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City Manager Blog

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=6154
Printed Date: Nov 22 2024 at 9:57am

Topic: City Manager Blog

Posted By: ashkicker
Subject: City Manager Blog
Date Posted: Jul 28 2015 at 11:17pm

Well, well, well. It appears Doug Adkins has a new blog site wherein he answers questions. Funny thing, I posted a question and POOF!, it disappears off the blog. I tried to resubmit my question and it wouldn't let me. Below is my post exactly as it was written. I can't figure out what Doug doesn't want to answer.

Doug,

Please explain your comment about the "1,005 fewer calls for service". Are you saying the call volume has decreased or are you saying there are fewer times an Engine Company responds to assist a Medic unit? Members of the department that I have spoken with inform me the actual numbers of calls has INCREASED and will result in more runs for 2015 if the current trend continues.

If you are talking about an Engine Company that responds to assist a Medic unit, that number may make sense.

However, please explain how "First Emergency First profile" benefits the community. If EMS makes up for a majority of the department's calls (85-90%) and most of them are NOT dire medical emergencies, how did the community benefit by sending additional personnel? Under the old staffing model, 2 personnel responded with a Medic Unit vs. sending 3 under the First Emergency First profile. On two concurrent runs (which is not usual in Middletown) the old staffing model utilized 4 personnel (2 units X 2 personnel) while the new model sends 6 personnel (2 units X 3 personnel). Those 2 additional personal could be manning a third Medic Unit. In the case of three concurrent runs, the additional personnel (which jumps to 3) could be manning an Engine Company.

It appears to me that you are purposefully spreading misleading information to bolster your claims of how great First Emergency First is. Depleting your department's staffing has/will result in an additional need for mutual aid. I point to the night/morning of June 25/26.

I await your response.

Ashkicker

Replies:

Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Jul 29 2015 at 6:04am

Perhaps, like the old council forums they use to offer the public, the 3 minutes to speak in front of council (longer if they like what you have to say and they know you are on their side) and now this Adkins blog, all are only meant as an appeasement to the public when in reality, they don't care what the people outside their special circle of influence have to say. You just mentioned the proof when you stated that your post disappeared from the blog. It put Adkins in conflict and indicted his actions. The answer for him is to just hit the off switch rather than to be a man and answer the question. No spine like the others. As old Johnny Cochran would say, "If your message questions what they must prove, they must remove".

The Journal has a habit of erasing posts on opinions if the content doesn't match the game plan, provides resistance to the game plan or indicts a city official or reveals something they want kept from the public.

Same old song, just a different day. The city is run like a dictatorship in many ways, especially in limiting communication talk if city leaders don't want to hear what you have to say.

-------------
I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.

Posted By: swohio75
Date Posted: Jul 29 2015 at 8:15am

Perhaps there are word/character restrictions/limits on replies. that wouldn't surprise me.

Unless they have blocked your email address from being able to post a response.

Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Jul 29 2015 at 11:12am

haven't seen this yet--sounds like a step in the right direction
I see a nudge in the right direction from decades of poor decisions and planning imo--gonna take a long while to change thinking/methods/attitudes from both admin and citizens, and rightly so

but we have waited long enough--warp speed is necessary
hope to begin working with this group son

Posted By: swohio75
Date Posted: Jul 29 2015 at 11:50am

Me and my brother have been doing fireworks for the past 10 years down by the river. This is a load of bullsh*t.. When black folk want to do Something positive for the community it’s illegal. NO black person I know attends that bullsh*t broad street bash. Its for white people not us.

I appreciate your comments. I’m not sure how fireworks is a race related issue but I accept your comment that some in the African American community may not wish to attend the City fireworks. You are going to find as time goes on that this local government values all members of the community and I am working very hard to break down those barriers over time.

We haven’t had city sponsored fireworks in over 10 years and I’ve never done them as a City Manager. If there is a smarter, better way to put the evening together, I would genuinely like to hear from the community what they liked and what we could do better next year.

At some point, we need to become a community, not groups of people separated by race or income levels. All viewpoints are welcome in this city as long as I am City Manager.

I will also accept constructive criticism. If you really want to see change, however, you have a responsibility to not only complain about deficiencies, but also to offer real solutions that would make things better.

On the Blast tonight, if you would like to see a different mix of music or food vendors, or whatever would make the evening more appealing to the entire community, let me know and we’ll look at how we can be better next year.

Things will improve only when we work together and each of us takes personal responsibility to make daily life in this city better. My door is always open and you can email me anytime at mailto:douga@cityofmiddletown.org" rel="nofollow - douga@cityofmiddletown.org .

Don’t be a stranger.

Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Jul 29 2015 at 1:15pm

Very encouraging response to a somewhat combative posting--way to go Mr.A!

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