How can the Observer serve Lakewood better?

[Jim O'Bryan]

There has been many conversations about how do we move the paper and website forward?

Classifieds?
Wedding Announcements?
Death Announcements?

What are your thoughts?

[Donald Farris]

Hi,
I would like to see an unbiased individual/team dig into this Issue 14 and let the people of Lakewood know the truth on it.

It seems to me that we are taking money from an area where it is needed (why it isn't being used there would be an excellent related article) to be used where ever City Council wants.

Part of this process of government spending is (I thought) designed to see tax dollars approved by the voters gets spent where the voters approve.

Since the costs for the sewers can be passed to the people without voter approval, we know they should be getting fixed.

This Issue 14 appears to me to be an attempt by the Mayor and Council to spend tax dollars somewhere that they do not want openly share with the taxpayers of Lakewood. Why would they not want to be open about the costs they face?

Please, Jim, for the benefit of all of us in Lakewood, find out where these dollars are planned to go. What costs are running out of control? Is it trash pickup? Is it Safety Forces? Where is the problem?

[Jim O'Bryan]

Don

I wish you had been at the meeting the other night. These very subjects were tackled.

What I mean was that the Observer is growing by leaps and bounds. Residents talking in the open, about what concerns us. Not needing to go and hide behind fake names.

HOWEVER

We do not have the ability to tackle issues in the way you are discussing. We have a mostly volunteer staff, and a good legal group of advisers, however, we just do not at this time have the fact checking ability. We are looking into growing in that direction, but it takes a mass of human hours that have not be allocated to the Observer yet.

As you well know, if you want to write the paper we can publish it.

please feel free to call.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Don

Let me rephrase my answer, so that I can throw-out what was discussed at the meeting and what I meant.

I believe because there is an Issue 14 thread already that you meant with your answer. I would like the Lakewood Observer to be more in-depth and investigative on issues facing this city, including politics.

I would agree, but, always a but with me, We have to look at why the Observer was started and where we have gone in 7 issues.

The Lakewood Observer was designed to allow Lakewood residents to know this city better than any city has ever know itself, and to build what we call "the Lakewood Brand." Along the way the paper has become a "news" source for the city and we will do everything to explore and enlarge our news capabilities.

We are working on some very big "block buster" news stories. But it is a long process for this paper to write, check facts, run through legal...

As you, Lynn, Hunter and Savannah know, we are open source, send it in we will run it. Some stuff like your two well written articles on computer security, and weblinks that are not considered to be time sensitive simmer front and center in the office as we gather illustrations, photos or whatever helps the article. Then used as needed. However time sensitive are hurried through.

To my knowledge, we have only shelved two stories, both were unsalvagable, or found to be utterly false. Of course this is not to say the submiter didn't think they were relevant, they just didn't make it through editorial advisory and or legal.

Another thing that was decided very early on was that the Lakewood Observer would show the up-most respect to elected officials. This is why the School Board and City Officials have a place to share thoughts, plans and ideas without response in those immediate areas. Our belief at the time and still is; These people won by a direct vote of the people, and ultimately they answer to those voters. As this is a city/civic venture this only makes sense. I have no desire to make this Jimmyville.

So if you have any facts, please share them in the discussion group, write the story, share them with us in this forum and in the paper.

Political Season - For the record.
The Lakewood Observer has no mechanism in place to back, support or lend endorsements to any issue or politician. Which most on the board agree is where we need to be. Isn't it better as you suggested that we give ALL politicians, and residents a place to be open, with their plans, issues, and ideas, than for the website and more importantly the paper to back or support with prejudice. Get info out, discuss, let residents make up their minds.

Everyone associated with the paper is free to express any view they want. Or staff goes from radical left wing freaks like me, to our new Associate Editor who is a Conservative Republican.


This is open source.


Jim O'Bryan

PS - Just so everyone knows. I voted for Tom George, and like Tom George. But it has no impact on what you post, what others post, or what ends up in the paper. You know that for a fact.

[Donald Farris]

Hi,
Thanks, Jim.

I voted for Mayor George, likewise. Given that, I still think we as taxpayers need to look into these issues fully. I am not currently in the position to do a good job of looking into this issue. I was hoping someone esle might be.

Back on topic, I want to see a full word search capability on both the printed paper and the on-line discussions. It could then point back into pdfs of page of the paper or the discussion thread where the word is found. The process and product have been better than I ever thought possible, you and your staff have done a super job and I only wish I could help more.

[dl meckes]

The search function on the Observation Deck works.

As for Issue 14, please call Finance Director Vic Nogalo with any questions.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Don

I also look forward to the day that we can look deeper into this. However one of the current strong points of the paper is volunteers tend to know what they are talking about and stick to what they know.

Bill Call is superb at crunching the numbers, and getting us stuff that goes much deeper than the PD and Sun. Likewise Lynn and Julie know as much about Eminent Domain as anyone we could hire to look at that subject.

Mike Deneen loves pets and sports and excels at reporting those. The secret to this wish is to energize more people to join the Observer, and help with fact checking, writing, etc.

One more thing, Vic Nogalo. I am not sure Vic and I are in sync on everything, and that I understand. But I have spoke with Vic, and two things I like about him is, he thorough, and he is very realistic about the region and the tax base.

[Mark Crnolatas]

First, I ask you all to refrain from shooting the messenger, namely me.


Seriously though, I suggest some one that does "interviewing" do quite a few one on one discussions with property owners, renters, and the lower profile business owners, that live south of Madison. Draw a horizontal line across Lkwd, on Madison. Take in the streets south of that line excluding Madison, all the way to Lkwd Hts Blvd and I-90, and across, from Rocky River Dr, to W.117th. That is a large percentage of the population of the city, it would seem. Possibly half or more than half of the population with all the multiple dwellings?
Can anyone from city hall cite that percentage, out of curiosity?

I think the results would be highly enlightening and helpful.
From those I've talked to, they do not say a lot in public, do not attend city meetings, and certainly do not post on line, which, in my opinion does not make them less caring about the city, but only less public about their opinions. They do phone city hall, write letters, pay taxes, decide where to spend their money, send their children to schools, and vote.
They also decide whether to live and spend here, or not, based on "on the street" experiences, rather than what they are told by media.

Just a thought.

Mark
______________
"An entire society, or any group of people, exist soley in it's ability to maintain an atmosphere of peace and civility. It's failure is directly relative to the degree of the lack of these conditions".

[Jim O'Bryan]

Mark

Thanks for the note.

We do talk to people south of Madison, many on this board live south of Madison. I cannot answer for those that write the mayor, but do not share their thoughts in an open, trusting, respected forum like The Observer.

But we/I have walked and talked with those in Birdtown, and South of Madison while delivering papers. To me this is one of the joys of delivering, a chance to talk with fellow residents and neighbors.

If they do not attend meetings, and do not take part in the process then they are less caring. plain and simple. They have in-fact given over their lives and future to others to run.

As I am sure you know. The Lakewood Observer board is the first one, strike that, the only one in the city that respects ALL posters. If you bring it to the table post it and take ownership of it, you get respect, and thoughts back from people willing to own their thoughts. There are no "cute names" waiting to ambush and attack.

So let those neighbors know, it is a new day in Lakewood, and they have a seat at the table.

Mark have you ever delivered papers? You should try it, it is the most energizing thing I have ever done in this town. The resident love the paper and the messenger. It often takes me an hour to do a street as they come out to talk about Lakewood, what they love, and what they are not sure about.

Thanks again for posting.

[STOSH BURGESS]

What i would like to see is a section that two sides of a issue can explain there case in their own words. For example the two sides of the smoking ban or anything, local or not.

Unfortunately I work evenings during the week so I am never able to attend LO meetings.

[Jim O'Bryan]

What i would like to see is a section that two sides of a issue can explain there case in their own words. For example the two sides of the smoking ban or anything, local or not.

Unfortunately I work evenings during the week so I am never able to attend LO meetings.

Stosh

You and your wife are missed at everyone of those meetings. You two have so much to add, but I know how full the Burgess Family plate is. I'm just glad to have you kids posting.

Now to address your concern.

The Lakewood Observer is an Open Source publication. With only a couple small exceptions if it has anything to do with Lakewood it is run. To my knowledge only two articles have not made it through editing. One because even the Editors could not make it sensible and the other because it contained no facts but would have outraged for no reason. Everything else we have still waiting for use. If it is time sensitive it runs, if it is not, it sits until we can use it. (Don Farris has suffered the most on this, as he has written some really good pieces about technology, but we have had a steady flow of time sensitive stories)

Last week I was stopped in front of The Coffee Pot where out retired Warriors have coffee every Saturday. "Gordon Brumm is a communist. How can you print that trash." I was told. After assuring them that Gordon was not a communist, but was a very, smart person with strong views. I asked them to write the op-ed piece. "Naw, you will never print it." I asked them again, "Why would I ask you to write something if I didn't want it?" I assured them if it was written there was a 99.5% chance it would be run. They walked away saying maybe. To date nothing has appeared.

I know for a fact that everyone connected with the advisory board has been through the same thing. I also know we are continually reaching out to the right, the left, the middle, young, old, punk, GenX, Gen A, Gen AA to write for the paper. But for some reason the right more than any other group pulls back and does not produce. Go figure.

To underline how strong we feel about this. Gordon found a blog attacking his latest article, and sent me a note saying, "If he can condense and tone down his rhetoric, he might write something from the Conservative point of view for the Observer." So it is not that we are not looking, asking, no I mean begging for people to send in their views, no matter where they come from.

In issue 9 we are working on another story underlining exactly this.

Thanks for the note.