You are spot on regarding the segments. I think the biggest problem Middletown has and always will have is simple. Its never been a city which had an influx of people like a major metro city, with lots of new people coming and going, transferring from career position to career position. It therefore is insular, guarded, and horribly "self centered." It had AK and a few others, and used to be a decent city that sons and daughters with JD's, CPA's, and MD's would move back, enjoy a nice city with tremendous charm. I went to school with the head of physical therapy at MRH's daughter, a great tennis player that played at Miami at Oxford, and it was such a different city.

 

What you have know are mainly older retirees and city leaders, wrapped in an entitlement cocoon, just hanging on to get what they can as long as they can. One on one they'll tell how the city is destroyed, and by whom, part of it when the Armco executives left to move to Pittsburgh, then the lack of leadership and guidance was never fixed. Because of its insular nature, those inside are too ignorant to recognize they know nothing, and jut want to live as if time has stayed still. Its too bad Middletown was never a transcient community, where alot of bright people came in and out. Most view those people as a threat, and a small band has totally destroyed the city in all facets.

 

No one has escaped this, even those that live on Thornhill or off Penswood in their quaisi private cul de sac. For every $500,000 home, there is 1-2 buyers, for every $250,000 home, maybe 5 a year. The city is destroyed, but yet the ones responsible for its destruction live the illusion by knocking down a few buildings and floating these unrealistic levies, times are going to get better. Every bit of development teh past 10 years, has been a company determining to move here, not any development by ED. The schools are in shambles, although new, as all this was wrapped up in a warped plan that North meets South (Dayton and Cincinnati). With gas about to climg back up to $3.50/ gal soon, and companies leaving Ohio, the midpoint reincarnation will never occur. So, we wait while the shoe is ready to drop.

 

      

 

Middletown is falling apart and the leadership is in denial of that fact to the nth degree.  I look at Middletown as a city that is divided into several groups of people:

 

You have the poverty group who are just trying to get by and many will do nothing even if they can to improve.

 

You have a large elderly population that is living here and has for most if not all of their lives, who are most likely going to die here and they just want to live out their lives with no bumps in the road.

 

You have a select group of people who have the right last name or the right amount of money or who are making a huge salary from the city, who basically make the decisions here and seem to be content with how Middletown is progressing in their minds, as long as they pulling the strings, while in our eyes the city is falling apart.

 

Then you have the last group that sees the problems and wants to see change for the better but either can't get it together or don't have the power to effect change in this city.  Why I don't know.  Could be they are out numbered, out spent and also due to the fact that the first 3 groups have their heads in the sand and keep telling themselves "Middletown has a bright future".

 

I am with you I don't understand the first 3 groups in this city, those who chose to watch the city crumble rather than make some hard choices now and try to ensure.........That Middletown just has a future.

 

I assume about 1/2 of city hall could be cut without missing a beat to help offset some of the $$$, but another---"not in our lifetimes".

 

You can do the math, but the net present value (NPV) on a $ MM today would be far > than .X 1987 $$$. And so it goes. Are residents or businesses inclined to walk from Middletown before giving it conisderation, or will the schoool system drive them away? That's the mess the city caused. Inflation going up in 10, we'll be hin hyper-inflation the next 2 years, and interest rates will go up substantially. 

 

 

 

1987	1.5	2.1	3.0	3.8	3.9	3.7	3.9	4.3	4.4	4.5	4.5	4.4	3.6
1988	4.0	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9	4.0	4.1	4.0	4.2	4.2	4.2	4.4	4.1
1989	4.7	4.8	5.0	5.1	5.4	5.2	5.0	4.7	4.3	4.5	4.7	4.6	4.8
1990	5.2	5.3	5.2	4.7	4.4	4.7	4.8	5.6	6.2	6.3	6.3	6.1	5.4
1991	5.7	5.3	4.9	4.9	5.0	4.7	4.4	3.8	3.4	2.9	3.0	3.1	4.2
1992	2.6	2.8	3.2	3.2	3.0	3.1	3.2	3.1	3.0	3.2	3.0	2.9	3.0
1993	3.3	3.2	3.1	3.2	3.2	3.0	2.8	2.8	2.7	2.8	2.7	2.7	3.0
1994	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.4	2.3	2.5	2.8	2.9	3.0	2.6	2.7	2.7	2.6
1995	2.8	2.9	2.9	3.1	3.2	3.0	2.8	2.6	2.5	2.8	2.6	2.5	2.8
1996	2.7	2.7	2.8	2.9	2.9	2.8	3.0	2.9	3.0	3.0	3.3	3.3	3.0
1997	3.0	3.0	2.8	2.5	2.2	2.3	2.2	2.2	2.2	2.1	1.8	1.7	2.3
1998	1.6	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.6	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.6	1.6
1999	1.7	1.6	1.7	2.3	2.1	2.0	2.1	2.3	2.6	2.6	2.6	2.7	2.2
2000	2.7	3.2	3.8	3.1	3.2	3.7	3.7	3.4	3.5	3.4	3.4	3.4	3.4
2001	3.7	3.5	2.9	3.3	3.6	3.2	2.7	2.7	2.6	2.1	1.9	1.6	2.8
2002	1.1	1.1	1.5	1.6	1.2	1.1	1.5	1.8	1.5	2.0	2.2	2.4	1.6
2003	2.6	3.0	3.0	2.2	2.1	2.1	2.1	2.2	2.3	2.0	1.8	1.9	2.3
2004	1.9	1.7	1.7	2.3	3.1	3.3	3.0	2.7	2.5	3.2	3.5	3.3	2.7
2005	3.0	3.0	3.1	3.5	2.8	2.5	3.2	3.6	4.7	4.3	3.5	3.4	3.4
2006	4.0	3.6	3.4	3.5	4.2	4.3	4.1	3.8	2.1	1.3	2.0	2.5	3.2
2007	2.1	2.4	2.8	2.6	2.7	2.7	2.4	2.0	2.8	3.5	4.3	4.1	2.8
2008	4.3	4.0	4.0	3.9	4.2	5.0	5.6	5.4	4.9	3.7	1.1	0.1	3.8
2009	0.0	0.2	-0.4	-0.7	-1.3	-1.4	-2.1	-1.5	-1.3	-0.2	1.8	2.7	-0.4

  

 

 

 

 

Apologies...Anita Scott Jones, not Smith. Too much caffeine. I think this is sad to have the Journal do this and don't understand why the family would not want their privacy invaded. 

 

 

 

I would not hesitate signing a petition nor circulating one. I will not hesitate signing a petition for removal of a council person(s), once one is defined, and the rationale for the action properly, factually, and objectively defined.