Time For City and School Board Employees To Concede

[Shelley Hurd]

[Charlie Page]

Ok Shelley, here's you shot at being Mayor. You are faced with a 4.5 million budget deficit.

What would you do? Cut expenditures or raise taxes.

Lets save the heated exchange over the "budget crisis" for later.

But what would I do as Mayor...wow! What wouldnt I Do!

I would remake Lakewood into what I have always envisioned it to be. No more old fashioned "family community"... No sir, I like things new and hip and trendy.

I would plan to spend money.. gobs of money.

I would take away from the elderly.

I would further disenfrachise the less advantaged.

I would keep my fingers placed firmly in both my ears. (I hate to be criticized)

I would surround myself with folks who reminded me often of just how great I am and how much they feel sorry for me for having to make the "tuff decisions" (They might even throw me parties and such)

And I would indoctrinate my followers..err supporters into the inability to see anything but what passes my lips as truth.

I would control the disemination of information (Public information, News Papers, TV reports...)

I would have my supporters wage war against any and all who oppose me.
And remind folks that they relinguished all right to opinion once they elected me Mayor. And consequences will be harsh for those who do not submit.(Resistance is futile)
…….

That’s the response I anticipated from you Shelley. No solutions and constant bashing.

You harp about cuts to the Office of Aging. Here’s some figures from the SBTFR you seem to be overlooking, probably because it doesn’t support your agenda. In 2006 Lakewood spent an average of $302 per senior resident (the 2007 budget was upped to $367 per senior resident). Parma spent $46, Shaker $76, Fairview $123, Cleveland Hts $49, Euclid $57, Brook Park $22, Garfield $61 and Brooklyn $167 per senior resident. The average of these cities spend per senior resident is $75. In 2006, Lakewood spent 4 times the average. The 2007 budget was nearly 5 times the average. Yet you continue to harp on these cuts.

More from the SBTFR. In other threads, you’ve thrown around the dollar amount that it costs Lakewood residents for backyard trash service at $14.06 per household. However, you fail to mention if backyard service was eliminated, it would bring down the cost to $10.49 per household (Option Two in the SBTFR if you want to go check it out).

You seem to be cherry picking numbers to fit your own agenda. Isn’t this what you accuse City Hall of doing?

[Shelley Hurd]

Charlie...


Lakewood has/had GDBG and othere grants to help in the funding.... do those cities you list?

[Shelley Hurd]

And...I am done sparring over the irrelevant.

[Shelley Hurd]

edit Correction

A__Col, Amin
A6 Audit related correspondence Ce
A6.12 CoL, 2008 Permanent Appropriation Decisions

2008 Budget Decions as of March 17, 2008
Page 1-6
Contracting Out of CurrentCity Services

Requests for proposals have either been issued or are in development for the following City services

Landscaping
Solid waste management, recyclables & Yard Waste Collection, Transportation and & Disposal
Janitorial
Forestry
Information Systems

The City of Lakewood Administration has decided to pursue contracting with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health to provide health services


Page 4 of 6
Refuse and Recycling
Reduction in Division of Refuse budget due to changes in service currently underdevelopment (see Outstanding Issues listed above)

Sorry for the typo

[Charlie Page]

And...I am done sparring over the irrelevant.

Now all of this irrelevant!?!? Please don’t let the facts get in the way of your agenda.

Jim,

I am increasingly concrened over the dominating theme of you and a few others who's energies are more invested in trying to trip up and trying to intimidate the "messanger", rather then any of you seem to be over what appears to be going on in Lakewood.

INTERVIEW INFORMATION:Date:January 10, 2008
Phase I
Jen Pae (Finance Director -- FD), Ed Fitzgerald (Mayor), Non-AOS Participants
Bill Rouse, SAM, Danielle Novak, AM, AOS Participants

Does the City collect trash or is this outsourced?

They collect trash in-house. They are looking at outsourcing this function in the future.

Let's get some perspective on this. A week after the mayor takes office, he talks to the AOS during phase 1 of the performance audit. At that point in time all options are on the table regarding cuts, outsourcing, etc (remember the 4.5 million budget deficit back then?). Since then the mayor and some council members have publicly stated that outsourcing of trash collection is off the table.

_______________


Back to the thread topic.

All 7 of the City’s collective bargaining agreements are expiring at the end of this year. It should be interesting how negotiations play out.

[Jim Sage]

Shelly Hurd,

When you state that many city services actually generate revenue for the city are you saying that the city is realizing a profit from these services?

By the way I am not attacking you. I just want to understand.