Middletown Ohio


Find us on
 Google+ and Facebook


 

Home | Yearly News Archive | Advertisers | Blog | Contact Us
Thursday, March 28, 2024
FORUM CITY SCHOOLS COMMUNITY
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Middletown make The National Review
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Middletown make The National Review

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Mike_Presta View Drop Down
MUSA Council
MUSA Council
Avatar

Joined: Apr 20 2008
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 3483
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike_Presta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Middletown make The National Review
    Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 1:00am
There is a story about Middletown in the Sept. 02, 2013, issue of The National Review.
 
“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012
Back to Top
acclaro View Drop Down
Prominent MUSA Citizen
Prominent MUSA Citizen
Avatar

Joined: Jul 01 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 1878
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acclaro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 7:29am
But Mike, the blogger obviously is not aware of the incredible leadership on council that now sits under the eyeful and thoughful tutelage of Ann Mort, Joe Mulligan, Larry Mulligan, Bill Becker, and Dan Picard. I mean, these are the four horsemen that are going to turn around Middletown, to show Forbes, and now the National Review!

Have the two publications not been aware Cincinnati State has arrived, assuring upward mobility?

The author got it right.

One has to wonder how you brand a city that is is so undeniably obvious, Middletown has died a thousand deaths already. But these folks don't get this fact, and comprehend its horrible reputation, just like they don't realize when you discriminate, the federal government doesn't like it. HUD has made its visit; the next is the DOJ.

___________________

September 2, 2013, ISSUE

Mobility in America
Economic growth won’t guarantee it
By J. D. Vance

Text  

I grew up in an old steel town not far from Cincinnati. It is exactly the kind of place that people have in mind when they talk about the end of economic mobility in America: With bad public schools and businesses closing by the day, Middletown, Ohio, is an awful place to get ahead.

It wasn’t always like this. When my grandparents moved there from the extreme poverty of Appalachian Kentucky, Middletown was a kind of oasis. Lured by the promise of well-paying jobs in the steel mill, thousands reestablished themselves in Middletown. It was ground zero for the American Dream — a home for those willing to strive for a better life. Now Middletown typifies something else: the precipitous decline of economic mobility.


Keep reading this article right now. No subscription required. It’s this simple:


    
'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
Back to Top
ktf1179 View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen
Avatar

Joined: Mar 19 2012
Status: Offline
Points: 518
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ktf1179 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 7:38am
Mobility in America
Economic growth won’t guarantee it 
By J. D. Vance

I grew up in an old steel town not far from Cincinnati. It is exactly the kind of place that people have in mind when they talk about the end of economic mobility in America: With bad public schools and businesses closing by the day, Middletown, Ohio, is an awful place to get ahead.

It wasn’t always like this. When my grandparents moved there from the extreme poverty of Appalachian Kentucky, Middletown was a kind of oasis. Lured by the promise of well-paying jobs in the steel mill, thousands reestablished themselves in Middletown. It was ground zero for the American Dream — a home for those willing to strive for a better life. Now Middletown typifies something else: the precipitous decline of economic mobility.

In America, poor children are more likely to stay poor than almost anywhere else in the developed world. When economists measure the correlation between the incomes of parents and those of their children, they find that it is stronger in America than in all other developed countries except Britain and Italy. What this means for America is depressingly clear: To a large degree, who your parents are determines your fate.

This wasn’t always true. When economist Joseph P. Ferrie studied American social and economic mobility from the mid 19th century through the 1950s, he found a society infected with what Tocqueville called a “longing to rise.” By the 1970s, though, that fever had passed. It’s not entirely clear why — Ferrie suggests that our former willingness to relocate to seek new opportunities had faded. Whatever the cause, it was, Ferry declared, “the end of American exceptionalism.”

That’s probably a bit dramatic. As our understanding of economic immobility grows, we learn that America is far from monolithic in this regard; opportunity for the working class is largely dependent on where one grows up. In their massive new study on equality of opportunity, economists Emmanuel Saez and Raj Chetty track the income-tax records of parents and children to better understand economic mobility. They find that the American Dream is alive and well in Boston, Salt Lake City, and Omaha. In the South and the Rust Belt, by contrast, a poor child is almost as likely to be hit by lightning as he is to rise to the top of the American income ladder.

To many on the left, the lack of mobility is hopelessly linked with inequality. Alan Krueger, for example, chairman of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers, purports to show with the “Great Gatsby curve” that the nations with the highest inequality also have the least social mobility. He finds that, on the whole, income inequality and intergenerational income elasticity — the extent to which a person’s income is determined by that of his parents — are linked. But within the U.S., the strength of that correlation varies (sometimes wildly so) from region to region. Whatever the connection, there is little evidence that income inequality causesimmobility.

Nor is economic immobility simply a result of race. Some of the least upwardly mobile regions in the United States are almost exclusively white — Washington Court House, Ohio, and London, Ky., to name just two. And mobility in some red states is high, while in some blue states it’s low, so the political disposition to enact programs of assistance for the poor can’t explain the gap.

As liberals obsess over economic inequality, conservatives focus too much on economic growth. Economic growth and mobility are not the same. In some cases, they’re not even related. Columbus, for example, is flush with growth, but it appears that most of the new, high-paying jobs go to newcomers to the city. Children born there are significantly less mobile than those from Pittsburgh, whichNewsweek in 2001 dubbed one of America’s “dying cities.” It’s tempting to reach for an easy solution — to argue that if only there were more or better jobs, economic mobility would take care of itself.  But the Chetty study cautions otherwise. Even (and sometimes especially) in our fastest-growing cities, economic mobility is hard to come by. 

It’s tough to square the new data with the old way of talking about opportunity. In what was hailed as a landmark speech on poverty and opportunity, Republican vice-presidential nominee Paul Ryan admirably described the plight of America’s poor and working class, and urged us to change it. Yet in advancing a solution, Ryan argued that “above all else is the pressing need for jobs.” Jobs are undoubtedly important, and Republicans justifiably worry about the anemic recovery of the past five years. But there was an opportunity crisis long before Barack Obama was president, and unless we do something about it, there will be one long after he’s gone.

Think back to 2005: The economy was humming, household wealth was growing, unemployment was low, and consumer confidence was high. George W. Bush’s America was pretty great. Few among us would rather live in today’s world of slow growth and grim jobs numbers. But the chances that a person in the bottom fifth would rise to the top fifth were about the same then as they are today — in many parts of the country, dismal. The crisis of opportunity is an altogether different crisis from our passing economic troubles. We should not assume that a solution to one is a solution to the other: It hasn’t been in the past, and it probably won’t be in the future.

When we focus on opportunity, there is much that speaks to traditional conservative concerns. We’ve known for a while that family breakdown inhibits mobility, and the Chetty study provides further evidence that two-parent households produce children who are more upwardly mobile than those from broken homes. Dig a little deeper, however, and it’s clear that the solution — if one exists at all — is not obvious. Conservatives have argued (rightly) for years that the tax code is littered with counterproductive marriage penalties. These make little sense, and we ought to get rid of them. But the reason many young working-class women aren’t getting married isn’t that the tax code gives them incentives to stay single. It’s that too many of their male counterparts aren’t worth marrying.

When Nordic researchers compared their own countries with the United States, they found that while American men were much less mobile than their Nordic counterparts, there was no significant difference between American girls and Nordic girls. American daughters, it turns out, are doing much better than American sons. In poll after poll, young women indicate their wish to marry, but they’re having trouble finding suitable men. Those who do marry find themselves working just as much outside the home as do their husbands, who do significantly less of the cooking, cleaning, and caretaking. Our marriage crisis, then, is as much about the inadequacies of American men as it is about family values or economic incentives. And that’s a problem you can’t fix with tax reform.

You can’t fix it with minimum-wage increases, or stronger labor laws, or reduced corporate compensation, either. Median wages in the United States have grown very slowly since the 1970s. Commentators often bemoan this fact and argue that economic duress is the cause of America’s declining marriage rate. But if the problem is entirely economic and not at all cultural, then why are girls doing so much better than boys? Girls live in the same economy and face the same set of struggles (or more of them, some would argue). Even if slow wage growth is a problem, it’s an entirely different one from that of men doing less around the house than their wives do.

Also contributing to our opportunity crisis is the design of our entitlement programs. The perfect welfare system would do two things. First, it would guarantee that everyone had the basics. Second, it would encourage movement out of poverty; opportunity means more than not starving to death.

The welfare system is designed largely with the first goal in mind. When LBJ went to Appalachian Kentucky during his “War on Poverty” tour, children in the towns he visited were eating charred furnace coals to fill their empty bellies. Now, thanks to fast food, a technological revolution in agriculture, and food stamps, almost no American child is truly hungry. This is something we should all be proud of. But it has become abundantly clear that the way we accomplish the first goal sometimes works against the second.

When  my grandparents moved from Appalachia to Ohio, they had to. There weren’t any jobs in Kentucky. The poverty rate then, as now, was astonishingly high. In the 1940s, before food stamps, it could have been their children eating furnace coals when the president came to town. So they moved north.

Today, this type of movement happens less and less. In 1980, 47 percent of all U.S. residents had moved within the previous five years. By 2010, little more than one-third had done so. This is hardly surprising. First, the costs of staying put are lower now than three decades ago. If you can’t find a job, Supplemental Security Income, Social Security Disability Insurance, and food stamps make it possible to squeak by. In guaranteeing the basics, we’ve made it easier not to move beyond them.

On top of that, decades of bipartisan housing policy have trapped many in the least economically mobile regions of the country.  From Carter’s Community Reinvestment Act to George W. Bush’s “ownership society,” our government resolved to expand home ownership. And as it succeeded, it made moving to new opportunities more and more difficult: It’s hard enough to sell a house in good times; it is virtually impossible to do so in the post-crisis market. Economists have long recognized that geographic movement is an investment in one’s earning potential. The combination of antipoverty programs and housing policy increased the costs of that investment precipitously.

This is not to say we should do away with all entitlements. But we ought to reform them to encourage movement out of poverty, not just to ensure subsistence within it. Right now, many western states suffer labor shortages. The primary reason the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups support comprehensive immigration reform is that our industries have jobs but lack individuals willing or able to fill them. So a conservative effort to promote equal opportunity might start by paying people to move toward work instead of paying them to do nothing.

Additionally, Saez and Chetty suggest, certain types of tax reform promote economic mobility, while others inhibit it. The Earned Income Tax Credit, for example, has encouraged it. Additional wage subsidies would give further incentive to young men to enter the workforce, while equipping them with skills that both they and the labor market need.

Meanwhile, as our states move away from income taxes and toward growth-promoting consumption taxes, it’s important to design such reforms so that their burdens don’t fall on the poorest citizens. We should also continue to work on school choice and other measures that give poor children greater access to educational opportunities.

These suggestions are far from a comprehensive remedy for our opportunity crisis. But the first step is to recognize the problem, and that requires understanding that growth and opportunity are not two sides of the same coin. Growth is imperative, but unless we address the sad state of opportunity, we may one day find that everyone has woken up from something our forefathers called the American Dream.

– Mr. Vance, a recent graduate of Yale Law School and a Marine Corps veteran, is working on a book about the social mobility of the white working class.


Pages


Back to Top
Middletown29 View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen


Joined: Mar 30 2011
Status: Offline
Points: 474
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Middletown29 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 8:27am
MUSA fools

This article is about national and regional trends not about Middletown in particular.
MUSAers always looking for an excuse to beat down MTown.

Enjoy yourselves.
Back to Top
acclaro View Drop Down
Prominent MUSA Citizen
Prominent MUSA Citizen
Avatar

Joined: Jul 01 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 1878
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acclaro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 8:56am
M29, you are a joke.

Every post you make is a sentence.

The article began using Middletown Ohio as the metaphor for a national trend on the American Dream. Middletown was the epicenter of that analogy in the blog.

As you sat on council, you are a reason this city is in the land of "gone."

Most parents fail when kids end up as strippers.

Council is the joke, and those that sat on it.  
'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
Back to Top
Historic House Guy View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen


Joined: Jul 28 2013
Location: Middletown
Status: Offline
Points: 272
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Historic House Guy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 9:13am
I'm not sure what any city council member could have done during the mass exodus in Middletown. This happened in every big city to small town during the early 2000's.

The real problem was those words heard from policy makers on Capitol Hill and continues to happen. Every time you hear the word "free trade" you can bet your a$$ that some corperate jerk is about to make a killing buy sending our jobs over seas.
Back to Top
acclaro View Drop Down
Prominent MUSA Citizen
Prominent MUSA Citizen
Avatar

Joined: Jul 01 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 1878
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acclaro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 10:25am
HHG, wit all due respect, you need to study the history of Middletown, and also benchmark surrounding areas. They are not in decline, but have grown.

As for free trade, tariffs have negative consequence, and most consumers don't want to pay higher prices. Communities have not been destroyed by free trade. Arguably, you could state exporting manufacturing to China, and technology services to India, have negatively impacted US communities; its called competition. But free trade had no negative impact upon disposable income. If the US was an economic isolationist, the economic conditions would be even worse, as the US consumption could not sustain sole US output capabilities, and we'd have > 23% unemployment.

To state in a broad sense, Middletown is comparable to virtually every city in the US, is just false, and unsupported by fact. Middletown's massive decline is associated with its own efforts and failures, the collapse and decline of the US, which is and will occur in this century with China replacing it, is its own fault on many fronts. But, you cannot state Middletown is like any city in the US, unless your reference to be Detroit or Mansfield, Ohio. A 'one trick' pony always fails at some time, its just a matter of 'when.'

Better watch out immigrants aren't as good with restoration as you, or your price point will be driven down to 12.00-14.00/hr. Welcome to capitalism.  Only the public sector is 'protected' against competition; otherwise, thy would be out of business.

By the way....did you see the WLW, Channel 5 news broadcast for 5 minutes this week about that great free lunch breakfast and lunch program ALL students in Middletown City Schools get? It was stated on the Cincinnati station, > 70% of Middletown kids are entitled to a free lunch, but by making it available to all, there was no negative "harm" to the esteem. May I ask you----what did that broadcast do for the Middletown BRAND?          
'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
Back to Top
Historic House Guy View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen


Joined: Jul 28 2013
Location: Middletown
Status: Offline
Points: 272
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Historic House Guy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 10:48am
I guess it's not the free trade agreements so much as it is the pork that gets passed along with the trade agreements.

As far as immigrants cheapening my line of work? Won't happen. My client base is more concerned with doing thing correctly and not focused on price. There are 2 types of work, A class and B class. I do only A class work and if your budget doesn't allow you do everything you want done at the moment, I'll be glad to do less work but not do "cheap work".

I've been listening to my youngest son about the Middletown schools. He really dislike it for many reasons I on't get into here. Mainly, they don't allow students to take home books to do their homework and the teachers treat him like a dummy when he asks for extra help. My oldest is a senior at Butler Tech this year so he's been spared from this. My youngest id going to a private school now for the next 2 years so he can do better and feel better about himself. I'd say Middletown schools have issue's with self esteem of students but it has nothing to do with a free lunch.
Back to Top
over the hill View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen
Avatar

Joined: Oct 19 2012
Location: middletown
Status: Offline
Points: 952
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote over the hill Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 10:57am
Well, m29, it would be nice it our city council didn't give so many opportunities to call them on their stupidity. I'd like to know where was Doug Adkins head(I have a pretty good idea )when he and council thought it would be a good idea to declare the city of Middletown a 54% poverty level. While miss Judy says "MIDDLETOWN is Open For Bussiness" and then have it declared 54% poverty. That's the way to attract businesses to our area.Ofcourse we know why they declared it such, so they could move HUD money to use any where in the city they wanted instead of "the area of greatest need"where it is intended to be used? Is that fraud. Or just wishful thinking on my part. The perfect trifecta would be if Judy and Doug were charged with FRAUD,MISUSE OF FUNDS, AND DISCRIMINATION. OH, OK I'm awake now. What a dream!!!
Back to Top
over the hill View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen
Avatar

Joined: Oct 19 2012
Location: middletown
Status: Offline
Points: 952
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote over the hill Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 11:20am
Would like to know the numbers he used to arrive at his 54% number. He and Judy have a history of presenting skewed numbers to the public. The article I just read said Detroit's household poverty level is ay 41%.Child poverty is at 54% in Detroit. Who in their right mind would want to voluntarily suggest that for your city. Of course if it's to YOUR advantage to do so. Doug doesn't care about Middletown, he lives in Mason. Are we becoming Middletroit? JMO
Back to Top
Perplexed View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen


Joined: Apr 22 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 315
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Perplexed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 12:27pm
1)  The glut of Section 8 vouchers (now 1662) is mostly the result of misguided policies/plans of Ron Olson, Neil Barille, Angela Tucker, Marvelous Marty and the naivete of city council members.
2)  As an aside, in November 2006 it was the Marvelous One who stated, "what a positive impact expanded Section 8 subsidies have had in upgrading rental housing conditions in Ward 2 and portions of Ward 1."
3)  Next, the past four years have seen greatly diminished priorities and results insofar as residential property rehabilitation and homeownership promotion are concerned.
4)  Policies and plans of Judy G. and the Dougmeister have been altered to lavish HUD funds on "downtown', massive housing demolition, expenditure of funds outside of areas with the greatest needs, etc.
5)  As is noted by others, the actions and statements of Judy G. and the Dougmeister have done so much to negatively brand Middletown as the 54% poverty city, the S8 capitol of Ohio, the place of thousands of properties to be demolished, etc.
 
The Pickerington and Mason visions for Middletown have been a disaster.  When will the city hall leadership and city council change?  GOD only knows.
 
 
Back to Top
over the hill View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen
Avatar

Joined: Oct 19 2012
Location: middletown
Status: Offline
Points: 952
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote over the hill Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 12:30pm
Tank You,Perplexed
Back to Top
acclaro View Drop Down
Prominent MUSA Citizen
Prominent MUSA Citizen
Avatar

Joined: Jul 01 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 1878
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acclaro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 1:24pm
One has to truly understand Middletown's problems which began 30 years ago, and Section 8 is simply a symptom, not a cause.

I moved into Middletown in 1988, and the city was having problems back then. If you evaluate Middletown's housing stock over near 30 years, there was never high demand for real property (housing) from 1980 to the present. What kept the city and demand slightly up, was with the Middletown Regional Hospital, Fenwick, Square D, and a few other local businesses, and with a barrel of oil low, enough people moved up in property value (small house to larger house), and split the distance when a couple had one husband wife living in Cincinnati, another in Dayton.

During the past 12-14 years, with the hospital moving out, other businesses, what at least kept hosuing valuation in line with GDP (inflation), no longer existed. This added glut of housing stock was aided by Section 8. In fact, a once very prominent pharmacist that moved to Springboro (many saw what was on the horizon even in 1993-1994, has their previous owned two story colonial, now filled with Section 8.

The propbelm IS NOT Section 8; the problem is with its failure to maintain its infrastructure, streets, sewers et al, and with the businesses and hospital moving out of Middletown, there is just no influx to fill the stock that was always in an over-capacity mode. I have done a trend analysis since 1990, and even in the most desirable areas in Middletown, the best one could do was to keep up annually with inflation. Middletown hasn't been a 5-8% annual growth rate housing market since 1980.

Finally....here is the disconnect with Donham and city council.

They see Middletown as Royal Oaks, a wealthy suburb of Detroit where auto executives live; the market sees Middletown as Detroit. So what is Middletown's destiny to be in its "bright" future? A realist sees Detroit.   
'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
Back to Top
acclaro View Drop Down
Prominent MUSA Citizen
Prominent MUSA Citizen
Avatar

Joined: Jul 01 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 1878
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acclaro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 1:42pm
I meant to add this in my previous text, but it appears the edit capability no longer exists.

I was reading an article in Goldman Sachs yesterday.

63% of housing stock in the US, in this economy, is paid by cash, not borrowing.

Don't look for housing stock nor prices to go up in Middletown for 25-30 years. People cannot get laons, that is why > 60% of what is being bought in hosuing stock, is through cash $.

Cincinnati State and a movie theater will never drive demand in Middletown, greater than surplus.
'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
Back to Top
Historic House Guy View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen


Joined: Jul 28 2013
Location: Middletown
Status: Offline
Points: 272
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Historic House Guy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 2:06pm
We bought ours with a credit card... Houses are pretty cheap in Middletown, we just need some jobs to come back and it might be an attractive place to live again.
Back to Top
LMAO View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen
Avatar

Joined: Oct 28 2009
Location: Middletucky
Status: Offline
Points: 468
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LMAO Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 5:56pm
Originally posted by Middletown29 Middletown29 wrote:

MUSA fools

This article is about national and regional trends not about Middletown in particular.
MUSAers always looking for an excuse to beat down MTown.

Enjoy yourselves.

Only fool here is you.You need to bring your head out of the Council's A$$ and get some fresh air.

Back to Top
Mike_Presta View Drop Down
MUSA Council
MUSA Council
Avatar

Joined: Apr 20 2008
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 3483
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike_Presta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 9:58pm
Originally posted by Middletown29 Middletown29 wrote:

MUSA fools

This article is about national and regional trends not about Middletown in particular.
MUSAers always looking for an excuse to beat down MTown.

Enjoy yourselves.
Middletown29,
Perhaps you should read the first post in this thread again (and this time, leave your hate-filled, sulfur-tinted, reading glasses off).
 
I did no "beat down"...I merely pointed out that the article in a national news magazine existed!!!  I even left it available to phony cheerleaders like you to point out that the author was a bona fide, born-and-raised Middletonian!!!  But you didn't bother to mention that in your haste to start bashing MiddletownUSA (even though MiddletownUSA is the ONLY forum in this city that would allow such freedom of speech!!!)
 
I salute Mr. Vance for a well written article!!! Thumbs Up  
“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012
Back to Top
Historic House Guy View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen


Joined: Jul 28 2013
Location: Middletown
Status: Offline
Points: 272
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Historic House Guy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 10:04pm
So what would you do different Mr Presta and why aren't you doing it?
Back to Top
Historic House Guy View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen


Joined: Jul 28 2013
Location: Middletown
Status: Offline
Points: 272
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Historic House Guy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 10:11pm
Not trying to be a jerk, just an honest question.
Back to Top
Paul Nagy View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen


Joined: Jan 11 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 384
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Paul Nagy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 10:23pm
HHG,
      You are either ignorant of Mike Presta's efforts in behalf of the city of Middletown or you are ignorant of them. If you know of his efforts through many years then your question is dishonest and your blogs do not ring true anyway. I don't need to defend Mike Presta as you will learn.
      pn
Back to Top
Perplexed View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen


Joined: Apr 22 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 315
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Perplexed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 10:40pm
HHG -
 
Perhaps the greatest failing of city leadership over the past decade is -- dwelling on the negatives as insurmountable instead of beginning the task of turning negatives into positives.
 
In 2007 and part of 2008 a concerted effort was made to positively market Middletown as a community with excellent housing at much lower costs than surrounding communities.  It was a place where 300+ potential purchasers attended Home Buyer Education classes.  It was a place where 60+ purchasers were assisted via the Down Payment/Closing Cost Assistance Program.  It was a place where city staff reached out to and participated with local real estate professionals, mortgage bankers and home builders to promote Middletown.  It was a place where HUD funds were utilized to leverage private sector and other charitable funding sources.  It was a place where $650K of owner-occupied housing rehabilitation was emphasized to help address the plight of declining neighborhoods.  It was a place where the city partnered with People Working Cooperatively to leverage over $500K in minor rehabilitation projects in areas of greatest need.  It was a time when city staff and interested citizens worked to revise down payment/closing cost policies and procedures, revise owner-occupied housing rehabilitation policies and procedures, stop the unnecessary loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars via the long-neglected housing rehabilitation revolving loan fund, promote true citizen participation by providing an open door to the citizenry, demolish 15-20 derelict properties annually, etc.
 
The above improvements were halted by eliminating the messenger.  He was driven out because he did not adhere to Judy G. and her fixation with massive property demolition.  He fell into disfavor because members of the now-defunct Community Development Advisory Committee were fully informed of problems needing immediate corrective action.  Judy G. and GInger Smith stated that there was no need for the CDAC as it was constituted.  Over the past five years, millions of HUD funds were siphoned off for "downtown" and large-scale property demolition activities.  These measures have since dealt a terrible blow to Ward 2 and portions of Ward 1.  Also, matters such as the 54% poverty standard, thousands of vacant and/or dilapidated houses, the large numbers of Section 8 rental units have made Middletown the laughingstock of Ohio and a community with many, many similarities to Detroit, S. Bronx, etc.
 
If only Tony Marconi, Jim Armbruster and David Schiavone had been successful in securing a fourth city council vote to make critical changes to senior city management.
Back to Top
Mike_Presta View Drop Down
MUSA Council
MUSA Council
Avatar

Joined: Apr 20 2008
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 3483
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Mike_Presta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 18 2013 at 2:55am
Originally posted by Historic House Guy Historic House Guy wrote:

So what would you do different Mr Presta and why aren't you doing it?
What would I do differently???  That would take thousands of words to explain.  I've already typed them out within the few thousand posts I've made on this forum.  If you're really interested, you can search them out.  I will not re-type them all again, unless you have some very specific questions.  (I am a slow typist.) I will tell you briefly what I would NOT do.  I would NOT sit behind that curved council counter every two weeks and talk like Middletown has no problems.  We will NEVER be able to solve our problems and move forward until we first admit that we HAVE problems!!!  As long as City Council and the City Manager keep their heads in the sand and maintain the attitude that a fresh coat of paint and an occasional  "let's all pick up the litter day" is all we need, Middletown will forever be stuck in reverse.
 
Why am I not doing it???  I am old, tired, and have a multitude of medical issues.  Against better advice (and my better judgment), two years ago I ran to fill the remaining two years of a deceased Council member's term for my ward.  I was soundly beaten by a woman who sits through the council meetings giggling, and whose first priority after taking office was to re-name a park after one of her campaign supporters.  If that is the type of person the people of Middletown choose to represent them, I don't fit the profile, so I certainly won't waste what little time and energy I have left by running again.
 
I hope that this has answered your questions.  If it has not, I would be happy to meet with you, or speak to you on the phone.
 
On a completely separate subject, I used to be able to do some remodeling work myself and I admire the work you do.  However, I don't believe that the taxpayers should foot the bill for such work to be performed, especially on private property.  Many in this city disagree and think the taxpayers should foot the bill for anything that a select group deems to be "historic preservation or restoration".
 
 
“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012
Back to Top
Historic House Guy View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen


Joined: Jul 28 2013
Location: Middletown
Status: Offline
Points: 272
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Historic House Guy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 18 2013 at 8:00am
Originally posted by Paul Nagy Paul Nagy wrote:

HHG,
      You are either ignorant of Mike Presta's efforts in behalf of the city of Middletown or you are ignorant of them. If you know of his efforts through many years then your question is dishonest and your blogs do not ring true anyway. I don't need to defend Mike Presta as you will learn.
      pn

Paul, I have no idea who Mr. Presta is or what he may have contributed to this community. I ask questions to gain more knowledge about the people here. The term "ignorance" might be used to identify a person that chooses not to know something when the facts are right in their face. That is not the case in my situation.

Back to Top
bumper View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen
Avatar

Joined: Feb 01 2010
Location: over here
Status: Offline
Points: 307
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bumper Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 18 2013 at 12:20pm
Back to Top
ktf1179 View Drop Down
MUSA Citizen
MUSA Citizen
Avatar

Joined: Mar 19 2012
Status: Offline
Points: 518
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ktf1179 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 19 2013 at 9:22am
Yes Middletown29 we can get in a funk from time to time about this state of the city. But it is easy to get this way when you see the increase in crime, the poverty level if not only the city, but the nation rising, and increasing the dependency on food stamps, and welfare. That and when you have people who live in this city who just don't care about how their properties look, it makes it hard to make this city appear in a positive light. Then you add on that the poor road  sidewalks, and curbs conditions.

I do agree that a vibrant downtown is important, but that should be at the bottom of the to do list. The first thing you want to do is improve the residential areas, so you not just retain the people you have living in Middletown, but also make it attractive for new and future residents like me. That way property values can increase, and thus you have an increase funding for the city and schools.

I also think that all the money being poured into Downtown Middletown is waste. The reason I say that is it take 5-15 min. just to get to downtown from I-75. Now if Middletown had a Middletown Connector similar to Hamilton's, where is has exits to downtown then you would make it easier on people from other areas to do things in downtown Middletown. They can easily run it from I-75 just south of Bern's/ AK Steel and run either run it to Ohio 4, or have it end onto South Main Street. Now that would be a gateway to Downtown having people drive past those historic homes Wink. Then all that money spent on that street would be worth it.You can even have exits for Cincinnati Dayton Rd, and Yankee.



Exits at CinDay rd, Yankee, Ohio 4 or South Main, Ohio 73, Howe rd, and Ohio 122.

Granted I probably took out some business and houses, but you get the idea. The red line would me my idea for a Middletown - Oxford Connector that I think is badly needed.

I also personally think they need to convert one of the fire stations into a police station on the east end to deal with all the crimes by the retail establishment.

I do think the city is trying to fix previous mistakes of the past, by reducing Section 8, finally increasing the street funding. But the real question is, is it too little to late. Time will only tell.
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.102 seconds.
Copyright ©2024 MiddletownUSA.com    Privacy Statement  |   Terms of Use  |   Site by Xponex Media  |   Advertising Information