Several times in the last ten years I have urged Middletown’s city councils/commissions to include the repair or rebuilding of the streets in our poorest neighborhoods in their CBDG (Community Development Block Grants) plans.

I was always told that, by law, this was not allowed, even though everyone but the newest members of council knew this to be untrue. Instead, our councils have always insisted that CBDG money be used for “neighborhood beautification”, even though much of the money goes unused year after year while our poorest neighborhoods could have had the BEST STREETS in the city.

The Conference of Mayors’ MainStreet Economic Recovery plan, developed under the leadership of Miami Mayor Manual A. (Manny) Diaz, the President of the Conference, calls for federal investments in 10 sectors that will quickly create jobs in metro areas, improve the infrastructure that the private sector needs to succeed, help the small businesses of Main Street America, and produce lasting economic and environmental benefits for the nation.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors recently released the third in its series of reports on infrastructure projects that are “ready to go” in cities across the nation – projects that meet local infrastructure needs, can be funded through existing federal channels, start quickly when funding is received, and generate the significant numbers of jobs that are needed to counter the severe economic problems we face today in our metro areas and our nation as a whole.

Included on that list are 3,253 projects in 641 cities and towns totaling $19,474,124,552 that could be funded under CBDGs. These projects, if funded, are projected to create a total of 299,762 good paying jobs.

Middletown wants everyone to get excited about another beautification project.

This is a really compelling reason for everyone to get a tattoo of a pretty flower on their butt.

That is what will be showing as our heads remain stuck in the sand.