Since then, the city has seen a lot of change, between some major development projects, resignations and retirements, a few different city managers and a relatively new city council.
Slamka, though, has her roots in Middletown. Her mother and father own Central Pastry Shop on Central Avenue and have for over 40 years.
In a recent conversation, she told Journal-News how she sees the future of Middletown, the city that raised her.
Looking back
Slamka’s door-to-door campaign before her election in November 2023 continues to influence where her goals lie.
“One thing I was very interested in when I was running and still am interested in, is the communication from the city to the residents and from the residents to the city,” she said. “It really makes a difference for people when they feel like they can be involved in their own city.”
Slamka took office in January 2024, along with three new council members. In-person communication as well as online communication has a been a goal for Slamka and council, knowing that not every Middletonian is online.
Connection is important to Slamka because it is how residents can create the city they “want.”
A quarterly newsletter, Middletown NOW, started as a way to connect with the community and share city news. A monthly email newsletter is in the works.
Middletown Connect, a local group founded by The Safety Council of Southwestern Ohio and the city’s health department, has helped the city bring the community and neighborhoods together since its founding in April 2022.
“They’re so dedicated, they’re so talented,” Slamka said.
During Slamka’s door-to-door campaign, bringing back Middfest, a cultural celebration, was a common theme in what citizens wanted to see back in the city.
Slamka hopes to bring back Middfest, which began by honoring Luxembourg in 1981 and continued every fall until 2017. There were educational displays throughout the city building, entertainment, art displays and food booths on Donham Plaza, and a business conference meeting in the Manchester Inn.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
While nothing is set in stone in regard to Middfest, Slamka sees the passion of community members for bringing back the event and the passion of the community in general.
“Our residents are creative, they are bright, they are hardworking, they are involved,” Slamka said.
“One of the things I get told a lot is that people from other cities, from other jurisdictions, notice that about Middletonians,” she said. “And they wish their residents were like that.”
Where the city is now
Current focus in the city lies in three areas, according to Slamka: Health, safety and well-being.
Part of that is bringing the fire, police, health department and city staffing back to where it was before cuts over a decade ago.
“What I’d like to see, and I’m pretty sure all of council wants to see...growing that tax base so that we can have the funds, so we can hire the people back, that we need to run the city the way we want it be run,” Slamka said.
This includes bringing more, good-paying and steady jobs to bolster the city’s income tax.
But, she said, it’s going to take time.
Some steps have been taken: Middletown police officers recently received an 8% pay bump, hoping to attract officers who may have opted to apply for positions in nearby cities with higher-paying departments. Police are working toward getting patrol officer numbers up to 88, the budgeted amount for 2025.
Two new fire stations have opened in Middletown, and two more are planned to open by the end of the year. Fire Chief Brian Wright started in June, and he hopes to get the full staffing of the department back to 84.
On the development end, the city is in negotiations with Midland Atlantic Properties for the redevelopment of the former Towne Mall site, and Renaissance Pointe, the $200 million project in the city’s developing East End, is being finalized for its first phase of infrastructure.
Historic buildings in downtown Middletown, ever the topic of debate, will see a new request-for-qualifications, or RFQ, in the coming months. A local citizen-run group, Save Downtown Middletown, has worked with city staff to draft the RFQ, which will be released for potential developers.
Middletown Port Authority has also entered into a two-year, $500,000 partnership with the Butler County Finance Authority with a goal of strengthening regional economic development coordination across the county.
Infrastructure improvements are also a priority, focusing on the “beautification” of Middletown in regard to gateways, neighborhoods, general cleanliness and adding to the city’s tree canopy.
“You don’t see the big shiny buildings that way, but you’re going to see hopefully the roads improving, the sidewalks, the curbs...that makes a huge difference,” she said.
Things are moving in Middletown, though slowly, which Slamka said is a nuanced issue.
“It’s necessary, because this is a big deal, and this is...52,000 people coming together,” she said. “How do you have 52,000 people come together like this? It’s the reason why we have to have those conversations, it’s the reason why we have town halls and we do surveys and we ask people to communicate with us. They’re telling us what they want for their city, so it does take time.”
Moving forward
At every city council meeting, Slamka urges attendees to get involved in the community.
“Please vote...because you do matter, especially in local politics,” she said. “Please run, please get involved...be positive, be the change. Life is hard, and it takes a whole city to run a city. It takes all of us.”
Since her door-to-door campaign in 2023, Slamka makes it a priority to ask citizens, wherever they are and wherever she is, what they want for the city.
“I want everybody to have a place at the table if they want to be there,” she said.
When asked if she sees Middletown on a “comeback” trajectory, she said: “Personally, it never went away.”
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