 Paul Nagy may be the most under appreciated resident in Middletown. For several years he has tried to pass on a wealth of knowledge he has accumulated over a long lifetime.
Earlier this month, he authored a column on how Middletown might seize the day (or at least the opportunity) to hit a high note rather than continue to sing off key when it comes to how to improve the city.
Here is what he said in a column for The Middletown Journal about how to improve our outlook for the future. Nagy wrote that it would take courage, integrity and a real determination to change our city for the better, instead of maintaining the status quo. And here is his alternate plan:
--First, let our financial department come clean. Let us out-source this department. Reduce the number of funds from more than 60 to something closer to the number of city departments. All of these funds have allowed for financial deception and manipulation far too long. Cincinnati has about 20 funds. The reduction of financial accounts would bring more efficiency and transparency.
--Since the city has shrunk financially, business-wise and population-wise, let us continue to reduce it physically with demolition of residential and commercial properties that are no longer useful and make them grass areas with signs that say: “Available for commercial development. Contact your local real estate agent.” Let the professional real estate community market our properties. We don’t need city staff in the real estate business on any level.
--Let us reduce our bureaucracy to the minimum necessary to operate our shrunken city. The bureaucrats will detest this suggestion but it is necessary for survival. We can always increase the bureaucracy as the city grows again. We cannot continue the salaries, increases, pensions and benefits without further bankrupting the city. Taxpayers cannot afford it.
--We could out-source so many departments and operate for much less cost. Let’s out-source the planning and engineering department and use the county’s departments. Out-source the legal department and health departments.
--Stop unnecessary spending for pet projects for five years. We must make cuts everywhere we can. It is not time for non-productive departments like the golf course, airport, Visitors Bureau, etc., to be given big tax dollars. What they get from grants is different. For five years, we could call a moratorium until the city becomes financially sound.
--Insist that the city get back to providing the very basics for five years. Public safety is basic. But the unions and the city need to stop monopolizing our funds on salaries, increases, pensions and benefits. We need to get real about what is affordable.
--Our infrastructure is basic. Infrastructure funds have been funneled elsewhere for years. It should be accounted for. Our streets and sewer systems have been ignored by the city. They would still be ignored if the federal funds didn’t come in for street repairs. Our downtown sewer system is in need of a plan.
--Our economic development is basic. Council and administration are putting great effort into the East End development. This is as it should be, but not to the point that we ignore development in the rest of the city. For protection of our vital interests, we should look at other sections of the city for development.
--The Towne Mall area, downtown, Damon Park and Ohio 4 are all potential sites for commercial retail and manufacturing development. It is essential that we develop jobs for those living in the area as well as those living out of the area. Our job force in the area is mostly for manufacturing and retail jobs and that should have appeal to certain companies and should be advertised as such.
(Paul Nagy has offered advice to City Council for the past few years and has also been a candidate for Mayor and City Council, where he outlined many of the above proposals.)
We may not agree with Paul Nagy on every detail of his plan but we can agree that Paul has hit on some ideas that may be workable. At the minimum, they deserve some consideration.
I’d like to hear from you on whether you like/dislike his ideas. And perhaps you have an idea or two that might be passed on to our City Council.
Fred Sennet, Editor & Publisher, MiddletownNow.com
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