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Paul Wallach and Joe Mulligan sworn in to Middletown City Council
Summary
Paul Wallach and Joe Mulligan were sworn in at a Middletown City Council ceremony; Mulligan used his remarks to highlight a decade of economic growth, cite fiscal reserves and invite collaboration with staff and council colleagues.
Paul Wallach and Joe Mulligan were sworn in at a Middletown City Council ceremony, where both repeated the oath to support the U.S. and Ohio constitutions and to uphold the city charter and ordinances. Judge Sharon administered the oaths.
After taking the oath, Wallach thanked attendees and said he looked forward to collaborating with council members and city staff over his four‑year term. "I really appreciate that," Wallach said after the oath.
In longer remarks, Joe Mulligan thanked family, campaign volunteers and supporters, and acknowledged fellow elected officials in the audience, including Mayor Slamka, Councilwoman Carter and Councilman West. He remembered the late city commissioner Pat Schafer and offered sympathy to her family. "I just wanna thank everybody for having faith and confidence in me and electing me to this full term," Mulligan said. "We're gonna do great things over the next 4 years."
Mulligan framed his return to public office in part through a family history of local service, recounting archival material about his grandfather's time on the council. He contrasted an earlier negative ranking — citing a 2008 Forbes article that labeled the city among the "fastest dying" — with what he described as a recovery and turnaround.
Mulligan said the city has seen substantial economic gains since 2011, citing "about $1,000,000,000 of new commercial investment in a decade," a roughly 5% population increase, record income tax collections and a general fund reserve of more than $30,000,000 (he said the reserve had been about $12,000,000 in 2020). "We have money in the bank to reinvest in our community," Mulligan said, adding that those resources should support staff, public safety and infrastructure.
He closed by asking residents to hold the council accountable, pledging respectful debate when disagreements arise, and inviting attendees to a reception at West Central Wine after the ceremony. The program concluded with a prayer from Father Sabo Smith.
The ceremony focused on ceremonial oaths, personal remarks and local priorities; there were no formal votes or council actions taken at the event.
