I've also got some very good friends in Slupsk. But those are some of the people who live there, not the place itself.
And having lived there for a year, I think I might just know the place a tiny bit better than a couple of tourists know it.
Been to Slupsk a few times..nothing really special about the place...but certainly not a sh*thole...
Compare it to the places nearby (Bytow, Ustka, Leba, Lebork, Kartuzy, Darlowo, etc), those are special places. But despite Slupsk having the same natural advantages of those places, it's nothing like as nice as them.
Hopefully the ending of the conscript system will further improve the town and they'll be smart enough to keep the current Mayor. The only problem is going to be the attitude of the EU to the SEZ in Slupsk.