Just like Doug Adkins, anothercorrupt CityManager, Jim Palenick(ala hispie in the sky proposed$1.3 billion riverfront entertainment district and theme park called“Hollywoodland” andattemptedgrab of $7.5million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act towardpre-construction work) hasbeen discovered and deposed from his lofty throne. What throne? Theone that Doug Adkins created for himself. Bythe way where is that $7.5million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act? Not on in ourpot-hole pocked streets!

Yup!It’shappened all over again. Whyis it so difficult tobreak this “funny business”? OurCity Charter is set up to have a stronger city manager (whoconducts allcouncil meetingsand conductsall business dealing)anda weaker mayor. Our own city council has for years, decades takenthis to mean they no longer need to keep themselves informed of citydealing but just vote for whatever is presented by the manager. Greatopportunities there for manager corruption andany council who may wantto beadvantagedif they are an insider on managerial dealings. We are only one of many cities in Ohio or indeed the nation withthis type of local government. Gulp! The US is in bigger trouble nowbecause the “weak mayor” syndrome goes all the way to Washington,weare acting weak!

How will theMiddletown Council everconduct city business without Doug Adkins? Will they be able to pullthe wool off their eyes and get out from under a long list offinancial burdens which were authored by Adkins, passed under councilsheep noses and quickly bobble head approved? Counciland then MayorMulligan wereworking for Adkins. Therefore Council wasin complete dereliction of duty … andwere in no wayrepresenting their constituents. Butthey were doing DougAdkins bidding! And they seemed sheepishly happy about it. Ignorancemay be blissbut it is not a gooddefense. Inthe back of your mind, don’t you want to question just why it wasso easy for Adkins to hold such sway over Council??? Onecounselor, like Adkins,was a lawyer! Thinkabout it.

ByusingCouncil’sderelictionof duty, will Adkins nowshakedownMiddletown Council fora large settlement forwrongfully firing himoverage discrimination? Howpreposterous. Surelythis will be seen as a frivolous suit. Hehas tried to pin his firing on Amy Vitori’s comment made in retortto one of hisuncomplimentary commentstoher. Ittook him several weeks to decide how best togouge the city again. Thecity mayalready bepaying the court forhearings andfines forviolations of HUD regulations whileunder Adkins direction. Whoknows what else wasswept under the rug. Therehave been inquiries about law suits against the city but the answerfor years on end hasbeen that its acontinuing case and is not available for public consumption. Noticethere was not a denial of law suits. Adkinswas careful to make Council complicit so no one wants to makeaccusations possiblydetrimental tothemselves.Sounds like the old“catch 22”. I personally spoke with a newly elected councilmember about an issue a few years ago. Iwas told that Adkinssaidthat city businesscould not be discussedwith anyoneoutside of council meetings and that councilorscould be prosecuted iftheydid. I felt thecouncilorwas actually frightened. AndI got exactly nothing.

Itwas sad the way MrAdkins keptpompously statingthat “it ismyjob to inform, prepareand instruct Council on everyissue” (all of which he initiates andcomposes) “beforeCouncil meetings.” That means thatnone of histime was“wasted having to answer questions duringcouncil meetings.” Adkinswantedto, in his words,“conduct the City’s business … and go home.” And sincevirtually everything wasdone on emergency basis the public hadno chance to ask questions, makesuggestions orobjections, or getclarification of the workings of our city government. Oh yeah, hesaidhe wouldanswer questions beforeor after council meetings,depending on when you send him the “packet” (whateverthat is) and none ofthose questions and answers, ifthey existed, wereever heardby the public or recorded on YouTube. The obsessive need to keepcity government processes out of the public eye seems very suspectand was a blatantviolation of The Sunshine Law. Discussionor debate of city business seemed deliberately squelched.

Councilhas forgotten, and even forgiven, that while he was RevitalizationDirector he lost the management of and thereby any monetary gain(millions of $’s in management fees) from the Section 8 housingprogram. HUD took away control of the program from Adkinsand then city manager, Judy Gilleland, because (even after severalwarnings) they refused to follow the rules. Neither one of themshowed up in court when they were subpoenaed by HUD’sinvestigation. ThenCouncil gave Adkinsthe City Manager position followed soon thereafter by a $25,000 ayear raise for givingus a good screwing! Adkins knewthatCity Council would beresponsible for everything, not him!WhywouldCouncilgive such a dismalfailure a huge promotion and raise?And the raises andbonuses were piled on year after year.!!!

Adkinsleft the city with terrible monetary loss…(1). City owned blight that will have to be torn down. Propertieswere sold for a pittance to “investors” who agreed to, but failedto rehab or re-purpose and then dumped them back on the city. Attimes the city paid “investors” to take property. Some of theproperties were even bought back after years of abandonment. No timelimits or penalties for violating the agreements were in any salescontracts. And Adkins says he’s a lawyer! Quitethe expert at accumulating losses. (2).Failure to managea growing population of drug addicts whowere bused in from Hamilton (partlybrought about by Doug’sover expansionof Section 8 housing). Costs increased for OD treatment while Adkins reduced the number ofpolice and fire fighters(and closed, and sold several firehouses) after getting a levy passedfor preventing justsuchreductions. (3).Shrunkentax base due to severereduction in low income housing that Adkins insisted on tearing down. (4).Inability to attractindustry & larger businesses that will provide jobs and bolsterour shrunken tax base;the result of toorestrictive nonsensical building codes authored by Adkins. (5).Loss ofthe amenities that Adkinswas so eager to giveaway, tear down or sellat great loss … golfcourse, swimming pools and parks!!! Thenthere’s the new matter of the airport and Smith Park.Will Council let Adkinscause the loss of revenue there by remote control? Hisfingerprints are all over this too~~~~~There’smore but you can fill in the blanks and begin with the poor, poor,very poor performance of our schools inside the very, very,very expensive newbuildings. Adkinsshould be paying Middletown for all the colossalseeminglypurposeful blundershe made! But hewill say that he was doing what council decided heshould do. Remember how hewas the author of Council’s agenda and how he prepared andinstructed Council beforemeeting? DidCouncil make any decisions on their own?