What has the City Manager and Admin done right?
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Manager
Forum Description: Discuss the city manager administration including all city departments.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3358
Printed Date: Nov 22 2024 at 5:39am
Topic: What has the City Manager and Admin done right?
Posted By: wasteful
Subject: What has the City Manager and Admin done right?
Date Posted: Oct 09 2010 at 8:48am
| We all sit here and complain about the City Manager, Admin and Council. I would like to know instead of the constant complaining about what they have done wrong, what have they done right in the last 3 years or so? |
Replies:
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Oct 09 2010 at 10:08am
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Interesting wasteful--a topic that I have been wanting to post about for a few days.
Everyone, including Council, seems to be all over the city manager, wanting her head on a platter.
She hasn't been here long, and is hardly the root of our long-festering problems , failures and unfortunate decisions. She is torn between trying to please Council, the dark side puppetmasters, to keep Admin functioning and happy, to be responsive to the community, and to have peace and quality in her personal life. I have never dealt with her on a professional/business level, though I have4 often run into her in social situations. I always fine her nice, friendly, upbeat and pretty much a pleasure to be around. Is she now the convenient scapegoat for our long-running issues? Just a diversion, like Mr.Picard's unfortunate lapse of protocol? Are we being steered away from the core of our problems?
Adkins?--has worked very hard to get his agenda in motion. Time to give it a shot to see if he can pull it off and move the city in the right direction.
Robinette--no one has been more critical of ED than El Spider. Don't like his direction or methods, however he is just another human being.
I put it all on Council to actually take control to lead Admin in the right direction instead of the opposite.
Time is tight, and the area is leaving us behind. We can't lose another 2-3 years like we did over the Williams/Schiavone/Marconi/Wells fiasco, and we seem to be headed in that direction. Council ultimately makes the decisions , sets the direction and hires the staff to do the job.
jmo
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Posted By: Bill
Date Posted: Oct 09 2010 at 12:42pm
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If council is the root of the problem, then this is not new or confined to Middletown. Towns and cities all over have these dust-ups and ridiculous arguments (Carlisle, Lebanon, Cincinnati). The difference, I think, is that many of those towns are in better financial shape and can afford to have a goofy council. We have no such luxury. The only way for us to move forward is for a well-functioning council. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Oct 09 2010 at 7:19pm
Personally, I am tired of this crap and I have only lived her for 7-8 years and their is not a day goes by that someone doesn't come into my business and make a wise crack about Middletown and it's people and leadership.
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Bill wrote:Posted By: Bill
Date Posted: Oct 09 2010 at 9:18pm
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Other cities can get away with idiotic councils because either they"re in better financial shape than Middletown OR they have some built in assets and advantages that a smarter council could eventually use to sve some of their problem. For example, Cincy has some terrible debt problems but the city has many assets, has a huge tax base, and could correctly steer the ship if they had a council with some sense. Here, we have the foxes guarding the henhouse but the hens left for West Chester long ago. Lord, what I would give to be able to leave town...
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Posted By: middletownlost
Date Posted: Oct 16 2010 at 8:02am
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Dont know, I got out in 2008, but still have a bunch of family left there. I still follow Middletown because I have so many family and friends that work there in the schools, the city, etc.
I have sister in law thats a teacher in the district and a nephew thats a police officer, so I guess I have a vested interest.
Was lucky to sell my home for what I owed, but I hear thats about impossible now. I guess I'm nostalgic because I so wish it was the way it used to be. This was a great city to grow up in. Thriving business and industry, great schools, so much for a kid to do and best yet, it seemed like it was headed in the right direction.
I found this board and saw many of you have the same concerns I do. I guess I was just lucky enough to get out when I could.
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Posted By: Molly
Date Posted: Oct 16 2010 at 9:10am
| I see the city manager allowing the city council and even boards and commissions making decisions about city affairs. This is NOT the role of either. My opinion is; that she is a "professional" city manager who likes to be clear of anything that could go wrong to stick to her. As far as ED goes, I tend to agree with the Spider. Also, it seems as if ED continues to throw good money on long-shots and demos with nothing in place to rebuild. JMO |
Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: Oct 16 2010 at 10:16am
| Good opinion there Molly welcome aboard. I have to agree with your position on the Boards, although I think it is more Council trying to shield themselves. There is no reason for a City of Less than 50K Citizens to have 20 Boards and Commissions. They have a Board for everything in this town and many are not needed and most you never even here from. I came from a City 5 times the population of Middletown and they only had 13 Boards and Commissions. Boards and Commissions have become the answer to everything in Middletown and yet most of them produce very little of Value and now we have a Cemetery Board and why because the City can't make a decision. Laubach is right another waste of Time. |
Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: Oct 17 2010 at 8:49pm
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Funny, No one has mentioned that this City Manager and Admin has been the only one in the last 4 that I have seen that has express an interest and tried to reduce the number of Section Vouchers in Middletown. As much talk that has gone into the Section 8 issue this should be a huge plus for her and her Admin.
While it will not happen overnight and road blocks have been thrown in the Managers way by both Council and HUD, her opinion of Section 8 and the fact that it needs to be reduced and the City spends an inordinate amount of time on this issue, when it could be better spent on other issues that benefit all of the Cities residents. This is a huge plus in her favor, in my opinion.
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