Bob

“It’s funny”to you and the city government (is that the “we” you arereferring to?) … but not funny to all of us on this forum. Soundslike, after your “personal and public conversations” with Adkins,you are satisfied with just making EXCUSES for council and Adkins sothat they can absolve themselves and appear blameless for ourproblems. Pats on the head by Mr. A can be very effective! Adkins’two and a half years as city manager, under his 5 year plan, has leftus pretty much status quo; no significant improvements (other thandowntown) and an overall continued downward spiral. His years asrevitalization director only reinforced the then administration’smismanagement which he claimed as experience for obtaining the citymanager position. And our city council bought that!!! Why? Duringhis tenure as revitalization director, the city lost control of, andall revenue from Section 8!!! How could council see that as positiveexperience on the part of Mr Adkins or especially see it asrecommendation for him to become our city manager???

Itseems odd to me that you have chosen to criticize the “Urinal News”(your description) for doing it’s best to malign Middletown when,for once, they are actually publishing the news as it happens.Previous to this they have chosen to publish an abundance of “news”which was dictated to them by the city administration about how cityleaders were doing their best for Middletown. Maybe The Journal isbecoming less slanted!!

Ourpolice no doubt deserve our support. But, as so often noted, thecauses of their current outlandish overload (which our surroundingcommunities are NOT experiencing anywhere close to this extent) isthe PAST AND CURRENT mismanagement of our city. Mistakes of previousadministration continue to plague us because there has been no REALchange in policy or procedure. This is and always has been theresponsibility of city council not the city manager!! There hasbeen, by council, a lot of denial of responsibility and fingerpointing to the past. Council was/is responsible for killing thehorse (our city) that was just flogged again.. Flogging dead horseswill become unnecessary as soon as council decides to adopt policyand procedure that will improve the entire city, not just the favoreddowntown. Why has council allowed Adkins to tear down unoccupied (socalled abandoned) homes in our better neighborhoods? Many of thosehomes could have been rehabbed to bolster instead of ruin our housingmarket and tax base. Those dilapidated, unsafe eyesores in rundown,drug infested neighborhoods that you pointed out (which should havebeen part of the previously razed, 400 properties) are stillstanding.

Whyshould we allow council to ignore past mistakes and continue to makethe same mistakes over and over. And now you suggest that the city“ride its course” … to where? our more complete ruin? THAT ISTHE PROBLEM. Council needs to change course, take consciousthoughtful consideration of our current situation, compare us tocities that are successful at solving similar problems (readAnalytical’s posts!) and make some positive changes. Councilshould be initiating solutions that will set the past negative chainof events (created by mismanagement) into reverse. Hopefully, gettingan initial start on solutions will snowball to the positive (justlike past poor decisions snowballed to the negative). Council, willyou continue to be dictated to by Adkins? Will you take the blindersoff? Will you begin to represent ALL the people? Will you reversethe policies that have ruined our neighborhoods and schools? Becauseour council did not appreciate them, our best business and industrymoved away… and took with them the jobs which were our tax base! Residents moved away to follow their jobs, leaving behind emptyhousing. Since all our councils have refused to recognize and ownthese mistakes they will continue to repeat them ad infinitum.

Adkinshas already expressed that he has taken note of “other cities withless problems” that he could be managing instead of Middletown. Weare surrounded by cities that are recovered and thriving. Why aren’twe? Should we expect that Adkins will jump ship soon, before hisreputation and “experience” in Middletown becomes too difficultto explain for another prospective city management position in a lessproblematic city? Has he been sending resumes? Will city councilrecommend him?!?!?!?

Also,Spider is right:

“Arrestthe opiate users after reviving them. Drunk drivers don't get soberedthen let go---same with pot and other drugs. Quit sympathizing thejunkies. Make middietown the last place where they want to be.”
Everyadditional arrest and prosecution should carry a stiffer penaltyespecially for drug dealing … then we will cease to be soinviting.
“Councilhas enough power to do a lot better, however they are part-timeminimum wage volunteers. Still they have the power to steer theship.”
WHENwill council begin to act responsibly? The time has been ripe foryears so why not start NOW? If they didn’t feel that they couldafford to spend the time or had the expertise to make an honesteffort to represent our people, why did they run for office??? Sofar they have adopted Adkins’ advice to attend the meeting, vote asdirected before hand and “go home as quickly as possible.” Granted it is increasingly difficult to find qualified people who arewilling to tackle our troubled and mismanaged city. And many of ourdemoralized citizens are numb, apathetic and disinterested aftertheir anger and protest has for many years fallen on deaf ears in thecity building. Council truly earned this!!

Andlastly, the career criminal who, according to the Journal, “hasbeen arrested for numerous drug possessions and trafficking offenses,theft, forgery, burglary, abduction, failure to comply with lawfulorder, robbery and is currently on parole for burglary,” … wasJoey R. Taylor of Carolina Street, Middletown…..not (asyounoted) Lattimore (addressunknown) who’scrimes were misdemeanors.

Maywe celebrate this Independence Day with renewed hope for our city! Happy Fourth!!!

PS:    ToVet, just read your post! Always thoughtful, as opposed to someonewho “could give a crap less” and who mindlessly parrots MrAdkins, while claiming to know everything (and nothing).

PPS:     Vet, just read your second post. Aaaaaamen!!! And to Buddha’srepetitive “spewing” of self important, unprofessional,inconsiderate, thoughtless, etc. comments …. our cityadministration has certainly inspired you!           I under estimated theeffects of a good head patting. Buddha, if you are tired ofscrutinizing posts on this forum ..… then stop. Some of us on thisforum are presenting possible solutions to city problems … you, onthe other hand have only confronted the complaints (even made some)and you have ignored the offering of solutions. You keep “yammering”over and over and over … that what you are doing is so much better…… what was that you were doing? Don’t recall any specificsolutions….. I see no lead to follow here.

Perhaps his intent isnot to change city hall but to agree with them?!?!?