This was upsetting because the largest thing facing this city in over 50 years is the debacle known as the CCF Lakewood Master Agreement. A project done mostly in private with little sunshine or explanation except, "We have to do it now." What does the City of Lakewood get right now? We lose $150 million in public assets, potentially another $20 million in deconstruction costs, the loss of a hospital with 1,100 high paying jobs, for what can best be described as "Magic Beans." As one candidate speaks of saving the hospital, jobs, income tax, and honesty and transparency, the other candidate claims the yet unnamed or purposed private foundation will allow everyone in the city to dream big, no bigger, bigger still.
So you can see both candidates are betting heavily on the "The Hospital Deal" yet only one seemed ready to give it the gravity and seriousness it deserves.
To my dismay, as I was coming back from out east, I started to get notices about the debate which simply were not true. It is yet another misleading tactic, playing fast and loose with the truth and fast with the spin that can only come from the first mayor who ever need to hire a crisis management company, let alone spend nearly $1million in public assets on crisis management and spin in talking with his constituents.
No spin here. Here are the actual letters from Mike Skindell.
The first inviting the Mayor to "debate on the hospital deal."
Here is the letter from today...
I have seen them talk about the City of Lakewood at least 3 times now, we needed a conversation on this nightmare hospital deal.
This is yet another tragedy in this nightmare of a deal. Changing Lakewood forever, with a mayor that has no time to discuss it, explain it, or even try.
Democracy loses yet again.
.
