Didn't you read the "Downtown Assessment Resource Team" (DART) Report???  Allow me to quote from that report:

 

 

What intelligent and organized citizens need to grasp is as follows. Middletown's main employer is 1) AKS, Atirum, MCSD, MUM, and the city of Middletown. Of those five entities, and there are a few smaller ones (Akers Packaging etc), three out of five are union associated or public service entities. Why do you think there is such an allegiance between the city and Dean Cowan, because they are in the protected public sector.

 

Your point is symbolic of the bigger problem, spiderjohn calls it the feeding the beast, at city hall. So while the HUD issues are real, and problematic, and obviously, monies are taken to just keep people on payroll, that is why city hall is such a problem. There is no down-sizing, no attempt to get efficient, its all those entitled people awaiting retirement and taking $100 Kk worth of vacation and overtime pay with them. Look at Bill Becker. Police Chief behind many controversail issues, taping privileged phone calls of those in jail and attorneys. Man on watch when much of section 8 spike started. Goes from mid $80 pay range thanks to his friends at city council to $102,000. for a increase in retirement. Contributions as city manager, in my opinion, few. Then gets a gig as a Warreny Cty Township interim city manager, sets him up nicely for next gig, emergency response.

 

This is why Middletown is doomed, and its too late to alter its course. The beast at city hall is too large. What you keep exposing is a few trees (thank you) for the forest of large ineffective local government, filled with cronyism, excuses, and feeble attempts to justify its furture direction. Don't you just love that slogan!     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Middletown's problems are so deep and wide, it will be impossible to dig itself out of the whole. The first step is the cleanup, the demolishment of decay downtown and elsewhere. I truly believe the city made such a fuss over the building at the cemetary because while they have the wrecking ball, just destroy it all.

 

Secondly, the city thinks its going to brownfield as much as they can of downtown. They then hope they can attract business that wants to build or reclaim the area, but that will never happen.

 

As usual, the city leader shot themselves in the foot. That campaign when they said it would take >50 plus years to do the streets was such a duration and lengthy period, no one will have serious interest in Middletown for 60-100 years. The damage has been done folks, its simply too late to save. Think of the oxymoron: city builds bike path, but 50 years to repair roads by its own admission. City closes city historic pool, while going bananas in naming a historic area by the hospital, and thinks it will be great for dogs. So, brownfields, a dog playground, and bike paths, compensate for an inability to repair roads until 50 years, or a half century passes!

 

There was an article two days ago about Youngstown Ohio. About trying to turn the corner. The pictures were bad, but I don't think even Youngstown, one of the most deplete areas in Ohio, is as ruin down as Middletown.

 

Its over folks, the fat lady has sung in Middletown. Its best days are not going forward, in spite of the cleanup and brownfielding. Step 2 is building on the land. It won't ever happen.