Where's the Beef?

[Brian Essi]

As a citizen and taxpayer of Lakewood, like many readers, I am wondering how the hospital deal with a certain unnamed multinational healthcare nonprofit went South. Last January, Mayor Summers promised the city a deal worth $120 Million Dollars. It was all there nicely written out in the press release.

The deal documents are posted on the city’s website. As you read them keep your calculator and pen and paper handy. See if you can find the missing money. As hard as I tried, there was nowhere near $120 Million Dollar to be found anywhere in the deal. So, Where’s the Beef? I challenge each reader to look at the documents, read the news stories related to the closure of the hospital and see if you can find the missing money.

As far as I can tell, way more than $70 Million Dollars seems to have disappeared since the city issued the press release. And, it could be a lot more.

There seems to be a fundamental and unexplainable discrepancy between the financial benefits stated by the City in its press release and the actual dollars and cents associated with the actual deal proposed by the City last fall and approved by council seven – zip. I’m not talking about loss of jobs, loss of revenue or loss of taxes. I’m talking about the fact that the actual deal that the City agreed to is short more than $70 Million Dollars. I think we all deserve an explanation.

The next time you talk with the mayor or the city council members, I urge you to ask them these two simple questions, “What happened to the money that you told us we would receive if we shut-down Lakewood Hospital? Where did all the money you promised us go?”

We deserve honest answers from our elected officials.

Turn off your calculators. Put down pen and pencil. The test is over. Is this money really missing? Did the deal really tank? Or is there a simpler explanation?

Of course, the deal was never worth $120 Million Dollars in the first place. That was always a bogus number.

The real tragedy is that our elected leaders had no faith in us as citizens and as taxpayers. As so too often happens now, they simply chose to lie. Artful and professional lies all laid out in the press release from the PR flacks.

We all deserve better from our elected leaders.

[Lori Allen _]

Don't bother asking. They won't answer you. They never have, they never will.

[m buckley]

Mr. Essi - Great post.
Consider this a bump.

[Brian Essi]

Mr. Buckley,

Thanks for your ongoing thoughtful posts.

I recall speaking with Councilman Bullock about the $120M bogus claim on the onelakewood.com website.
He acknowledged it was not true, but supported the executive that perpetrated the lie.

In that regard, Bullock tracks the quote below--he essentially commands that evil be performed.

Regardless of how the hospital issue ends, the legacy will be elected leaders that need to be exposed for what they did and removed where possible.

[Bill Call]

I still think that part of the motivation of the LHA and Clinic was to get their hands on the $33 million in Foundation money. This deal allows the transfer of those assets to a new entity controlled by the Clinic.

Where's the Beef?

Better question:

Where is the criminal indictment?

[Brian Essi]

Bill,

I agree. If I was a lawyer for Summers, I would have him take the fifth at the depo.

Instead we will see him duck, bob, weave and have amnesia as he tries to get through the minefield of lies he thought he buried and would never have to explain.

[Lori Allen _]

Brian,

How many signatures have you gotten for the referendum? Just curious.

[Amy Dilzell]

Brian has never been in the Save Lakewood Hospital group nor has he said he would be collecting signatures. His focus has always been on the financial details of "The Deal". He has spent thousands of hours combing over every detail of the first LOI and this second Master Agreement-he has been an invaluable asset to the citizens of Lakewood in bringing forth the facts of this deal.

[Lori Allen _]

Brian hangs with Save Lakewood Hospital people and his articles appear on SLH's website. Whether or not he is a member, people associate him with SLH. Besides that, I agree Brian has brought a lot to the Deck with details and has done a lot of research about the hospital deal. However, so have others that some SLH members here on the Deck choose to ignore. Plus, we don't need the information repeated over and over and over again. My main complaint is , not just Brian Essi, but others posting here on the Deck that are members of SLH bullying people. People ARE allowed to have different opinions other than their own and there is no need to insult and bully them like some sometimes do here on the Deck. People in the community associate Brian with SLH and from what I have been told when I am going out for signatures, people in the community are not supporting SLH anymore.

Amy, you know how devoted I have been to saving the hospital. When I ran for Ward 3 Council, the hospital was my main cause. Where are Mark Schneider and J.T. Neuffer now? I'm just saying, if some people's behavior has me on the fence right now about leaving the group, imagine how people feel that have not been as devoted as my son and me. My son ran his butt off for SLH delivering tons and tons of stuff for issue 64, and yet, he still appears unappreciated. Perhaps instead of it always being the fault of someone else, maybe SLH needs to look at not all, but some members of their management team. They have tight control over everything and rudely shoot people down at the meetings when they have suggestions. We have not done well so far. Maybe some members of management need to listen to people and be a little kinder. Lastly, the Deck has become Save Lakewood Hospital's private chat room. They only converse with a few. I thought the Deck was for everyone in Lakewood to share information about the city. They pretty much have all left now. The hospital issue is important, but so is housing stock, crime, and heroin. If we don't get other issues taken care of here, there will be no need for a hospital.

FWIW.

[Brian Essi]

pretty much have all left now. The hospital issue is important, but so is housing stock, crime, and heroin. If we don't get other issues taken care of here, there will be no need for a hospital.

FWIW.

Lori,

I don't recall being critical of your posts on the important subjects you bring to the Deck.

It seems that you began calling me a "bully" and then a "chauvinist" and then other derogatory labels when I expressed my view that building a fence to separate the hospital talk would not work.

It is my view that the loss of the hospital will exacerbate the housing stock, crime and heroin issues you write about. So in a very real sense, I believe I am fighting for those issues.

Send all your arrows my way.

I will continue to present the facts and express my views in my own style, unless and until the "Conformity Police" take over the LO and the Deck.

[Dan Alaimo]

Just a thought:
I'm not telling anyone what to say, but there are 2 days left to the petition deadline and 2 months to the primary/referendum election. What do you think about this being a good time to circle the wagons?

Another thought:
While it's not time to stop the effort, we are going to have to all live in this town together when it's over. That's something I try to keep in mind as I post about the hospital deal.

[Lori Allen _]

pretty much have all left now. The hospital issue is important, but so is housing stock, crime, and heroin. If we don't get other issues taken care of here, there will be no need for a hospital.

FWIW.

Lori,

I don't recall being critical of your posts on the important subjects you bring to the Deck.

It seems that you began calling me a "bully" and then a "chauvinist" and then other derogatory labels when I expressed my view that building a fence to separate the hospital talk would not work.

It is my view that the loss of the hospital will exacerbate the housing stock, crime and heroin issues you write about. So in a very real sense, I believe I am fighting for those issues.

Send all your arrows my way.

I will continue to present the facts and express my views in my own style, unless and until the "Conformity Police" take over the LO and the Deck.

The bottom line is: In my opinion, the manner in which you (and others) on the Deck express themselves could easily be seen as as myriad of negative terms. It is also my belief that the rhetoric on the Deck lately has been quite over-the-top. I feel that this thread is a prime example of over-the-top and unnecessary rhetoric: url]http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=22569[/url]

It is wonderful that each of us comes to the Deck to bring facts and opinions. Nevertheless, the immoderate level of over-the-top rhetoric and sometimes pomposity is unnecessary and almost certainly does little to nothing to further any cause.

I will not send any arrows your way. Just pointing something out.

FWIW.

[Brian Essi]

No worries.

Can you be specific about what you consider over the top?