Video continued on C2
By Andy Sedlak
Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN — City Manager Judy Gilleland is defending a campy YouTube video created to entertain city employees at a recent holiday luncheon.
The video has generated a fire storm from Facebook users and bloggers, saying the video was in poor taste after the city recently stripped millions from the general fund budget, which included the elimination of firefighter positions.
In the video, city department heads and staff members dance and sing to Middletown-specific lyrics to the tune of the Temptations’ hit, “My Girl.”
The song, retitled “My Town,” cheekily refers to the Forbes Magazine article that famously pegged Middletown as one of “America’s Fastest-Dying Cities” in 2008. The lyrics say, “We’ve got so much pride/Forbes was lyin’/’Cause our town is the bomb/There’s no denyin’.”
“I don’t really know what I think about it,” said Jon Harvey, president of Middletown Firefighters Local 336.
“I know if I was laid off, and then I saw my bosses prancing around in a goofy video, I’d be a little upset,” Harvey said. “I’ve gotten a lot of phone calls, that’s for sure.”
But the camp, Gilleland said, was the point. After budgetary hardships, cutbacks and debate, a laugh was in order.
“Times are tough for the entire nation,” she said. “It’s been a very difficult budget year here in Middletown. We’ve experienced a reduction of 27 positions — six of which were fire positions ... (but) we have about 350 city employees here whose moral we have to keep moving in a positive direction so they can be reminded of why we’re here and why we’re doing the jobs we’re doing.”
The 8-minute video cost $200 to produce, which was essentially a stipend to Brett Dennis, of TV Middletown.
The lyrics were written by Gilleland and city historian Sam Ashworth.
Gilleland, fire Chief Steve Botts, Mayor Larry Mulligan, police Chief David VanArsdale, City Councilman A.J. Smith, Law Director Les Landen, Finance Director Russ Carolus, Director of Economic Development Denise Hamet and Health Commissioner Jackie Phillips are among the city employees who are seen in the video.
“I can’t control people who are going to think negatively about things ... they’re going to do that regardless,” Gilleland said. “If you make any decisions, you’re open to criticism.”
This year’s holiday video was the second by Middletown city employees. Gilleland said in contrast to blasting Internet comments, she has received calls in support of the video.
Some, she said, have offered to pay the $200 next year to make another.
“I feel like the holiday video was done very appropriately and for the right reason,” she said. “It was to bring some joy to an otherwise dreary year.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or Andrew. sedlak@coxinc.com.