Fernando Valley CA where I
purchased nuts, bolts screws,iron bar, raw stock, and outsourced for dipbrazing
& CNC machining; at Rantec in Calabasas CA, I procured microwave antenna
computer parts to land airplanes for Dept. of Defense; at Titan Sesco in
Chatsworth CA, I procured computer integrated circuits for tanks, submarines,
and airplanes and was promoted as the Deputy Minority Officer; and Fibermux
commercial parts for fiberoptic communication lines. My negotiation skills
contined through my dissertation project in Gambia & Senegal as a result of
Middfest. I obtained a Charter School Contract from the Ohio Dept. of Education
where our local past-principal John Rothwell was seated. As the president of
the local NAACP 

Education MHS graduate MUM two yr.
Associate Grace College Bachelor & Master International Apostolic
University, PH.D. Administration & Organization

The city is projecting to dedicate
upwards of $2 million to repave roads in the city. This will be the second
straight year the city was able to pool money from various funds. However, city
officials have admitted this is not nearly enough to keep up with the demand.

Paving the streets of Middletown
began two years ago and the streets look & feel wonderful! If City funds
are not available to complete every street which needs attention, then we need
to focus on those streets which are the main thoroughfares. While paving the
streets which move traffic through our city, we may need to consider partnering
with a company which has the same job in other neighboring cities for
consideration of a cost savings. As a Council member, I would suggest first
paving and repairing the streets in poor condition coming off of I75 at our
gateway which leads into downtown. Streets such as Roosevelt Blvd., Dixie Hwy.,
Grand Ave., Breiel Blvd., Marshall Rd., Central Ave., Manchester Rd.,
University Bld, Verity Pkwy, Yankee Rd, 14th , LaFayette Ave., Manchester Ave.,
Reinartz Bl., Main St., Tytus Ave., including all hospital, fire and school bus
routes. People must be drawn to our City by what we present to them. We need to
capture the attention of anyone riding into Middletown from the time they exit
the freeway all the way around town so that the beauty of the City would
attract businesses and new families who are looking for a new home. 

The city of Middletown is on the
verge of great growth in various sectors – including but not limited to the
industrial sector on Yankee, the health care sector in the East End, and the
renaissance happening in downtown Middletown. What does the city need to do in
order to capitalize on this growth and shed its 2008 Forbes reputation of being
a dying city? 

Middletown is not a dying city. I am
excited that we have restaurants opening, hotels establishing roots here,
health facilities opening, schools expanding, and community leaders such as
myself have been involved in promoting growth. Businesses are expanding such as
Akers Packaging and Pilot Chemical. Middletown and Dayton have collaborated to
recycle debris. We are forced to change our way of thinking therefore
Partnerships have been established such as: Cincinnati State, Primary Health
Care, The Middletown City and the Middletown City School District as well as
The Greentree Health Science Academy. Avure Technologies Inc., a Swedish
company, has signed a 10-year lease in the Midd Cities Industrial Park. Trident
Fluid Power expanded it’s facility at the Midd Cities Industrial Park. Downtown
Middletown Inc. and the Middletown Community Foundation have helped us beautify
Middletown. The Broad Street Bash and the Cross Cultural Bash which have been
successful in bringing our community together through music. MidUSA Ohio Hot
Air Balloon Challenge is held in July and Middfest International is held the
first weekend of each October. Light-Up Middletown and First-Friday has brought
life to Middletown. I support all of these downtown activities and encourage
all of you readers of this voter’s guide to help our city create a community
atmosphere and share in the successes which are available to you locally. 

The city is working to make expenses
match revenues, but city leaders are saying between $1 million and $2 million
is needed to be cut between the 2014 and 2015 budgets. That could equate to
layoffs. How do you avoid any layoffs, or – assuming they are unavoidable –
minimize the impact of any layoffs? 

The City Council is responsible for
all policy matters including enactment of ordinances and resolutions to conduct
City business. The City Council adopts the annual appropriation authorizing the
expenditure of all City funds. Since I am not seated on Council yet, I will not
have a voice in voting on the current annual budget. However, after voting on
the budget by year-end, if the Council decides to make further changes to the
budget in 2014, I can then have a voice to affect change. In order to do so, I
need your vote. I offer my negotiation skills to the Council. My previous
employers were: Cooper, Epstein & Hurewitz, Beverly Hills CA law firm in
contracts for entertainers where I held the position of a book-keeper;
Dataproducts in San Fernando Valley CA where I purchased nuts, bolts
screws,iron bar, raw stock, and outsourced for dipbrazing & CNC machining;
at Rantec in Calabasas CA, I procured microwave antenna computer parts to land
airplanes for Dept. of Defense; at Titan Sesco in Chatsworth CA, I procured
computer integrated circuits for tanks, submarines, and airplanes and was
promoted as the Deputy Minority Officer; and Fibermux commercial parts for
fiberoptic communication lines. My negotiation skills contined through my
dissertation project in Gambia & Senegal as a result of Middfest. I
obtained a Charter School Contract from the Ohio Dept. of Education where our
local past-principal John Rothwell was seated. As the president of the local
NAACP, I am a mediator. 

Joshua E. Laubach Production
Manager-AK Steel

Experience Ak Steel 2011-Present,
Air/Army National Guard 2000-2009 

Incumbent -Middletown City Council
2010-Present, Middletown City Council Finance Committee Chairman 2012 2013 

Education The Ohio State University
2005 BA Political Science/Minor Economics 

The city is projecting to dedicate
upwards of $2 million to repave roads in the city. This will be the second
straight year the city was able to pool money from various funds. However, city
officials have admitted this is not nearly enough to keep up with the demand. 

Given the underfunding for years in
regards to infrastructure/road repairs, Middletown needs to dedicate a greater
share of local revenues towards these areas. During my current term on council,
I have proposed increased spending on roads each year. 2013 was the most
significant amount of local dollars spent on road in many years. However, this
was not enough. It would take up to 20 years to bring Middletown roads into a
respectable standard by spending approximately $12millon in total funds toward
repaving. We are currently underfunding these needed repairs and should
dedicate more funding in this area. I hope to gain support on this matter from
my council colleagues if I am re-elected 

The city of Middletown is on the
verge of great growth in various sectors – including but not limited to the
industrial sector on Yankee, the health care sector in the East End, and the
renaissance happening in downtown Middletown. What does the city need to do in
order to capitalize on this growth and shed its 2008 Forbes reputation of being
a dying city? 

Middletown has a tremendous history
and is blessed with a diverse workforce. It's apparent that companies continue
to see Middletown as worthy of private investment. We have seen close to 3/4 of
a billion dollars in investment into this community in the last 5 years. The
City of Middletown should play a positive but restrained role in development
and investment. 

The city is working to make expenses
match revenues, but city leaders are saying between $1 million and $2 million
is needed to be cut between the 2014 and 2015 budgets. That could equate to
layoffs. How do you avoid any layoffs, or – assuming they are unavoidable –
minimize the impact of any layoffs?  

Layoffs are not desirable and should
be avoided if possible. However, our current revenues in the City of Middletown
are nearly equal to what they were in the year 2000. Since that time, we have
seen almost a 45% increase in salaries and pension cost. It is understandable
that city personnel want to see a rise in pay. But it is not possible for
Middletown to absorb this type of increase in cost with the flat and declining
revenues Middletown has experience in the last decade. I believe many if not
all layoffs in the next few years can be avoided. However, this would require
many personnel to take a reduction in pay and operate under different work
agreements. 

Ann Mort Public Relations/Middletown
City Council

Experience Small Business owner,
Library Extension Department Head, former school board member - 2 years as
president, many community leadership positions, event management, photographer,
writer 

Incumbent Now completing an
unexpired term. Running for a full four- 

Education Monroe High School -
Preble County, Miami University-Oxford and Middletown

The city is projecting to dedicate
upwards of $2 million to repave roads in the city. This will be the second
straight year the city was able to pool money from various funds. However, city
officials have admitted this is not nearly enough to keep up with the demand. 

The City of Middletown staff has
been very creative in finding ways to meet the need for street repairs. The
various City funds and their restrictions mean that certain pools of money can
be used only for certain things. By paving streets where underground sewer and
water upgrades are needed, some of the cost can be shared by the sewer and
water funds which stretches the paving dollars. I would like to see all the
streets paved, however, we also need police, fire and many other services which
also require dollars. As with a family budget, there are always more needs than
there are dollars but we all do the best we can to meet all the needs of our
families and cities.  

The city of Middletown is on the
verge of great growth in various sectors – including but not limited to the
industrial sector on Yankee, the health care sector in the East End, and the
renaissance happening in downtown Middletown. What does the city need to do in
order to capitalize on this growth and shed its 2008 Forbes reputation of being
a dying city? 

It takes a long time to turn around
a perception. By continuing our positive growth in several areas of the city,
we are slowly causing even the most negative folks to see that positive things
are happening throughout the community. Middletown, now 222 years old, has
experienced rebirth several times throughout its history. From a stage coach
and river stop to the canal days, to major steel and paper industries to
technology and medical centers along the I-75 corridor, Middletown has changed
with the times. We are changing again and we will draw on our rich heritage to
survive and thrive. I hope to join with others to speed up the perception
change. 

The city is working to make expenses
match revenues, but city leaders are saying between $1 million and $2 million
is needed to be cut between the 2014 and 2015 budgets. That could equate to
layoffs. How do you avoid any layoffs, or – assuming they are unavoidable –
minimize the impact of any layoffs?

I believe in involving those affected
in finding a solution to a problem. I have suggested that Council establish a
budget that balances, then direct staff to work with the individual departments
to allow those involved to help find the solutions. We understand that all
cities are fighting the same budget battles and many are in more difficult
positions than Middletown, however, that is small consolation to those who may
be laid off. Most of us have never lived through such a recession as we have
experienced in recent years and are unaccustomed to severely cutting budgets.
Our grandparents, however, know about the depression era and learn to “make do”
or “do without.” Yes, we may have to cut some services which will be painful to
our citizens. In today’s world there are more ways to consolidate, reconfigure
or change services to meet a smaller budget. I look for those ways. 

Daniel J. Picard Attorney

Experience Attorney for 31 years.
Member of numberous Bar Assoications. Part Owner and Vice President of a
manufacturing facility employing over 100 people. Present and former member of
numerous Boards of Directors of many service organizations. Chairman of the
Middletown United Way Campaign. 

Incumbent City Council since 2009
including two years as Vice Mayor. 

Education B.S. Political Science
Miami University; Juris Doctor University of Dayton School of Law

The city is projecting to dedicate
upwards of $2 million to repave roads in the city. This will be the second
straight year the city was able to pool money from various funds. However, city
officials have admitted this is not nearly enough to keep up with the demand. 

Given the financial condition of the
City and the continued lack of growth in revenues to the City, the only avenue
available to expand the City’s repaving projects is to reduce revenues devoted
to other areas of the City. At the present time, the spending priorities for
the City should be in the area of Public Safety which should not be compromised
for additional repaving of streets. The citizens of Middletown expressed their
support for Public Safety with the passage of the Public Safety Levy last year
and the City leadership should respect this vote by not reducing the funds
expended on Public Safety in exchange for repaving streets.

We need to continue to be creative
in our efforts to locate additional funding and we need to expand our efforts
to obtain more grants, particularly from the State and the Federal Government
to assist us in our repaving efforts. Grants of this type are simply the return
of tax dollars which the citizens of Middletown have sent to these governments
and we should do all that we can to reinvested these dollars in our City.

The only other alternative is to
attempt to pass a levy devoted entirely to the paving of streets. This has been
attempted in the past and it has failed. Only if the citizens expressed their
willingness to approve such a levy, would I be willing to consider placing this
type of levy on the ballot. 

The city of Middletown is on the
verge of great growth in various sectors – including but not limited to the
industrial sector on Yankee, the health care sector in the East End, and the
renaissance happening in downtown Middletown. What does the city need to do in
order to capitalize on this growth and shed its 2008 Forbes reputation of being
a dying city? 

The City must continue to partner
with the private sector and other public sector entities on future projects to
move the City forward. In fact, if anything, the City must do all that it can,
within its authorities, to expand our efforts to assist potential investors in
our City to expand our job base. Expanding the job base is the only way to
increase revenues to the City which will then enable the City to provide
additional services to the citizens.

Projects such as Greentree Academy,
Pendleton Art, Cincinnati State and Coon redevelopment of the Rose Furniture
building and the adjoing building, have been extremely successful partnerships
which are leading the way in the revitalization of Middletown. These projects,
coupled with the City’s continued support of our manufacturing sector, which
has invested over Seven Hundred and Fifty Million Dollars ($750,000,000.00) in
our City and created over One Thousand (1,000.00) jobs during the past four
years, will ensure the continued rebirth of our City.

We must continue to reach out to the
private sector to encourage developement within the City and we must be willing
to utilize all of our resources to encourage growth and expansion withn our
City by partnering with private enterprise and by reducing or eliminating any
and all obstacles to their continued growth. 

The city is working to make expenses
match revenues, but city leaders are saying between $1 million and $2 million
is needed to be cut between the 2014 and 2015 budgets. That could equate to
layoffs. How do you avoid any layoffs, or – assuming they are unavoidable –
minimize the impact of any layoffs? 

I will be reviewing every
expenditure which will be presented to Council in the upcoming budget process
and, keeping in mind that Public Safety is my highest priority, I will be
looking to reduce our expenses in all areas to avoid the necessity of layoffs.
The City budget has been reduce through layoffs over the past several years and
we should do eveything we possily can to reduce our expenses while retaining
our employees to provide services to our citizens.

The easiest way to avoid layoffs is
to increase revenues received by the City. The greatest impact on revenue
growth will occur with the addtion of good paying jobs for the citizens of
Middletown. To this end, we must continue to partner with both public and
private entities to assist them in their efforts to commence new enterprises or
to expand existing ones already located within the City.

If layoffs must occur to maintain
the City on sound financial basis, I will be looking to reduce staffing in
every area other than Public Safety, which I believe is the most important
service provided to our citizens by the City. Ultimatley, we must look to the
outsourcing of a number of departments. If services can be provided by other
entities, at a lower cost, while maintaining the level of service, we must
explore every possibility to reduce our expenses.  

Middletown
Schools bond issue and tax levy

A
majority affirmative vote is necessary for passage 

Shall the Middletown City School
District, Counties of Butler and Warren, Ohio, be authorized to do the following:

(1) Issue bonds for the purpose of new
construction, improvements, renovations and additions to school facilities, and
providing equipment, furnishings and site improvements therefor in the
principal amount of  fifty-five million dollars ($55,000,000), to be
repaid annually over a maximum period of thirty-seven (37) years, and levy a
property tax outside the ten-mill limitation, estimated by the county auditor
to average over the bond repayment period three and ninety-five hundredths
(3.95) mills for each one dollar of tax valuation, which amounts to thirty-nine
and five-tenths cents ($0.395) for each one hundred dollars of tax valuation,
to pay the annual debt charges on the bonds, and to pay debt charges on any
notes issued in anticipation of those bonds, commencing in 2013, first due in
calendar year 2014?

(2) Levy an additional property tax to provide
funds for the acquisition, construction, enlargement, renovation, and
financing of permanent improvements at a rate not exceeding twenty-six
hundredths (0.26) mill for each one dollar of tax valuation, which amounts to
two and six-tenths cents ($0.026) for each one hundred dollars of tax
valuation, for a continuing period of time, commencing in 2013, first due in
calendar year 2014?