Questionable Legislative Procedure
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Council
Forum Description: Discuss individual members and council as a legislative body.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1865
Printed Date: Nov 22 2024 at 10:58pm
Topic: Questionable Legislative Procedure
Posted By: Gary Barge
Subject: Questionable Legislative Procedure
Date Posted: Sep 02 2009 at 5:06pm
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After watching last night's council meeting I have come to the conclusion that the old saying "make the rules up as you go along" fits very nicely here.
1. When an item on the agenda has already been voted no on by council (such as the recommendation to reduce the number of council members) that should have been the end of that legislative procedure.
2. When a motion is put on the floor to remove a piece of legislature from the agenda and has been voted down by council that should have been the end of that piece of the agenda. No more votes should have taken place.
3. When entering a new piece of legislature for the agenda the item must have a first reading and then if there is any discussion that item must be tabled. This is what happened last night. It can not be entered as a amendment to a piece of legislature that had already been voted no on. This would have had to have an emergency piece of legislature already put on the agenda which would have made it impossible to meet the Sept. 4th deadline of 4pm.
4. When the motion was being brought forth to be voted on by Ms Ford and seconded by Anita Scott-Jones there was some overtalking by councilmembers and in the talk Mr Marconi said "it doesn't matter , we already have the 5 votes." How did Mr Marconi know that he had 5 votes and wanted to move on without having a conversation with the majority of council and having the confidence of 5 votes without having a backdoor meeting? These types of meetings are considered unethical.
5. The new piece of legislation that the law director passed out to council so convienently had already been prepared. Does this seem funny to you? No one even knows exactly if this is legally able to be put on the ballot due to the fact that when Mr Landen was reading it there was several missed readings of the language to be put on the ballot (such as the number people to be elected. I believe he said 2 council members instead of 5 at-large). I will give him the benefit of the doubt since he was reading it so quick.
6. When Ms. Bronson addressed council with the freedom of speech and was chastised for her comments and her concerns as a citizen I feel that the mayor could have handled this in a more professional manner. However due to the massive confusion during the meeting things got pretty heated and believe Mr Mayor stepped over his boudaries as an elected official by the citizens.
7. Mr Shiavone commented as well as others that 1300 people signed this petition to reduce council. Did he take into consideration that 51, 000 people didn't sign the petition? Therefore the majority rules. We were taught this in elementary school. Apparently it does not apply in our city government. These are only my opinions and am exercising my freedom of speech. I feel that every citizen of Middletown should watch TVMiddletown Sept. 1st council meeting. Every citizen should be afforded a copy from TV Middletown and make their own decisions. This is suppose to be a democracy administration.
Gary Barge
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Replies:
Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: Sep 02 2009 at 5:28pm
| Gary when Ms Ford called for a vote to remove the legislation it failed by 5 to 2, so the legislation was not removed from the agenda and then it was amended to the new version. After that your guess is as good as mine I am not a lawyer. |
Posted By: Iliveheretoo
Date Posted: Sep 02 2009 at 5:32pm
| I guess my question is if all the people that signed the petition were invailed why was this even discussed? For one Marconi and Armbruster wont be there next term any way. David is leaving and Ford wont run. I never had a problem with the Mayor till last night, the way he spoke to Bronson was way out of line. |
Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: Sep 02 2009 at 5:36pm
| All of Signatures on the petitions were not invalid. I am not sure of the exact number that were, but I want to say just over 100 were. |
Posted By: Gary Barge
Date Posted: Sep 02 2009 at 5:37pm
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Sorry for the mixup. You're right. I meant for it to say "it was being voted on to be removed" I guess I was typing as fast as our law director was talking! Thanks for the heads-up.
Gary Barge
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Posted By: accuro
Date Posted: Sep 02 2009 at 9:41pm
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In fairness to Mr. Mulligan, the speaker rambled on about the issues before targeting Mr. Landen for termination associated with economics. It was an extremely poor presentation for a woman who overall, was quite articulate. She just presented her argument wrong. As for Mr. Mulligan, obviously council wants fewer people and more than are in their camp to rubber stamp. Mr. Landen doesn't seek a professional counsel's advice for other issues which are unsuccessful. What I do find amusing, although quite predicatable, is when Mr. Mulligan uses his utilitarianism argument: "we have to consider what's in the betterment of the greater number than the few." So, in his previous moral theory, the majority didn't matter on council, as the majority voted and said no, we don't need that on the ballot. Then, the majority of 50,000 residents or about 48700 said, thanks but no thanks, we won't sign the petition. Utilitarian principles were an inconvenient truth Mr. Mulligan did not not like. That should have been the argument, not the economy is bad and we should fire this attorney for getting a second opinion while a few workers are being laid off. Kant would recognize the dichotomy Mr. Mulligan.
------------- An ignorant person is one who doesn't know what you have just found out. - Will Rogers |
Posted By: Bocephus
Date Posted: Sep 02 2009 at 11:10pm
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Mr. Barge
Do you currently have a web site?
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Posted By: Gary Barge
Date Posted: Sep 03 2009 at 12:13am
| I am woorking on it my email is mailto:glb@cinci.rr.com - glb@cinci.rr.com |
Posted By: Iliveheretoo
Date Posted: Sep 03 2009 at 7:19am
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wasteful wrote:Posted By: 2000+
Date Posted: Sep 03 2009 at 7:36am
| What happened to Paul Negy's terrific letter to the Mayor. It was just here yesterday. I want to show it to some people for their opinion, Please repost it or return it to the forum. Thanks. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Sep 03 2009 at 8:00am
2000 The letter was not removed...Here is the letter you were requesting
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Topic: Open Letter To The mayorPosted By: Tony Marconi
Date Posted: Sep 03 2009 at 11:11am
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Mr. Barge,
You simply amaze me with some of your statemments!!! What are you thinking ? Here we go again with the big conspiracy theory. Please spare the drama. Gary, you know me personally, so please understand that I am not writing this in a hateful manner.
You ask how did I know that there were five votes in favor of putting this on the ballot ? Mr. Schiavone stated very clearly in his council comments that he changed his mind. The Journal reported in a previous article that the council members that voted for it to placed on the ballot, still felt the same and would not change their vote. It was very easy to figure out the five votes where there ! That took about a second to figure this one out.
We have had several discussions and input on this matter in our council meetings. It comes to a point that enough has been said and you need to take the vote. Please do not tell me that their has been no discussion on this matter. Go back and look at the tv broadcast and all of the Journal articles. This puts it on the ballot and allows you and the voters to make the final decision.
It is common practice to have additional legislation ready to go based on either direction council decides. Have you not been watching and listenting all these years to witness this? This is nothing new.
The Mayor's response to Ms. Bronson was a result of the allegations leveled against Mr. Landen and the process. It was not about her freedom of speech. Any and all citizens can address council. We had a two or three page report from Mr. Landen that gave the facts and the due diligence report. He was doing what the city manager and the council wanted. He also performed the math and was very clear that even if you counted the signatures in question, that you would not have enough for the petition to be certified.
You have a right to speak and say whatever you wish in this forum, but I do wish that you would get your facts straight. It is very easy to sling crap against the wall and have some of it stick.
Someone mentioned in a post that they wished I would start back my "Coffee with a Councilman" at Java Johnnie's. I owuld love to start them back up. When I first started them, it was a very big success and well attended. Gary, as you remember, I met you and your wife at my very first meeting and that started the Canal inquiry that you spearheaded. I remember have invited our police chief, our economic development director, and Sheriff Jones to three seperate meetings. It was a great forum to meet and discuss city business. On the last couple of meetings, it turned into a negative and destructive meeting. I did not want these meetings to be a continual gripe session. I want to hear the bad but I also want to look for the positive and solutions to our problems. We do need the citizens help. Council does not have all the answers.
While I am on the subject, someone attacked me in this blog about my smiling and being jovial. I have always smiled and have a positive attitude. I am quilty as charged to having a smile on my face and cutting up. As a matter of fact, I have had several people tell me that once I am dead and in Heaven, that they will remember me as always having a smile on my face. Is that so terrible???
Gary, in closing, I appreciate your involvement in our community. If more citizens would be involved such as yourself, Middletown would be a much better city. I love the dialogue amongst our citizens and we do value your input and solutions to our issues that are before us.
Today is my 26th wedding anniversary and I am taking the afternoon off. I did not check this for spelling or grammar.
Thank You,
Tony Marconi
Middletown City Council
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Posted By: Gary Barge
Date Posted: Sep 03 2009 at 12:03pm
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Mr Marconi,
As far as what other people say on other blogs you need to answer them. I too am not trying to be hateful. However this is not about the canal that nothing has been done about except a feasibilty study and a water sample. I would like to have your support for a public hearing that is scheduled on Sept. 23rd at 6:30 at the Middletown Community Center concering the discharge permit for the hydraulic canal. Are as supportive now as you seemed when we met at java johnny's. To get back to the rest of your blog I am simply stating what was said on TVMiddletown at the council meeting Sept. 1. The answer to the next part of the blog is yes the citizens are used to the way things get done at the last minute. This is what upsets the citizens even though there may have been discussions about it. If 1300 people over rule 49,000 people there seems to be a problem. Who's taking into consideration the ones that did not sign the petition. I believe Mr Landen can take care of himself (not trying to be rude) but he seems to know the tricks of his trade very well and that seems to be a big problem with the citizens of Middletown. As far as the Mayor goes I still believe and if you read all the blogs everyone believes that he overstepped his boudaries. I believe it could have been handled in a more professional manner. Mr. Mulligan could have said "Ms Bronston I don't agree with you. I'll let Mr Landen address that". One more point that needs to be brought to attention. When did rule of not engaging with citizens during citizens comments get broken ("we're not set up for this type of dialogue"). How is it that it can be broken at convienent times. This is what the citizens see all the time at our council meetings. And if there was not a problem we would not be having this discussion. I hope we can keep it open, honest and fair. Unfortunately we have to take the negative with the positive. Hopefully we can turn those negatives around.
Congratulations on 26 years and there is nothing wrong with being a happy kind of person. Too bad others aren't the same. We just celebrated our anniversary last Saturday.
Gary Barge
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Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Sep 03 2009 at 2:09pm
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Mr. Marconi, I've just got to jump into the fray here even though this conversation is mainly between Mr. Barge and you. Goodness gracious, where to start!
You mentioned a conspiracy theory concerning the ballot issue on the ward system removal and the reduction of council members. Imagine how "Joe average" citizen feels when they hear that Council voted NOT to place the issue on the ballot by a 4 to 3 count. Then, we hear where Mr. Michel is circulating a petition to have it placed on the ballot, even though Council had rejected it. Next, we hear that the petition failed to acquire enough valid signatures for the ballot. Finally, we hear where council members won't likely change their vote on the 4 to 3 numbers BUT--BUT wait! Schiavone "changes his mind"  and votes to allow it to happen resulting in a 5 to 2 passage and "it's a miracle!!!!" it's on the ballot. Tony, it shouldn't have gone back to Council the second time around. You already rejected it once. Do you now see how this looks to us mere mortals? Isn't it convienient that Schiavone changed his mind. Wonder who bent his ear (or arm) to change his vote??? Hint: might have been an MMF member- you know, that secretive society that we're not to mention. Shhhhh.
Next- "It is common practice to have additional legislation ready to go based on either direction Council decides"- Wow, Tony- sounds to me like the guy who is in business that shows one set of books to the auditor and keeps the real set hidden from public view. Sounds like Council has had alot of practice with quick outlets when they're in a tight spot- ehh. Also sounds like some things may be pre-determined as to decisions made. How subversive! Next- Regardless of the content of Ms. Bronson's comments, the mayor was on public display at the Council meeting. He needed to be cognizant of the fact that his conduct was being scrutinized as all of you councilpeople are. He should have taken her handout, listened to her resignation request and calmly asked Ms. Bronson to meet with he and Mr. Landen AFTER the meeting in a city building conference room behind closed doors for futher discussion. Probably the professional way to handle this situation instead of a public "dressing down" of a citizen THAT PUT YOU PEOPLE BEHIND THAT DESK AND THAT YOU WORK FOR as hard as that is to comprehend at times. Next- "Coffee with a Councilman"- went to a few at Java Johnny's. Most of the time was consumed by the guest that you brought with you. The time you did entertain comments, you received point blank, no nonsense questions asking you to explain some uncomfortable subjects and you wanted no part of that, if I remember correctly. So, what's the point in having them if you councilpeople are going to treat it like a regular council meeting and act like you're "just not set up at this time to answer any questions" ala Mulligan's favorite line? You really didn't expect to get happy thoughts and that it was going to be all rosy for you, did you? C'mon Tony! Next- It's awfully ironic that you as a councilmember can smile and have positive thoughts and yet be a part of a group that spreads around so much misery in this town. How does one smile when they know the game that is being played on the people? ( I can hear the old wheels of denial turning in you head right now) Another mystery of life. You're a nice person Tony- just misguided due to too much exposure to the MMF club and their henchmen. Do yourself a favor and stop listening to what they're shoveling. And finally- with all that said- Happy Anniversary to you and your wife. We just hit 37 years in May of 2009.   
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Posted By: Tony Marconi
Date Posted: Sep 03 2009 at 5:45pm
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Hi VietVet,
I am not into any conspiracy theories concerning the ballot issue. It does amaze me that intelligent people think that this was all a set up. C'mon vet ! Here is a thoughjt if you do not believe what Schiavone said in the meeting and in the Journal, pick up the phone and give hime a call and speak directly to him. Charter changes to be placed on the ballot can go to council anytime and by a 5 -2 majority be placed on the ballot. What is so difficult to understand about that ??? It can go back to council a second and third and multiple times.
What is all this wackiness about some secret society with Middletown Moving Forward ??? Do not confuse this with a local group called Move Middletown Forward. I do not know who is the organizer or organizers of that group. Middletown Moving Forward meets every quarter and it is open to the public. The Jouranl does get notified and has shown up some in the past.
When additional leglisation is prepared for council meeting it is called staff being prepared. Staff has no clue how council will vote on any issue as demostrated a few weeks ago when we put the brakes on the 74,000 thousand dollar feasibility study for the Manchester road interchange. Do you watch the meetings from start to finish ?
Your statement about going behind close doors with Ms. Bronson absolutely blew me away. You are the one that complains and hollers the loudest about so called secrecy and behind close door deals and you have the nerve to suggest that the Mayor should take it behind closed doors!!! You would have a hissy fit if the Mayor took your suggestion. Unbelievable and I cannot believe that you even suggested it. It appears that the Mayor just cannot win with you.
I have always been available to any citizen for answers or help with any issues or problems. You have a very short memory about my "Coffee with a Councilman". I have never tapped dance on any question. If I did not know the answer, I did get back to people. If you know anything about me, it is that I do not hide or shy away from the uncomfortable questions. I never ever conducted my coffee meetings like a city council formal meeting. That simpy is an untrue statement from you.
You have never heard me say that life is a bed of roses. The reality is that life is very difficult and gets more difficult each year. Life is usually one trail after another with short breaks of peace. I enjoy life to the fullest and love every minute that God gives me breath. I have the best wife in the world, my best friend Vinny (my pet dog - he is chubby also), my three lovely grandchildren, and the absolute best son and greatest daughter in law (that is like a daughter to me) in the whole world !!!
Vet, you seem to forget that I live here amongst our citizens. I go to church here, I shop, eat, work, and play here. This is my home town and I want the very best for our city and our citizens. We are not enemies but neighbors and friends. I do not dislike you. I wish I knew who you are so that I could personally talk to you and not have to communicate to some unknown. I do appreciate all the citizens that put their names to their posts. And that is fine if you do not. You are within the rules and guidelines of this blog to remain unknown. That is your decision.
Keep in touch.
Thank You,
Tony Marconi
Middletown City Council
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Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Sep 03 2009 at 11:12pm
Tony: Perhaps you should ask Ms. Gilleland about "all this wackiness"!! After all, the flyers were found in a CITY literature rack, inside the LOBBY of the CITY MANAGER's OFFICE, just a few feet IN FRONT of the desk of her secretary (or perhaps receptionist? I don't know the lady's actual job title, but every time I've gone in there the desk was manned!) where EVERYONE who enters that suite of offices must pass.
We have the flyers. Mr. Nagy is willing to swear under oath where they were obtained. I will swear under oath that he told me about this contemporaneously. After we "broke" the news of this flyer on this forum, I went back to the CITY MANAGER's OFFICE and looked in the rack, and found THREE EMPTY SPACES.
Call it a wacky conspiracy theory if you'd like, but I'd say that "somebody's got some 'splainin' to do, Lucy!!!" ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Sep 04 2009 at 7:26am
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Tony- my responses.
I'll repeat again. Do you not see where the public could think that there is some "behind the scenes" manuvering going on when you vote 4 to 3 to stop it from going on the ballot, the petition is rejected and then you come back with a 5 to 2 and it passes? You can't put yourself in the public's realm of thinking on this? Aren't you a member of MMF? If the MMF meetings are public, why aren't they advertised in the Journal? Why hasn't the public been notified of time and date of their meetings? Show of hands here- how many people on this forum knew the MMF met every quarter and knew the time and location of that meeting? Did I miss something in the paper about this? Has anyone been actively recruited for this organization or is it kept "all in the family"? Are there any publications of the meeting agendas? If so, where? Sooooo.... no one knows ANYTHING about this "Move Middletown Forward" group ehhh? Wonder if this group was a fabrication to deflect attention away from the MMF'ers, being similar in name and all?????? Behind closed doors with Bronson, Mulligan and Landen. Still stand by that. Mulligan was wrong for dressing down a citizen in public like he did. It was unprofessional and only served to alienate your council from the public. Along with the "we're not prepared at this time to answer your questions" comment from Mulligan in reference to the citizens comments, we citizens have a one way street with you councilpeople on communication. ie- we talk and question and you people sit on your hands and say nothing. Dialogue with the public during these meetings is critical and Council has taken the attitude that they "don't have to respond to the citizens". Just flat out WRONG Tony and you know it. You have done a great job at making yourself available in the 3rd Ward. You are personable and seem to be a person who would be easy to talk to. The problem (demonstrated by your answers here) is that you seem to argue for the city rather than understand the viewpoints of the citizens you represent. It is no secret that the city and the citizens (except for your little MMF group of course) are at odds and are in two different camps on the way the town is run. We envision that your council and previous councils, plus the influence of the power brokers in this town- Slagel, Scorti, Thatcher and others- have driven this town into the abyss with your damn Section 8, letting the streets go to pot, refusing to bring decent paying jobs to town, not being business friendly picking and choosing who comes and goes. Letting companies fold their tents and move out of town, etc. This town is a pathetic shadow of what it once was and shows no signs of changing back to some semblence of repectability. You and I know what a great town this once was in the 60's. Doesn't it bother you just a little with what is has become? It is a travesty, don't you agree? We do have something in common. You state this is your hometown and you want the very best for our city. So do we citizens. We just disagree on what is best for the city and how to accomplish what is best for the city.Until our two sides meet and discuss our differnces face to face without all formal fanfare, we will be at odds. When would you and the rest of your council like to meet us Middletown USA forum participants? Name the time and place. Do you all agree? |
Posted By: 2000+
Date Posted: Sep 04 2009 at 7:28am
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Can we please move on. This is getting way outta hand. From what I can read. Mr. Marconie responded to Mr. Barge's post (It appears that he joined the blog to do so) and gave a reasonable reply to the questions. Everyone was respectful about the various viewpoints and in the end made it clear they we're gentleman and I would assume felt comfortable getting back to each other about issues they still needed to clear up. Then along comes additional accusations from other regulars and then Mr. Presta who has a hissy fit about info in the managers outer office. Mike maybe it's well desearved pent-up frustation but I think you blew it by not continueing a reasonable dialogue with your representative. I would image you could have gotten alot more of your questions answered with a little less anger and a lot more civil dialoge. I personally don't think it's all some sort of consperacy just cause your say so, and I know your sincerly just trying to get some answers to your questions, but I'd just let ya hang myself if I was bloged to in such a fashion. |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Sep 04 2009 at 7:56am
| Ok 2000+- you know what's best. Let's move on. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Sep 04 2009 at 9:15am
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I have questions about a great many things that happened at last I’m having a real problem with this entire Community Revitalization Department and the new plan that the City has developed. I was told that Mr. Adkins was hired for this position to do some major housecleaning of pesky little legal problems within this department. I’ve also been told that Mr. Adkins is a very bright man however this isn’t a position where you can do on the job training. It involves hundreds of different programs funded by many departments of government. I’m sure he has a six inch thick manual on the top of his desk beside a very large bottle of aspirins. I wish him well. When we on this blog stated that Then we learn that for the last three years Mr. Kohler has been passing out CDBG funds under the 54% slum rule,,,(SLUM? Where did that word come from) Then we’re told that all HUD Housing will be overseen by Ms Gilleland and the City Council without any citizens on this board…Hmmm Now Mr Adkins wants to use the CDBG funds for some of their special little projects and again they pull out the 54% slum rule this time to declare the entire City a slum so they can use the money wherever they want. Next we are told that Mr. Adkins posted a PUBLIC NOTICE in the newspaper about this plan and we should have seen it…Hmmm. How can it be a PLAN when it does not answer the basic questions of; How Much, Where, When, and How? Even City Council didn’t seem to know what he was talking about or asking for. Why was a Public Notice posted for the public WITHOUT any specifics included for the public to respond to? Again you have made a MAJOR decision about CDBG funds without any input from the public...And for you to say that there is not $600,000 worth of needs in Ward 2 is a joke. Please stop the parade and send the cheerleaders home I’ve heard enough. |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Sep 04 2009 at 11:01am
| Tony- I noticed that you logged on to, no doubt, check the responses to your posts. You didn't reply to the request that we Middletown USA forum members and your council meet INFORMALLY, at a publicly known site/time (to avoid illegal meetings) to discuss things and clear up any misconceptions we may have. Can we take that as you're not interested in talking or that you're "working on it"? |
Posted By: Rail Fan
Date Posted: Sep 04 2009 at 11:48am
| What about it Mr. Marconie about that HUD guy who is let go for spilling the beans about city secrets? |
Posted By: accuro
Date Posted: Sep 04 2009 at 1:29pm
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I have to take exception to the comments about Mr. Marconi. I assure you from experience, he is the most responsive member of council. He is amiable and willingly took the time to respond to commentary. As for conspiracy, I thinks its a bit far fetched, although I clearly see and comprehend the motives. One could argue the city should be a neutral party to avoid any suggestion of conflict of interest or favoritism. That is a plausible and sustainable argument to be advanced as to why the fact the city had the brochure in the office was a perceived problem. Not quite Three Days of the Condor for my taste (nor objectivity). I applaud Mr. Marconi for interfacing with any group, albeit at Java Johnny's or the Washington Post or the Charlie Rose show. Some may not have noticed how expeditiously the "Departed" left, which include a police major, Mr. Adkins, and others, including sj. He therefore should be respected for his time, thoughts, and opinion. I also recall Mr. Marconi was one of the few council members who stood up and voted against the waiver of $50,000 for the school water tap in fee, until Mr. Mulligan and others did some arm twisting. Perhaps the valuable lesson to be gotten from Tom Clancy's version of MMF is the formation of a like kind organization to defeat (using sj's vernacular) the "dark" side. That action and effort would yield far greater benefit and results than postulation of whether city hall leadership should also be involved in non profit organizations and stacking the deck with those whom they feel serve their best interests. Isn't it an oxymoron the council refused to involve themselves in the AK strike, and remained a neutral party, as did the city leadership, while taking such a blatant position of moving from neutrality to supporting the "favored" group? Of course, its self evident, but the real effort is matching the cadence instead of saying, hmmm...there's something amiss with that march. Until that changes, the majority, those silent individuals who sit on the sideline and don't have a clue what is occurring while Middletown is swept into oblivion, won't know what has happened until Middletown ends west of the Town Mall. As Mr. Marconi occasionally puts his eyes on these pieces, I offer the 3rd ward residents aren't quite as blind as many may think, aren't nearly as supportive to the stack rank and those decisions made which profited others while ruining more. You'd do yourself a favor by oushing to have that ordinance changed. Be procative, the citizens want roads repaired, and the most foolhardy individual is thinking the majority are given pause by brochures which are "non neutral" but can be met with tit for tat, and those that also adhere wrongfully, that the majority want to vote on wards. They do not Mr. Marconi, they want their city saved and property values restored, and reputation at least to the midpoint of where it was 30 years ago, instead of progressively declining. You have the bully pulpit over your opponents, embrace it, don't run from it. ------------- An ignorant person is one who doesn't know what you have just found out. - Will Rogers |
Posted By: Rail Fan
Date Posted: Sep 04 2009 at 2:36pm
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Sadly HUDtown or Slumville, Ohio can be our city?
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Posted By: Rail Fan
Date Posted: Sep 04 2009 at 2:50pm
| We need city hall to fix our roads and sewers. |
Posted By: Tony Marconi
Date Posted: Sep 04 2009 at 4:25pm
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Hi VietVet,
I did log on to take a quick read of your post. I will answer your post and others as I get the time. Like everyone else, I am pressed for time and I do have a business to run. I am in the planning stages of having a "town hall meeting" before the election. This would be called by me for the 3rd ward and opened to the public and for any staff or council members that may wish to come.
I always enjoy meeting with the public and the inpout from our citizens. I do work for our citizens. That is whom I am accountable to. I will get back to your post when I have the time.
Some of your post really gives me major gas!!! There is so much miscommunication, gossip, half truths, half lies, lies, distortion, etc that is floating out there in the public domain, that it is any wonder that our citizens have a hard time getting their arms around some of these issues.
As a buisnessman, one of the most difficult challenges that I had was being able to work within the framework of government. Business moves quick and is goal oriented. Government is slow and is process oriented. I have gone on record several times about I am for less government in our lives not more. I have had a hard time working with bureacrats but I learned real quick that you must be able to work within the system in order to get things accomplished for our city. I advocate open and transparent government.
Overall, I have been very impressed and pleased with the caliber of our city staff and employees. The majority are very dedicated and hard working city servants that do a great job with the resources within their budgets. They are no different than you and me. They are simply trying to make a living and doing the best they can day to day.
I work very hard to reach concensus and build relationships with people. I have learned that no matter who you are, people want to be treated fairly and with respect. Please do not get offended when I cut up with you or make some comment you may not like. I do like teasing people, especially when you start giving me gas!
I will get back to you. I must get going. Thank you for your time.
Tony Marconi
Middletown City Council
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Posted By: rngrmed
Date Posted: Sep 04 2009 at 5:27pm
| are we allowed to bet on who wins seats? lol |
Posted By: Rail Fan
Date Posted: Sep 04 2009 at 5:36pm
| Please tell us Mr. Marconi how you will get our bad streets and old sewers fixed? |
Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: Sep 04 2009 at 5:39pm
Ahhhh.....bet it won't be Marconi. I think he gassed his last breath with "lies, half lies, distortions and YOU GIVE ME GAS." Not good to call voters liars when you disagree with their opinions or stands on issues.
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Posted By: Rail Fan
Date Posted: Sep 04 2009 at 7:10pm
I got this e-mail Mr. Marconi today from a friend .... a fellow church member, realtor and third ward voter. What do you think?
be involved in rehab work at all. If you look at the list of foreclosures you will see a lot of local rehabbers that are losing their properties because they are unable to sale them. If they do sale them they have to sell at a loss which then in turn hurts the property values for the whole neighborhood. Common sense tells anyone if the individuals that have been doing it for years are having problems, the city program which will be ran by individuals that are not experienced in this game will have issues. Their plan is to sell below market value, which hurts everyone else in that neighborhood. So is it really helping in neighborhood revitalization. Robyn -----Original Message----- From: Walter Leap [mailto:wleap@cinci.rr.com] Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 8:55 PM To: Nelsonself@aol.com Cc: erichter@coxohio.com; Paul@PaulRenwick.com; Mcnally, Robyn L.; amarconi@cinci.r.com Subject: Re: 1018 Hughes Street - Rehab of FHA "Dollar Home" For your info; This house is more of a *re-build* than a re-hab and began in Jan. last year. I have visited this house many times since the work began and it was apparent that no oversight was in place. The neighborhood is barely $45,000 some have sold in the 20's. This expenditure is a gross waste of taxpayer funds which could have been much better utilized elsewhere. In short the city should not be in the REHAB business because the cost is far above the private sector and it takes forever to complete. Why is the city competing with local businesses? This house underlines the need for an Housing Oversight Committee. Walter Nelsonself@aol.com wrote: Rehab work that wasn't completed or was improperly completed on this project is being re-bid by Skip Batten. His estimate of additional cost is $40,000 plus. Walter Leap's name was drawn from the Middletown Board of REALTORS random lottery to list this house. It should have been completed months ago according to the $68,000 contract with Bose and Longworth of Middletown. Subject: 1018 Hughes Street - Rehab of FHA "Dollar Home"
From: mailto:Nelsonself@aol.com - Nelsonself@aol.com Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:15:07 mailto:EDT@fuse.net - EDT To: mailto:dschiavone1@cinci.rr.com - dschiavone1@cinci.rr.com , amarconi@cinci.rr.com, bymyflwrs@fuse.net CC: mailto:Paul@PaulRenwick.com - Paul@PaulRenwick.com , chrisamburgey@yahoo.com *CONFIDENTIAL* You might find it interesting to ask for a status report on the above project (1018 Hughes Street). First of all, you might ask when was the rehab contract for this property signed. Second, it would be interesting to find out how many days were allowed to complete the work. Third, you might ask what is the current dollar amount of the contract. Fourth, you might ask to see a copy of the after-rehab-appraisal that justified the expenditure of HOME Program funds. Fifth, since Walter Leap has the listing for this property (random lottery system with Middletown Board of REALTORS), why is it taking so long to complete this project. Sixth, is the contractor incurring penalties for failing to complete work within the allotted time? The City also owns one other rehabilitated FHA Dollar Home at 2021 Logan. Ray Stephens with Tenore Realtors has that listing. Since I have been removed from direct involvement with demolition, code enforcement, down payment and housing rehab programs, it might be interesting to determine what marketing efforts are being made to sell this property that was rehabbed back 2006 and recently returned by NHS. There are six other non-rehabilitated FHA Dollar Homes that were also returned by NHS. What efforts are being made to market these properties? They are targets for arson or vandalism. There are five or six seriously delinquent rehab loans that Attorney Don Imhoff is working on for foreclosure purposes. What plans does anyone have for dealing with these properties.
There is also a property at 508 Charles Street that the City acquired several months ago by deed in lieu of foreclosure. It previously received a large amount of rehab funds. Dick Morrison has the listing, but the property needs work in order to sell. What are the plans for marketing this property>
My point is this, as each day passes we incur costs for grass cutting, property taxes, property maintenance, etc. IS THERE A PLAN?? |
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