I was trying to be clever but accurate by comparing how our city is treated and dismissed as unworthy to participate in regional politic's and economic development by our neighbors to the North & South

 

Personally the City is not run as a Business enough.  Mr. Becker continually reminds of us the impending Budget disaster that is coming and that the City can not maintian it's current practices as far as employees and benefits go, yet it is basically ignored each time he brings it up.  This City will not survive if it does not change the way it operates.  It can not afford to Have Public and Section 8 housing in the numbers it does.  It must attract citizens that pay more in Payroll taxes in order to support the City.  If you raise the standard of living in the City as a whole everyone benefits even those that need assistance.  If you continue with the Socio-economic imbalance that we have now the city will fail.

 

 

 

1st. let me thank you for your service to our country. Vietnam?

 

After reading Mr. Woods post about his view of the "haves" vs. the "have not's," I've got to agree with most of what he said. The petition that has been passed around will surely place the ward etc. question on the ballot. I do not agree with the elimination of wards and I will do my best to campaign against that outcome. As Mr. Woods said, I agree that Middletown does suffer from a true division of  citizen representation. In November, we need to support the candidates who support the ward system.

 

 

Pacman, I gotta jump in here. Do you really think those whom have been labeled the "have not's" are lazy folk who won't get out of their chairs and take care of themselves? My grandmother, poorly educated friend and disabled neighbor are some of those. "The have's" are the folks behind the same policy's that brought us here. Former political leaders and businessmen who won't let go of their egos and their out-of-date approach to marketing, manufactoring and civic inovation. What does the Forbes label tell us? Not just that we are one of many city's who have been severly hurt by our nations on-going shift away from it's manufactoring base, but also about those who have led our city in the past still effectively keeping out those who are ready and qualified by not supporting them to lead us now. The simple reality is that Middletown's leaders lack of vision demonstrated by their general promotion of "the have's" to positions of leadership, have made our city a "have not" on the regional and national stage. The demographics of Middletown are well know, and the responsibily of those we elect are to the people that elect them, not to the "haves" who expect to control them.  In addition, those who have success in a business setting are often not the best qualified to represent the whole population in general. The demographic of Middletown say it all, and the ward systen has nothing to do with the economic leadership of the city. It's simply the current scape-goat for our past and present leader's failed policys. The ward system is about full representation of ALL the citizen's of our city, not just the "have's" who are pushing a smaller number of  council representatives from the demographic of the East end. jmo