Opinion: Florsheim Is Best Candidate For Mayor

Submitted by Kellin Atherton.
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Middletown Residents,

I am writing this letter to talk about why I am supporting Ben Florsheim for Mayor of Middletown.

There are many reasons I have chosen to support Mr. Florsheim. He is the only candidate I’ve spoken to about Riverfront development who puts preservation and sustainability at the beginning of the conversation. He is the only candidate I’ve heard talk about the importance of providing public pre-school – a centerpiece of the bipartisan plan to close the achievement gap in Middletown. Mr. Florsheim also collected the most individual donations of any candidate running for Mayor. To me, this indicates a level of energy and enthusiasm that will be required to win in the September 10th primary and November 5th election.

As a community advocate, volunteer, and father of three, I’ve spoken to hundreds of Middletown residents from every corner of town in the seven years I’ve lived here. So often in these conversations folks will bring up the duality of Middletown. We are a progressive city, but we are also set in some of our ways. We are a city that advertises our exceptional university and community college, but pushes away young people because “they’re just going to move anyway.” We are a diverse city, but our leadership is generational and entrenched. We are a city that claims it is open to all, but says things like “we are going to show them who Middletown really belongs to.”

Young people, young families like mine, folks that married into a Middletown family, young professionals working or renting in town, we hear these comments, we feel this contrast. And yet, we want to work together. We want to be acknowledged and welcomed into leadership. We want to learn more from you about Middletown’s history. We want to build a stable future for Middletown.

I respect and admire the foundation that has been built here in Middletown. Words like Legacy, Community, and Family have become a part of my daily conversations. And with my endorsement of Mr. Florsheim comes the primary reason I support him – because he is a thoughtful leader and change maker supported by a coalition of passionate and caring community members. Mr. Florsheim doesn’t plan to do this alone because from the very beginning he has made clear to the people of Middletown that he can’t. That no one can.

That is why I am supporting Ben Florsheim for Mayor of Middletown and I hope you do too.

Regards,

Kellin Atherton

Kellin is a father of three and Democratic candidate for Planning and Zoning Alternate Commission member. You can often find him kicking a soccer ball or knocking doors on West Lake.