The Blame Game -- vote!

My vote:  75% people;  25% fate

70% fate; 30% people.   I think most of the stuff that Middletown has gone through is similar to many tales of woe from Hamilton, Springfield, Mansfield, Toledo, Newark, on and on.  It doesn't make the poor decisions of certain city leaders anymore defensible, but those decisions wouldn't do that much to stem the tide of decline. 

An interesting poll Neil. I say 80% people 20% fate. Gotta explain why, IMO.....

In the 50's and 60's, Middletown was a booming industrial town with Armco, Sorg, Wrenn, Black-Clawson, Aeronca, Raymond Bag, and others, all going strong. Money was a flowin', people had decent jobs to maintain a nice lifestyle, houses and cars were being purchased, the town was kept up and there was pride in being a resident.

In the 70's it started to change and in the 80's it all went in the toilet with places closing, Armco entering into a partnership with the Japanese due to being cash strapped/technology strapped becoming AK and going from 9000 employees to 3300 or so. We all saw it changing in the 70's.(city leaders did nothing about it) We all saw them folding one by one.(city leaders did nothing about it) We just had no way of knowing it would end up with the desolation we have now. (In the 80's, I wrote a letter to council and gave it to then commissioner Bill Donham,about not placing all the city's trust in AK and diversifying the town's employment choices- it was ignored as usual) This mess was preventable if the leaders cared and had some incite toward predicting the future.

The problem.....city council/city leaders didn't react at all in the 70's to the first sign of a failing city. This lack of attention to devise a plan to replace/re-invent/re-niche/re-tool the town, which should have happened 30+ years ago, was ignored to include today's cluster we are experiencing. IMO, it is the city leaders lack of recognition of impending economic doom from as far back as the 70's, with help from their friends in the following 80's 90's to the current crop of misfits, who don't have a clue on the important things to concentrate on. No one, in any town leadership capacity, knows how to recognize what this town truely needs. We have no person who is dynamic enough to convince the others what is really needed and to change direction from the nonsense they are doing now.    

poor decisions 80%     inevitable decline 20%

 

Mercy! That pesky doggie park thing just won't go away will it? I say walk the dogs in the Highlands and the South Main St. areas as one soaks up the ambiance and history of yesteryear. Besides, one might run into the mayor or Mr. Kohler down on South Main and Jeff Michel on Superior in the Highlands. You know, strike up a conversation with the likable fellas and such. If one does, for goodness sakes, if you value your life, take along the pooper scooper and the glove. Leave some doggie poo on their lawns and all he--will break loose. Landen and company will have multiple ordinances drawn up (double secret emergency legislation, skipping the first reading and going right to law, don't cha know) so fast, it'll make you dizzy trying to follow it.

Why not make the doggie park the trails in the newly established park named after Mr. Armbruster? It's 5 acres, would be cool in the summer. Of course people in the south and west sides of town wouldn't want to drive that far to walk their dogs, so multiple doggie parks would be in order here. Hey, how about the old Roosevelt school site with the track. Centrally located. (No pun intended)

City Hall knows best, Mike. Are you questioning their decision-making again?

Any truth to the rumor that Marty’s next Master Plan Steering Committee meeting will be held on February 2, Groundhog Day?

What a coincidence that would be.

One involves a scavenging rodent scurrying around in the dark trying to influence the future, and the other involves a groundhog!

Sorry, 409, but that lot is a historic site.  The pooches would first have to apply for a 'certificate of appropriateness' and be approved by the Council on Landmarks.  I think that you are barking up the wrong tree.

The hour must be sufficiently late for the bureaucrats to be surfing the internet. We see that, as is their habit, they have summoned Mr. S. John to their defense.

As usual, tho’, Mr. Presta has supplied exact quotes and also provided links for the people to read the cited material, in context, for themselves. Also as usual, Mr. John has rebutted with nothing but wishy backed up by washy.

relax Mr.Saunders--plenty of time to voice concerns and finalize recommendations.