|
|
| Middletown Community News |
| Questions & Answers With Middletown City Council Candidate Daniel Picard |
| Monday, July 20, 2009 12:27:18 PM - Middletown Ohio |
Posted By: Randy Lewis
Photo Submitted By Daniel Picard
Tell us a little about yourself and what qualifies you to represent your ward?
I was born in Fort Kent, Maine on May 28, 1956 and I lived in northern Maine until I was a sophomore in High School when we moved to St. Mary's PA. We lived there until 1976 when our family moved to Middletown. My father worked his entire life in the Paper industry and when we moved to Middletown he was named vice president of The Sorg Paper Company. I had started my college education at Mercyhurst College in Erie Pennsylvania and I finished my last two years at Miami University with one year at MUM and my senior year in Oxford. After graduating, I went on to the University of Dayton School of Law.
Following graduation, I opened my own law practice in Middletown and remained a sole practitioner until I joined Frost & Jacobs in November, 1995. Along the way, I married and had three children, two of which now attend the University of Cincinnati and one who attends Bishop Fenwick High School. I practiced real estate, banking and general corporate law with Frost Brown Todd LLC until February, 2002 when I left to become Vice President of Picard Paper Processing, Inc. In March of this year I decided to return to the practice of law and I opened an office as a sole practitioner.
During the course of my career I have served on numerous boards including, Family Service of Middletown, Middletown Symphony, Middletown Library Board and the United Way of Middletown. I am currently a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals for the City of Middletown.
My legal career has provided me a great deal of experience in many areas of law especially in the areas of general corporate work and banking. My years spent running a small business have added to the level of knowledge I have about managing and operating an organization. Given the extreme economic conditions we are currently enduring, my experience and knowledge will be a great asset in leading this City forward.
Where would you like to see the city in the next few years?
My goal is to get this City moving forward. I believe the next few years are vital to the future of this City and its residents. The current development taking place along the interstate is key to our future. We will only have one opportunity to develop this area and we need to do so in a manner which will maximize the number of jobs we can create in this City. I envision a large area of retail development along the Interstate and State Route 122 which will serve to drive this City into the future.
What is your plan to replace the businesses that Middletown has lost
My plan for replacing jobs within the City has a two prong approach. First, we must preserve the jobs we have and do everything we possibly can to help our current employers expand their employee base. It is essential that the City be in contact with our current employers and cooperate with them in every manner possible to ensure their continued survival and growth. Second, we must attract new businesses to the City. Our best opportunity is the East end development and the City must be willing to work with potential developers of this area. In addition, we need to be much more aggressive about marketing the potential we have. Our location between Dayton and Cincinnati affords us the best opportunity for growth and development. We have to move immediately to maximize our returns in these areas.
How would you begin to repair and strengthen our relationships with the surrounding communities?
In order to repair our relationships with surrounding communities, we must be willing to reach out to them and offer to meet with them to discuss how we can better work together for the benefit of all of us. These contacts and initial discussions must begin with members of Council reaching out to the leaders of the communities and inviting them to the table to being discussions.
What would you like to see happen with the downtown area?
The only thing we can do with the downtown area is to preserve what we have and seek out assistance either governmental or private sector funding to restore as much as possible. This area has a very rich history and it deserves more money and attention then we can currently afford. The reality of the situation is that there isn't enough money to return this area to the vitality it once enjoyed and therefore our efforts must be concentrated on preserving what we have and seeking alternatives for the future.
What are your thoughts on Middletown's Section 8 situation and what would you like to see happen?
Our current Section 8 housing situation is a very significant problem and we must do everything we possibly can to eliminate as much of it as possible. The amount of Section 8 housing in Middletown far exceeds the amount our surrounding communities have and this must come to an end. Our City spends far too much money providing police and fire services to the residents of this type housing. The return on our investment for these services is far too small in comparison to the rest of our City.
Tell us how you would handle the city's budget concerns?
We need to take advantage of the fact that we are not in the same monetary crisis as many of our neighbors in regard to our current financial condition. We must take the time we currently have to start aggressively planning for the time when our revenues will be insufficient to provide for the services the City currently offers. Now, is the time to be making decisions about where the City can reduce its costs in the wake of reduced revenue. In addition to planning to reduce our costs, we must be exploring every avenue available to us to generate additional funds by creating more jobs or through additional assistance from the Federal Government. Most importantly, the City management must keep the citizens informed about our current and future situation and seek input from them in regard to what the citizens believe are the most import services the City can provide.
In your opinion, what is the biggest problem that needs addressed in Middletown and how do we repair it?
The biggest problem this City faces is the loss of revenue which is directly impacted by the loss of jobs. As I indicated above, our City leaders must do everything they possibly can to generate growth in employment within the City. Simply, more jobs means more money. While I was working for Picard Paper Processing, Inc., our employment in 2006 went from 45 to 104. To accommodate this increase in employment, we invested a very large sum of money on new equipment and additional space. This growth occurred very rapidly and there was no time to approach the City for any assistance. In the late fall of 2006, we went to the City to discuss our options for any type of assistance the City could provide us to handle our costs associated with this growth. We were told that we were too late, nothing could be done because the jobs were already in place.
Because we were not a “new” company coming to the City, there were no incentives available to us. This is an attitude which must change. Our City must be more concerned with maintaining the jobs we have and doing everything possible to assist our current employers with the growth of their work force.
Discuss In The Forum
|
| |
|
Archived Comments
| 8/22/2009 10:24:14 AM | VietVet | | Mr. Picard- your comments seem to be on course. I live in the 3rd Ward so will not be voting for you, however, if you are elected, I would request that you not continue nor sponsor the current policies and direction of this city. Radical changes need to be made to turn this ship around. I have been here since 1948-born and raised. Have seen good prosperous times with Armco and the paper mills in the 60's and see the town today and it makes me very angry. I don't appreciate city leaders running my hometown into the ground. Make no mistake- if you are elected and continue to adopt the current policies, you will hear from me. | | 10/22/2009 4:55:10 PM | Deadlucky | | How do you profit from section 8 housing??? |
|
|
|
