Middletown Forum : City Leadership

Of course, one such topic would be the City's Inaction on addressing the problems and issues related

to the City's Historic Pioneer Cemetery.

At your up-coming Council Retreat, it would seem that you could easily take a positive step forward

by formulating and embracing a YR2010 Goal to Restore the Cemetery's Vault Building and to

Establish a Clear Oversight Structure to ensure that the City's fundamental responsibilities are achieved

for the proper management, maintenance, and preservation of the City's Historical Cemetery Grounds and Gravesites.

It is really rather silly that the City Council and Adminstration appear to be avoiding 'speaking out' on the

Cemetery Issues under the guise of 'pending litigation'.

It is really rather silly that the City Council and Administration appear to be avoiding taking leadership

steps to pro-actively address the Cemetery Issues to quickly bring the City into compliance with Ohio's

Regulations for professional Cemetery Operations.

It is really rather silly that the City views the Complaint filed by Vivian Moon with the Ohio Cemetery

Dispute Resolution Commission as a major 'lawsuit' that requires some sort of major written agreement

to be negotiated in a long, drawn-out fashion.

The Cemetery Issues will only be resolved when the City Council and Administration make the decision

that the City has responsibilities for the Cemetery that have not been adequately managed for many

years, determines the best way to effectively manage the Cemetery Operations, and leads the way for

the City's Historic Cemetery to become a fine Source-Of-Pride for the Citizens throughout the Community.

The City's Cemetery Issues are rather small issues for which the City certainly has the capacity,

the expertise, and the responsibility to resolve.

Citizens want to have faith that their City Leaders will pro-actively tackle problems and work earnestly

toward effective resolution - rather than give them disingenuous lip service.

Citizens can clearly see the distinction in the behavior of their City Leaders.

If the City Leadership can't seem to achieve an effective resolution to such a small problem as

the Cemetery Issues, one should not be puzzled as to why folks have difficulty feeling confident

that City Leaders will be achieving successes on the larger issues to be addressed.

As you participate in the 01-30-2010 Goal-Setting Council Retreat, please be mindful that there will only

be 121 days until Memorial Day-2010, and there will only be 276 days until Election Day - 2010.

I urge you to seize the fresh opportunity to break through the City's Entrenched Governmental Bureaucracies

and take some giant steps forward to build back Citizen Trust in City Leadership.

Everyone desires for you to succeed and all citizens need you to succeed.

Don H. Thompson
4400 Graydon Drive
Middletown, Ohio 45042-3810
Phone: 513-420-1729