The Address if Larry had Wonder Woman's lasso of truth around him:
"Well gang-another great year of shamelessly lining our pockets and those of our chosen friends of council! We've managed to lie, cheat and steal our way through another 365 days without indictment thanks to the apathy of our lackies, er, the fine citizens of Middletown. We have accomplished squat but have taken credit for things that have happened despite our best efforts to kill off this burg. But as long as those wine-swilling, artsy fartsy folk keep throwing money at us, well, it's all good!"

Tonight's oratory will only be an extension of previous 'Wag the Dog' proclamations by Larry.

Will TV Middletown film this Annual State of the City Address and meeting?

Posted: 6:46 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Text of Middletown mayor’s State of the City speech

By Ed Richter

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — 

2015 State of the City address

    Good evening! Thank you Jeff (Diver) for that introduction! I also want to thank you and the historical society for hosting the state of the city address. It is fortunate that we have an active society dedicated to preserving and sharing our history here in Middletown. Each year for the address, I look to find new and different venues to highlight. The society is not new, nor is its focus, but the new location here at the historic Shartle House is a great venue for the society. Everyone is invited to stay afterwards and take in all the exhibits here on the first floor and upstairs. Jeff is also recognized for his leadership at SELF, Supports to Encourage Low-income Families, Butler County’s Community Action Agency. SELF is an award winning leader in helping families achieve self-sufficiency — employment, transportation and housing. They touch lives across the county and make a significant difference for many families.

    Thanks also to Pastor (John) Wagner for offering tonight’s invocation. Your leadership and connection to the community are appreciated. I want to recognize you and the Methodist Church for the support of our annual Martin Luther King Day service. Each year the activities and participation grow, and this year’s was certainly a great celebration.    Additionally, the support provided to SHALOM illustrates your commitment to helping those in need.

    Thanks to the police and fire honor guard for your participation in tonight’s address. We are fortunate to have dedicated public safety officers here in Middletown. Events across the nation remind me of the perils faced every day by our police officers and fire fighters. Your service and commitment are appreciated.

    My fellow council members, Anita Scott Jones, Dan Picard, Dora Bronston and my brother, Vice Mayor Joe Mulligan also deserve thanks for their service to our community. 2014 was a new format for council, with its change to five at-large members and we’re making progress together. The city benefits from your leadership and direction.

    I would like to express my appreciation to our Clerk of Council, Amy Schenck, City Manager Doug Adkins and his entire leadership team for the work they do. Doug was selected by council to lead the city and work with us to advance our progress towards success. We all benefit from his vision, leadership, experience and dedication.

    Middletown is in the midst of a rebirth as a revitalized city! In 2008, my first year as Mayor, Middletown was labeled a dying city; I believe that we have turned the corner and are poised for many great things. Last year I spoke of change in the city: the way we govern; the operations of the city; and our evolving economy. This year we see some of the results of those changes for the betterment of Middletown. We can say with confidence that Middletown is looking to better times.

    In 2014 we made progress in a number of areas: Increasing economic development throughout the city; reworking public safety forces to improve operations and efficiencies; and focusing our efforts on improving the community. This evening, I will touch on a few of the more significant accomplishments that have helped move our city forward.

    The city completed the divestiture of its Section 8 program to Warren and Butler county metropolitan housing agencies in 2014. For too long, the administration of the housing voucher program was a drag on the city: it took time to administer—time that could be spent on more important priorities. Also, the Section 8 program had grown much too large for a city of our size. Our goal is to restore balance and we have moved closer to achieving that balance by allocating vouchers to the county housing agencies. This transfer to the county agencies opens up additional housing possibilities for those in need in areas within both Warren and Butler counties, not just Middletown. These changes improved opportunities for all participants and for our city.

    The next step in stabilizing our neighborhoods is continued enforcement of our housing codes. Middletown does not have the resources to find, investigate, and resolve all the problems with blighted and abandoned properties in our neighborhoods. We face a downward spiral with our housing quality and values … absentee landlords are acquiring properties on the cheap, renting them out and pulling resources from our community, and leaving blight and further disinvestment behind. This contributes to an image problem in the city. With focus, we can reverse that course and encourage investment that leads to increased property values.

    Through a new volunteer reporting program for identifying issues and violations, the city will step up enforcement in the coming year. We addressed the worst structures by demolition in partnership with the Butler County Land Bank. That effort over the last two years has removed over 300 eyesores, problem properties that were targets for vandals, vagrants, and illicit drug use. A blighted property devalues an entire block or neighborhood and is a disservice to responsible owners. Stepping up code enforcement will help improve our entire community by making our streetscapes more attractive to current and potential residents. Through Jeff Diver’s leadership, the SELF sponsored work camp will return this summer for a housing improvement blitz, when 800 volunteers will assist elderly and disabled home owners with needed repairs. This is one example of a way that public and private organizations can come together to improve our city.

    Addressing the housing issues helps with our rebirth!

    I challenge the council, administration and the entire community to work together to clean up Middletown. The council and administration must find funds and strategies to help raise our standards, clean up our neighborhoods, and improve our image. There are two simple things everyone can do … pick up and clean up. The city can facilitate larger efforts.   The community can report problem areas: junked cars, trash strewn lots, and other litter and debris.

    Our residents have immense pride in our city. We must work together to exhibit that pride through clean neighborhoods, by holding everyone accountable and letting visitors see signs of a clean city. Working on this will allow people to see all the wonderful things Middletown has to offer—which is too often hidden by litter, debris and neglect.

    Additionally, the planning commission, council members and staff, together with an outside consultant, have embarked on a comprehensive re-write of our zoning code. This process will take many months, and much thoughtful consideration.    At the end, we will have a useful, current and user friendly zoning code to help us reach our goal of attractive, lasting commercial and residential developments in appropriate locations.

    Leveraging the pride we have in our community further supports our rebirth!

    Significant and visible structures in downtown: the Manchester Inn, Barnitz Bank building and the former Middletown Federal building—now known as the Goetz Tower, illustrate the change and improvement of downtown and the entire city.    All three land marks have survived the many ups and downs of our city and economy. They also highlight the progressive and evolving nature of partnerships. The city’s acquisition of the Manchester and our work to find a developer who understands the community’s vision for the space, show how we can take calculated risks to be a catalyst for improvements. When we sold the Barnitz Bank Building to the Windamere, the city recaptured the investment we had made, and opened up an opportunity for full utilization of the building. The city took a more passive role with the Goetz Tower, but did move quickly with the developer to secure historic designation, facilitate planning and other details like parking. All are key examples of collaboration with the private sector.

    Likewise, the east end Renaissance District continues with opportunities for growth. Last month’s announcement of the new AK (Steel) research and innovation center at Renaissance is a great step forward for the city and AK. It was the result of several years of work and discussions, and well worth the effort. We have a long history together, and this sets the stage for a bright future together. We look forward to continued growth and development as the growth from Dayton and Cincinnati marches toward Middletown. We are fortunate to have ample land along the I-75 corridor to offer developers and to build on the commerce that is already in place. Large operations such as Atrium Medical Center and AK Research serve as the building blocks for further growth.

    It was also gratifying to see a step forward with the redevelopment of Towne Mall Galleria and the opening of Burlington earlier this month. With Planning Commission’s approval of new out lot locations last year, we look forward to additional growth and ribbon cuttings! Towne Boulevard road improvements will also aid in attracting new tenants and retailers.

    The entrance to our city from I-75 is certainly enhanced with new landscaping, lighting and hardscapes. The news of additional development at Commerce Drive will further improve our entry way. These were the results of years of work, good planning and patience — and brought improvement to the city despite the economic headwinds over the last six years.

    The progress on economic development further supports our rebirth!

We are proud of the work that our public safety employees do every day. We must, however, examine how best to deliver those services in the most cost effective and efficient manner. Council approved the reorganization of the public safety leadership. This change created the public safety director position and aligned the Chief and Deputy Chief in both police and fire as a new approach to managing these vital services.

    The city has partnered with the (Ohio) Highway Patrol for investigations of routine traffic accidents. The OHP specializes in that and this has freed officer time for local police work. It frees up the equivalent of one full-time officer over the course of a year — 2,000 man-hours. The management team is charged to evaluate how we can best serve the citizens of Middletown, while improving operations and efficiency. The State has directed us to reduce dispatch centers in Butler County; this team is charged with evaluating the best solution for Middletown — how we might partner with other agencies for effective and efficient service.

    In 2014 we were encouraged by improved crime statistics. Total Part 1 crimes, the most serious of crimes, were down 4.5 percent from 2013, and response times held steady. Certainly one year does not a trend make, but these improvements are worth noting.

    In late 2014, the fire department implemented a new response model, known as first emergency first. This response model sends the most appropriate equipment to the call. For a medical call, an ambulance is dispatched, rather than previously where a fire truck and ambulance were sent together. For a fire or rescue call, a fire apparatus is used. This allows for the most effective use of equipment and personnel.

    The restructured management team will be working closely with the city manager to provide recommendations to council for improved safety services in the coming year.

    The financial results from the city also show that we’ve turned the corner. In 2014 we experienced an increase in tax revenue … a slight one at about 3 percent, but an increase none the less. Data shows that those increases came from a wide variety of sources, so improvement is happening in many areas of our economy.

    We remain focused on being fiscally responsible, and that is best illustrated in the savings that were accomplished when compared to the city’s 2014 budget. We looked for every opportunity to save and set priorities, and that effort created over $2 million in savings. The first two months of 2015 show similar trends. Council restored street improvement spending and will be prioritizing other areas that need to be addressed. Accomplishing this financial performance did not come easily, but we recognize the hard work of all of our employees in making it happen. The city instituted a performance based compensation model over the past year, and we were able to make the first award this year, based on the improvements made in 2014. We can no longer afford across the board pay increases – that compound annually. We are fortunate to have dedicated employees, and it is important to share a portion of the positive financial results outcomes with the employees who work hard to deliver city services. As we continue to increase the number of jobs in Middletown, and the tax revenue that comes with that growth, I anticipate council and the administration will work to provide the competitive compensation packages for our employees so that we can better retain and hire talented team members.

    City Manager Adkins has recently introduced a rallying cry to focus the culture of the city staff. He’s created a program called “The Middletown Way.” It establishes common themes around the role of city staff, creates a sense of commitment to the cause of serving the citizens of our city, and sets promises for delivering on their work. Council fully supports this effort and it is critical to make sure all employees are engaged and working towards the same common cause. The timing for this is also especially important as we embark on our rebirth as a revitalized city.

    The operational and financial results show that our rebirth is underway!

    Council and the city manager are evaluating priorities for the next few years. Over that period, we have several large scale construction projects that will generate payrolls and related taxes of about $3.5 million. It is best to plan ahead for identifying key projects that will best position Middletown for future growth and development. Council has just started the process, so please weigh in on any suggestions or thoughts.

    High on my list will be a continued focus on improving our roads. We restored some funding in the 2015 budget for some local street resurfacing. As we continue to focus on improving our financial performance, it is important that we address the condition of our roads. It was nearly 30 years ago that the voters directed the dedicated funding source for our streets and capital projects back into the general fund. Over that time, the conditions have deteriorated and time has taken a toll on our roads … restoring funding dedicated to roads may be a way to address this issue, but I believe we should exhaust all other efforts before looking to a tax for the answer.

    We can build on our success to continue the rebirth of our revitalization!

    Even with the progress our city has made, we face continued challenges, and the council is working to address those for the betterment of our community. The most significant, in terms of the human cost, is the Heroin Epidemic that is affecting our country, region, state, county and city. We must address this problem from new angles — the old ways are not creating change. We can no longer arrest and jail our way out of this problem. The financial cost to the city is large, but the cost to families and the individuals is immeasurable. Middletown is working regionally with many partners to grab ahold of the issues and develop new solutions. I am not an expert by any means, but have learned and recognized that we must work together to solve this growing drug problem.

    Council is also working on a number of fronts to address other issues in the city. Middletown has a proud history over two centuries, but with that history comes an aging infrastructure and dealing with new rules and regulations which must be addressed. Many cities in Ohio and the region face similar challenges. Our combined sewer system and related overflows are no longer acceptable by federal and state standards. The city has been in years-long discussions with the   Ohio and U.S. EPA to attempt to resolve this. There are different points of view on how much we can afford and what is the most cost effective way to address the overflows. Everyone recognizes the importance of preserving the environment, and we have seen dramatic improvements in water quality over the past several decades. We must work diligently and allocate our limited resources carefully to solve this challenge.

    The national economy has made some strides towards improvement, but there remain many hurdles yet. Including our local employment opportunities. We’ve seen some improvements but securing full employment will take additional work.    Our economy has continued to shift away from manufacturing—where a strong back, good work ethic, and 30 years on the job earned a high school graduate a steady job and retirement — to jobs that require different skills. Education is critical for the betterment of the individual, the economy, and our community, whether it be a traditional college education — bachelor’s degree and beyond — or an advanced technical certificate. Most everything in our economy has advanced — machines and systems are computer controlled, we are using more advanced materials in everything from manufacturing to home construction. It is vital that our workers have the necessary skills and access to acquiring new and improved skills in order to compete in a global jobs market. We are fortunate to have Miami University and Cincinnati State in Middletown; and that are both developing new programs, along with associate and bachelor degrees to help improve and develop our work force for jobs in the 21st century. The regional campus of Miami recently announced there was 100 percent job placement in two of its new degrees; and it achieved an overall 88 percent placement rate for students in either careers or continued to advanced education. The city remains focused on working with our current employers and companies to help them grow — while also attracting new companies to the area to capitalize on our assets.

    We have challenges to overcome, however we are on the right path to our rebirth.

    We are in a fortunate position and should be proud of our accomplishments! We must look forward to our opportunities. Henry Ford once said “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” Working together as a council, government and ultimately the entire community are critical to our future successes. Progress has been made in the areas I’ve mentioned: transfer of Section 8, addressing our image through improved zoning and clean-up efforts, opportunities for development in our Downtown, east end and Renaissance, and prioritizing our spending will move us down the road to success … We are on the road to a new era … the rebirth and revitalization of Middletown!

    Good Evening and thank you for joining me at the State of the City address. May God bless you, our city and our country.

 

Mulligan did his job as mayor. He gave praise to certain individuals,reminding us that we are a "reborn city"He highlighted the accomplishments albeit nothing eye-opening norearth-shattering. He made a good cheerleader which is his job in city government. Doesn't need to say anything of any content nor substance. Just needs to take shallow ideas, thoughts and activity and embellish it to make it sound like success. He, council and the rest of the city leaders come close to breaking their arms patting themselves on the back, proud in the fact that they have achieved moderate success over decades, when, in fact, they should have been miles up the road from where they currently are.

The speech is cookie cutter politics aimed at glossing over the true condition of the city and masking the failures of the current and past administrations. Another paper for the round file.

"Coming soon!"