“Things could have better, but there were some missteps,” Mulligan said. “No one is perfect.”
Mulligan said he had the benefit of understanding how city and state government works. One of his regrets was not getting the city’s roads and streets in better condition.
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“We made some progress and we covered a lot in 12 years, but I don’t think we did enough,” he said.
He wishes that Forbes magazine, which declared Middletown as one of America’s top dying towns in December 2008, would have come back and see the progress that has been made over those 12 years. In its story, Forbes cited Middletown’s seven-year poverty jump from 12 percent to 22 percent and that only 12 percent had a bachelor’s degree, putting the city at a “competitive disadvantage” in attracting a high-tech manufacture due to a lack of highly skilled workers.
Mulligan said he’ll miss the involvement in the community, serving as a board member on the Ohio Mayor’s Alliance and his participation in other state and local boards to presenting proclamations to recognize the good work citizens and organizations do for the city.
As for advice to the incoming mayor, Mulligan said it’s important to remember the mayor represents the entire community and needs to consider multiple points of view.
“It’s a big role and it’s good to be all in,” he said. “I always learned something from everyone while I was on council because it was always changing. Everyone brought a unique perspective or insight to the table. I was also pleasantly surprised with the engagement of the community.”
Mulligan said serving on council was always a balancing act with home, family and work commitments with being accessible to the public. “It’s hard to be everywhere and there are times when you have to be invited to an event,” he said.
As for his biggest accomplishments during 12-year tenure as mayor, Mulligan cited:
• Working through the financial downturn that started in 2008, his first year as mayor.
• Attracting Cincinnati State to locate a branch campus in downtown Middletown.
• Developing and implementing a new master plan for the city, downtown, housing, zoning, development, airport and transportation.
• Reorganizing the city government’s operational structure and becoming financially sustainable.
• New jobs being created and about $1 billion in new development for the city.
• Improvements at the city’s “front door,” the Interstate 75 interchange, as well as continued development with the AK Steel Research and Innovation Center and Kettering Health Network-Middletown being added near the Atrium Medical Center campus.
Mulligan said the city faced difficult challenges such as the opioid epidemic that cost the city millions of dollars and hundreds of lives. The city tackled blight with the demolition of unsafe and abandoned housing and buildings and restarted residential and commercial development.
“For me it was participating and being involved in things throughout the city,” he said. “We fulfilled a lot of promises and did the best we could with what we had.”
Mulligan said he would like to be remembered for his focus on serving the community and its causes.
“I think we’re on a better path than we were before,” he said. “I always wanted to do the right thing. You have a decision that you have to make, then move on and look forward.”
He said the toughest part of being mayor comes when a city employee dies in the line of duty. Mulligan said the death of public works employee Jabin Lakes in May 2010 was a sad day during his tenure.
As for seeking a future run for mayor or a council seat, Mulligan said, “It’s hard to say. A lot of variables in a decision like that. I plan to enjoy my time away from public office.”
Larry Mulligan Jr.
Age: 51
Employment: Chief operating officer/executive vice president of Lebanon Citizens National Bank.
Family: Married; three adult children
Residency: Lifelong resident of Middletown
Other: Appointed to the 2nd Ward seat on Middletown City Council in 2006; became Middletown's first directly-elected mayor in 2007 and re-elected in 2011 and 2015; has served on boards for the Great Miami YMCA, SELF, LifeSpan, Community First Solutions, Middletown Community Foundation, Moving Middletown Forward, and The Chamber of Commerce Serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton; and Butler County United Way treasurer. His brother Joe is a Middletown City Council member and his mother Catherine is a member of the Middletown Board of Education
Education: Miami University, bachelor's degree in finance, minor in mathematics; American Banking Association Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
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